aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser
#040– Jane Bond & The Undercovermen – ‘Hot Rod Lincoln’ (Ear Movie Records ’82)
Hello friends,
as we’ve now seen enough of England beautiful countryside for a while, it’s time to jump the plane to the US of A again – to L.A. we go, which is, let’s face facts, much more approvable than the UK now that autumn kicks in, right?
And again we find a band there which might be absolutely uncommon to most of you, the mighty fine Jane Bond & The Undercovermen! As mentioned often enough here, the more unknown these combos were, the harder it is to find something interesting on the net these days. So here’s what I can tell you: Jane Bond & The Undercovermen were Ethan James and Lisa Mitchell basically, plus a few guest musicians. James, although the name might not ring a bell, once was a member of Blue Cheer, plus he produced records for The Bangles, The Minutemen, Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers amongst others. In 1981 he released his first own album, Jane Bond & The Undercovermen’s self-titled debut.
Now, I own this album, but I must say: I don’t like it very much. It’s the band’s second LP (from 1985) which struck a heavy chord with me, still does, in fact: ‘Politically Correct’. Some might say this album hasn’t dated all too well, and yes, they may be right. After all it’s (just) underground/new wave/synth-rock to which Lisa Mitchell delivers lyrics about spies, communists and politics. The thing is that she talks more than she sings, which – when listening to all of the album – is becomes a bit tiresome over the whole length. But do not despair: this a singles-series, therefore you just need to listen to one tune, and this one, oh boy, is just f.a.b.u.l.o.u.s.!!
And also it’s a cover, performed by quite a handful of artists, astonishingly enough, but originally done by Charlie Ryan in 1955. Apparently it was written as an answer song to Arkie Shibley’s ‘Hot Rod Race’ from 1950. It describes a drive north on US Route 99 (predecessor to Interstate 5) from San Pedro, LA and over the Grapevine (a long, nearly straight grade up Grapevine Canyon to Tejon Pass, near the town of Gorman, California) which soon becomes a hot rod race that ends with serious consequences.
The car race is described between two hot rod cars, the narrator’s Ford Model A (with a Lincoln motor) and a Cadillac. The song says the Ford’s ‘got 12 cylinders‘, overdrive, a four-barrel carburetor, 4.11:1 gear ratio, and safety tubes’: all this is pure customer service for potential car enthusiasts amongst you readers of this wonderful blog, because me, I drive a shabby 10-year-old Peugeot 208, which is as powerful as a donkey cart, so you can perhaps imagine what I understand from the above … sod all, that’s how much I understand!!
mp3: Jane Bond & The Undercovermen – Hot Rod Lincoln
‘Hot Rod Lincoln’ was released as a 7” in-between the two albums, in 1982, their only 7” in fact. There is no difference between the 7” and the album version, as far as I can tell.
Also it just occurred to me that this would be a good contender for JC’s “Some Songs Make A Great Short Story” – series, that’s if it still exists in any meaningful fashion. (JC adds…..it does!)
Either way, enjoy the tune, let me know what you think of it – and take good care,
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 