a guest series, courtesy of a very friendly lawyer
THE UNHEARD MUSIC
Here’s a set of songs that I absolutely love and no one’s ever heard. Some arrived in the collection from free downloads or CD samplers when those were a thing. Some I knew back in the day and chased down after music hit the Interwebs. Others I’ve had so long I can’t remember where they came from. All I know is that, when I include one in a mix or pass one on to a friend, the response is always the same: “What a great song! I never heard of this band before!”
As a precaution, I searched through the site and determined that not only did none of these artists feature in JC’s titanic 800 song countdown—they have never appeared on TVV at all! And to make sure they’re not great recent songs that folks just haven’t gotten around to checking out yet, every one of them is at least 10 years old, and most are double that.
Have you got a pet band or song that no one knows about? If you do, list it in the comments. We can have an audience participation Fictive Friday made up of unheard songs from the good folks that frequent this corner of the ‘net.
Standing By – The Actual Tigers.
This Seattle band was formed in the 90’s and was originally called Willis after the Diff’rent Strokes (American sitcom) character. They got signed by Capitol, changed their name, and released one album, Gravelled and Green in 2001. Then they disappeared.
This trio made their way around the NYC scene in the early 80’s. Folks like Echorich would remember them playing at Danceteria and would have heard this song in the clubs. From their third and final LP, 1984’s Deal With It. Sadly, they folded in 1985 and guitarist Oliver North died of a heroin overdose two years later.
Goldie went to graduate school in Boston in the 80’s, exactly when The Turbines got together. She remembers dancing to it down The Rat and other local dives. I’d never heard it and Goldie couldn’t remember the name of the band. When the Internet arrived I did some digging, learned the band name and its songwriter, John Horvoka. I found the guy still living in Boston, selling insurance or whatever. He was really chuffed to be contacted by a fan and cheerfully mailed me a copy of this 7” single, their only one, released on Arf! Arf! Records in 1984.
This song was on a compilation put out by Simple Machine Records, the home of indie bands like Velocity Girl and Tsunami. Can’t figure out if they were from NYC or San Francisco, but they released a few records on a few labels in the 90’s. They reformed at some point and released more records, but I haven’t heard any.
Patient Patient – The Morning Benders.
This was a great quartet out of Berkeley, California. I saw them with the kids a couple of times, and young Sam struck up a digital correspondence with bandleader Chris Chu after meeting him when the band opened for Supergrass at the Avalon here in L.A. This is an album track from their 2008 debut, Talking Through Tin Cans. They released another album in 2010, then moved to Brooklyn and morphed into a forgettable band called POP ETC.
The band name translates to “French fries,” but it’s also a homonym for “Pop Has Freed Us,” the name of their publishing company. They released three perfect records and then called it a day to pursue graduate degrees. This is an album side off their third and final LP, 2000’s Buildings and Grounds. I love it so much that I once wrote to the guitarist/songwriter, Tony Goddess, to ask what the chords were. He was about as happy to be remembered as John Horvoka and sent me a chord chart and a nice note. A song so hooky it should originally have been dedicated to Linear Tracking Brian, so let’s do that now.
Another tune whose source I don’t remember by an artist I know nothing about. Wiki tells me that Jenny O. grew up on Long Island, like I did, and that she’s released a few albums. This tune is off her first, Automechanic, released in 2013. It’s a solid little song, but her harmonies are so beautiful they take it to another level.
If You Don’t Love Me (I’ll Kill Myself) – Pete Droge.
Cheating a little here because I think my bandmate Dr. Dave knows Pete Droge, or at least has heard the song. Not sure about that, but no one else seems to have heard of him. This song is from his debut album, Necktie Second, from 1994. Mr. Droge worked with guys like Pete Stroud and Matthew Sweet, but I don’t know any of their music.
Everything You Give Me Breaks – Godstar.
This band named themselves after a song by Psychic TV. They’re Australian. This tune appeared on their 1993 album Sleeper. They released another one and broke up circa 1995. That’s everything I got on Godstar.
Sister Ray Charles – JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound.
Crank up this track if you want to get a party started. Now known as JC Brooks Band, these Chicago soul merchants have been at it since 2007 and are still active. This banger is from their second LP, Want More, released in 2011. They haven’t released a record in 10 years, but they’re still a going concern.
Bonus Track: The Unheard Music – X.
Everyone’s familiar with Los Angeles, X’s debut on Slash Records back in 1980. But this album track is where today’s post gets its name, so let’s give it a spin. And remember to hit me up with your own unheard music.
Jonny