Aug 052012
 

Want the smell of KISS wafting through your car? Then play along!

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  21 Responses to “Rock Town Hall’s Saturday Night Shut-In: I’d Rather Fight Than Switch (Mystery Date Included)”

  1. bostonhistorian

    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.

  2. A fine opening grab for the air freshener.

  3. I’m guessing Fear, around 1981.

  4. ladymisskirroyale

    It sounds a little like the Specials before they were into ska.

  5. That’s interesting for reasons that may eventually become clear.

  6. “That’ being the Fear comment, above.

  7. Welcome to the show, samonomas!

  8. Thanks, glad to be here!

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  11. bostonhistorian

    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.

  12. That’s another good one. The Historian badly wants the air freshener!

  13. Very good points re: production and accent.

  14. There was that precursor band to XTC that may have even had a different singer than those two…but this is not it.

  15. bostonhistorian

    Nah, my allergies and good taste make a KISS air freshener a bad idea…

  16. cliff sovinsanity

    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.

  17. bostonhistorian

    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

  18. Folks, cliff is 24 hours away from driving with the scent of KISS wafting through his car.

  19. cliff sovinsanity

    I always forget who came first The Revs or The Rez.

  20. 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!

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