Sounds of the Hall in roughly 33 1/3 minutes!
On tonight’s episode of Saturday Night Shut-In a slightly perturbed* Mr. Moderator returns from 2 glorious weeks visiting friends along the California coast. The hope is he will work through what ails him during the show. Blame it on his return to East Coast humidity? Why not. Nevertheless, the man carries on with some scratchy vinyl and a pocketful of insights.
As a special treat, tonight’s episode kicks off with a Mystery Date! The rules for play follow. The Townsperson who posts the best analysis of our Mystery Date within the constricts of the game will win a KISS Hanging T-Shirt Air Freshener! Contest runs through Wednesday, August 8. Check out how to play…after the jump!
[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/RTH-Saturday-Night-Shut-In-86.mp3|titles=RTH Saturday Night Shut-In, episode 86][Note: You can add Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your iTunes by clicking here. The Rock Town Hall feed will enable you to easily download Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your digital music player.]
To enter our special Mystery Date competition, continue to the next page!
*I found the microphone. My wife was right. Again. My lifelong streak of unnecessarily worrying about misplaced things continues.
It’s got to be 1978-79. I think the accent is an American trying to sound English–Boston? NYC?–the keyboards are way too “California Sun,” and the guitar solo too much for this to be English but someone loved themselves some Buzzocks….
Sorry you missed the exhibition.
A fine opening grab for the air freshener.
I’m guessing Fear, around 1981.
It sounds a little like the Specials before they were into ska.
I can hear that.
That’s interesting for reasons that may eventually become clear.
“That’ being the Fear comment, above.
Welcome to the show, samonomas!
Thanks, glad to be here!
I believe that they really are English. It sounds like XTC 18 Months before White Music. I’m basing that on the rhythm, organ and some weird vocal tics, but I don’t think the singer sounds like Partridge or Moulding.
The music production sounds like it’s prior to punk/new wave, but I don’t think anyone prior to 1977 sang with such obvious working class British pride. Reminiscent of Wreckless Eric, or Tenpole Tudor.
On third listen, I figured out what it reminds me of: if Rocky Horror had been written with new wave influences rather than glam rock, this song would have been an outtake.
That’s another good one. The Historian badly wants the air freshener!
Very good points re: production and accent.
There was that precursor band to XTC that may have even had a different singer than those two…but this is not it.
Nah, my allergies and good taste make a KISS air freshener a bad idea…
Here’s what’s happening. It’s 1981. Captain Sensible is at the local pub drunk and miserable. He runs into Terry Hall who has just left The Specials but hasn’t yet formed Fun Boy Three. They discuss their current rock dilemmas. Sensible is rudderless after leaving The Damned, but still wants to make his mark. Terry thinks synthy new wave is the way to go. Terry is currently recording demos for The Rezillos and ask if Sensible wants to join in on a jam. This is the product of those demos with Captain Sensible and Terry on vocals.
I’d totally buy this if the Rezillos hadn’t become the Revillos in 1980. 🙂
This little documentary about the band is fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7AgwXmZiB8&feature=gv
Folks, cliff is 24 hours away from driving with the scent of KISS wafting through his car.
I always forget who came first The Revs or The Rez.
The KISS air freshener will be sent to cliff! Congrats. We’ll talk offlist regarding your address.
I’ll save the Big Reveal for a day or two, until I get time to talk to one of the musicians who appeared on this week’s Mystery Date! He has agreed to share some memories from that session and beyond. Stay tuned and stay away from Google!