Go Gos Remastered!

On or around May 17, Capitol/I.R.S. will release a 30th Anniversary Edition of The Go-Go's double platinum debut album, Beauty and the Beat, which has been digitally remastered and expanded.

The commemorative edition will be available in a 2CD package and in two digital collections featuring the remastered original album plus exclusive, previously unreleased concert audio recordings from 1981.

On the same date, the remastered original album will be reissued on pink vinyl with replicated original artwork.

I remember hearing "Our Lips Are Sealed" for the first time (the first single from Beauty and The Beat), then the only recorded track for the band, on the Rutgers University student run radio station and running out and seeing the band the following Saturday night at a converted Go-Go bar in New Jersey (no kidding). I have to be honest, I remember very little about the evening due to my overindulgence of alcoholic libations. That being said, I recall there being a small crowd of about 30-50 of us all cramped up near the edge of the "stage". I was about 10 feet away from Belinda Carlisle when a fight broke out right in front of me. Carlisle stopped the band and, shaking her finger in a dismissive gesture, said "Now, now boys". Bouncers threw the fighters out and the show resumed. I'm told I had great fun that night.

The Go-Go's will hit the road this summer on their Ladies Gone Wild tour in support of the new release. Here are the dates:

August
12 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom
13 Portland, OR Oregon Zoo Amphitheatre
14 Seattle, WA Woodland Park Zoo
16 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
17 Los Angeles, CA The Greek Theater
20 Temecula, CA Pechanga Resort & Casino
23 Aspen, CO Belly Up
24 Denver, CO Ogden Theater
26 Dallas, TX House of Blues
27 Houston, TX House of Blues
28 Austin, TX Paramount Theater

The Trashmen - Surfin' Bird

SURFIN' BIRD
(Frazier - White - Harris - Wilson)
THE TRASHMEN (GARRETT 4002, 1963)

A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
B-b-b-bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, well the bird is the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a...

A-well-a everybody's heard about the bird
Bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody's talking about the bird!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a bird...

Surfin' bird
Bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb... [retching noises]... aaah!

Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow

Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-oom-oom-oom
Oom-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-a-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow
Papa-oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow
Oom-oom-oom-oom-ooma-mow-mow
Ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
Papa-ooma-mow-mow, ooma-mow-mow
Well don't you know about the bird?
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word!
A-well-a bird, bird, b-bird's the word

Papa-ooma-mow-mow, papa-ooma-mow-mow
[repeat to fade]

I always loved this song so I decided to post the lyrics. After glancing one more time
at them and then the song credits it struck me. It took four guys to write this? Ouch. Still love the song.

Smithereens 2011

Sometimes you can come home. I spent my formative years as a New Jerey native, listening to the best the state had
to offer. Brought up on Sinatra and surrounded by Springsteen fans, I was a restless teen in need of something new.
A chance stop at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick introduced me to a new, local band called The Smithereens. That
night some 30 years ago changed my life forever.

So I was thrilled to hear that there would be a new Smithereens "record" after 12 years (there I go again, showing my age). The classic Smithereens records, Especially for You, Green Thoughts, and "11", changed the way I thought about music, how much of it I consumed, and how much it consumed me. To say that I was looking forward to hearing the first new material from Pat DiNizio and company in a long time is an understatement.

Produced by Don Dixon right here in my NC backyard, my expectations were raised even higher. Dixon had produced the best of their past releases as well as outstanding recordings by REM, another of my faves. And his production work here is outstanding as usual.

The "single" (if there is such a thing anymore), "Sorry" is drawn from a familiar Smithereens template. Like most of the songs in the disc, it's the hook-filled, chord driven powerpop fare we've come to expect from these guys. "One Look At You" really sticks in your head. You'll find yourself humming this tune after just a listen or two. Jim Babjak's guitar work is still powerpop's best, imo, Diken great as well. Still, after repeated listenings I couldn't help feeling like something was missing though. Bassist Severo “The Thrilla” Jornacion is fine, but there were no killer "Girl Like You" or "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" like cuts on the record. Perhaps Mike Mesaros' contributions were bigger than originally thought. I dunno.

The middle of the record has some filler, but songs like "Keep On Running", "Nobody Lives Forever", and "All The Same" make this a satisfying record nonetheless.

It's that classic Smithereens sound, and its good to hear again...even if there isn't a Smithereens classic here. Despite the absence of a classic, I find myself going back to it fairly often. Feels good...kinda like coming home.

The Records go acoustic with a new DVD!

John Wicks, the lead singer and songwriter from the legendary power pop group, The Records, has released a live, acoustic DVD. The first release since his comeback record entitled "Rotate", Wicks (with the help of new Record Dennis Taylor) performs some old favorites as well as some great new material. Fans of The Records will enjoy the Wicks/Birch penned "Her Stars Are My Stars" as well as the quintessential classic, "Starry Eyes", performed with the assistance of one Matthew Sweet. Sweet's contribution is minimal, but its great to see him with the band nonetheless.

The performance is also chock full of new material, with all the hooks we've grown accustomed to from a Wicks/Records release. They also do a nice cover of The Beatles' Things We Said Today" and Graham Gouldman's "Bus Stop". All in all, a very good time.

You can check out the lyrics or view a clip by going to WicksWirks or order it here through Kool Kat Musik.