The Vapors were best known for the single "Turning Japanese" (which is euphamistacally said to be about masturbation) but anyone that went out and bought the album back in 1980 will tell you that they should have been known for so much more than that one song and to call them "one hit wonders" would be a hideous crime!
The band hailed from Guildford and were discovered by John Weller, father of Paul Weller and were subsequently managed by himself and Bruce Foxton.
The single Turning Japanese peaked at number 3 in the UK charts and also hit other charts around the globe, the album only managed a number 44 placing, rather curiously as it is full of great songs with depth and hooks that you can't possibly ignore.
The second album "Magnets" charted in the US (109) and in Canada (39) but failed to make any impact on the UK charts and the band broke up soon after the release, stating, there was a lack of label support.
New Clear Days is an album I go back to time and time again, it sits comfortably amongst The Jam, The Chords and many other bands of that period, 31 years old and a classic!
Download it directly and free from the bands own page: HERE
It's a King Thing are: Brian Mietz, Steve Poponi, Mike Maier, John Masino, Jay Tagmire
Buffalo x8 (I wasn't going to write that out again!) is full of sweet harmonies and guitar hooks that would make even the greyest, cold days feel like they were warm and sunny.
The album was released in February 2010 as a free download on the internet and the band have now raised enough money via Kickstarter to finally release the album on vinyl for those of you who still enjoy the ultimate listening experience.
It's a King Thing have have supported The Lemonheads on a few shows and are strongly recommended if you enjoy the music of The Lemonheads, Weezer, Superdrag, Ben Kweller, Guided by Voices and Nada Surf.
The band from New Jersey call themselves, "A band for boys and girls, late bloomers, nose pickers, pussies and procratinators."
You can even pick up the bands self titled LP for free HERE and you can get a copy of the physical album from the band for just $2.00 from the bands website.
You can also find the book on Facebook too HERE so go on over there and click like, you know you want to!
I first became aware of Mod/Powerpop band Stanley Road through my friend over at the Retroman blog and instantly upon hearing them was taken back to around 1978 and the mod revival period, a time when bands weren't swallowed up by TV shows like X-Factor and suchlike and regurgitated out to the masses, a time when bands made their own way down the road of rock 'n' roll and that is what we have here in Stanley Road, an honest hardworking band doing what they want to do........and it is good!
Last month I flew back to the UK to catch a performance of Len Price 3 at the Half Moon in Putney, what I didn't know when I booked my return flight was that the wonderful Spanish Mod/Powerpop band, Stanley Road, would be playing close by the following night, around about the same time as I would be flying back to my adopted home here in Sweden. However, unbeknown to me, also in the crowd that night, jumping about and having a great time, were Sabino, Pablo and Chusin from Stanley Road and I had a chance to chat with them over a beer or two. But before that, take a listen to "Nothings
Gonna Come" from their new E:P.
Stanley Road are: Sabino López: Guitar, Lead Voice
Chus Foxton: Bass Guitar, Voice
Pablo Álvarez: Drums, Voice
From: Asturies Metropolitan Area, Spain.
Q. How did the three of you meet and when did you form the band?
A.The band was formed in 2003. After three years Sabino got a job in Madrid, he stayed three years so the band just couldn’t carry on playing. Fortunately in 2010 we decided to come back together and play again. We have been good friends since we were kids.
Q. Who are your greatest musical influences?
A. The Jam, The Circles, Secret Affair, Small Faces, Housemartins, Green Day, Los Flechazos, Brighton 64, Northern Soul…
Q. You have recently played the UK in Cambridge, where else have you played and which is your favourite venue?
A.We played all around Spain: Madrid, Zaragoza, Santander, Oviedo, Gijón, Cáceres, Logroño, San Sebastian and much more…we played in festivals and mod rallies like October in Rain, Pop Art Weekend, Purple Weekend, Go Lleida… Our favourite venue was in Logroño and San Sebastian where we really connected to our fans.
Q. What is the funniest thing that has happened to you when playing gigs or recording?
A. Last gig in our home city, cops arrested Chuce for public disorder. Sabino tried to help him and he got arrested too…at that time Pablo was in a Pub playing darts. The fine was payed with Stanley’s money!
Q. You have recently recorded and released a 4 track vinyl E.P, why did you release this on vinyl and what is your preferred format when listening to music?
A. We prefer vinyl because its sounds better. It’s the way to listen Rock & Roll.
Q. What bands are you currently listening to?
A. We love The Movement(Denmark), Innocenti(Malaysia), Cooper, The Bite(Spain), Len Price 3, Universal(England),The Go Signals(Philippines), Rioji & The Last Chords(Japan)... We think that we are in a boom of new mod bands in all around the world.
Q. What is your favourite record of all time?
A.CHUCE: The Jam – All Mod Cons, PABLO: Marvin Gaye: What’s going on, SABINO: The Jam – Setting Sons
Q. The Mod/Powerpop scene in Spain seems to be very popular right now, why do you think this is?
A. Because there are a lot of bands and festivals, so people get to know them, and really like power pop and mod bands, but anyway we think that promoters are just interested in old bands so the new ones have no chance to get known…that could be a problem for the scene.
Q. If when watching a band, one of the band members was abducted by aliens and you had to replace them, who would you be?
A.C: John Entwistle P: Keith Moon S: Howlin’ Wolf or Paul Weller.
Q. What are your hopes and aspirations for Stanley Road?
A. We hope to become the mods and music lovers favourite band all around the world. We’re thinking about recording our first LP this spring.
Q. Finally, the most important question of all, what is your favourite ice cream?
A. C: I don´t like ice creams. I prefer meat and chips. P: Milk rice cream, S: Philadelphia cheese with strawberry.
Many thanks to Sabino, Pablo and Chusin for taking the time to talk to me, we, at Ice Cream Man, wish them all the best for the future with the band and the recording of the LP which we look forward to hearing sometime next year.
Having trawled the internet, I have been unable to find out any more about this artist than this:
Grant Lindberg is a solo artist out of Minneapolis, MN. He has been called “a poor man’s Matthew Sweet in a box.” He has been several bands including Avenue, The Methods and Alceon.
I am not sure that I personally would call him a poor mans Matthew Sweet in a box, whatever that means? Grants music is full of vibe and energy, depth and richness and for those of you that like some crunching guitars in your mix of power pop, you will love this.
You can find three of Grants albums, including this one and an E.P over on his bandcamp page, all really worth taking time out to listen to, in the meantime, if I manage to find anything else out about the man and the music, I shall post it here as soon as!!!
The Prisoners were a mod revival/1960s garage band formed in 1982 in Chatham, Kent, England. They were a regular live fixture on the London "psychedelic revival" mini-scene of the early 1980s, and often toured with sparring partners The Milkshakes who included Billy Childish on guitar. The Prisoners' sound combined catchy, retro flavoured melodies, punky guitar riffs, a Steve Marriott-esque vocal style and a lead instrument of the then-unfashionable Hammond organ. The Prisoners never met with much commercial success during their original lifespan but have latterly been likened to Paul Weller and The Charlatans. Indeed Tim Burgess of the Charlatans has cited the Prisoners as a major influence.
The band's lineup was: Graham Day (vocals and guitar), Jamie/James Taylor (hammond organ), Allan Crockford (bass) and Johnny Symons (drums).
Probably one of the greatest power pop albums you will ever get for free! I love this album and still can't understand why the band gave it away for free, it really is a classic from start to finish. If you don't have it, get it, you'll love it!
"The Martial Arts are in a blissful time warp that traps bands between the 60s and the present day. Equally excellent, check out both "Summer Tweed" and "Finale" to get your daily dose of radiant, sunshiny indiepop." -LOOSE RECORD
“As fortune would have it this album landed with me a matter of days after I narrowly missed seeing them live. A shame really as this is a thoroughbred collection of quality guitar driven pop. The production coupled with a generous use of keys - from theremin to synths - keeps the sound fresh making the influences harder to pin down. 'Contemptuous Disdain' is good example that mixes everything up well and even features a hint of ska. Upbeat opener 'Murry & Audree' is reminiscent of 60s beat but could just as easily be pulling from mid seventies Flamin' Groovies. Not that it matters, it’s three and a half minutes of timeless pop. Don’t Want to Talk continues in the same vain. Four songs in and 'Frost' changes tack a bit - a not quite ballad anchored by piano. Straight away 'Mod Val' kicks in and accelerates away as the guitars are reasserted in something of a punk out. 'Summer Tweed' is another stand out bit of tunesmithery from Paul Kelly - California style pop conceived in Northern Europe. Talking of which, this would have probably been my album for the summer months if it was not already pissing October.” - IS THIS MUSIC?
“Jaw on floor, dancing boots in turbo, absolutely marvellous, marvellous stuff. Expect great things - if not, you’ve only your damn selves to blame.” - THE SKINNY
“I’ve had this album on repeat since I got it!” – Lennart Wrigholm, Musiklandet.se
“An enchanting pop explosion” – Lisa Olaison, Sundsvalls Tidning
“Buy This Record!” – Dalademokraten
“The Martial Arts are the creators of this years indie summer” – Arbetarbladet
“Amazing melodies....the sky is the limit for The Martial Arts” – Groove Magazine
“Almost perfect” - Falu Kuriren, Borlänge Tidning
"An extremely recommendable disc for all" -blondie.cl
"The first words on this great album, are also my last - “Listen up to good advice” - listen to The Martial Arts." -Will Campbell, sohostrut.co.uk
