Power Pop Lovers
A sample:
JANE AIRE AND THE BELVEDERES - ST (1979)The obscurity of Jane Aire & The Belvederes is a glaring exception to this rule, and fans of early new wave owe it to themselves to hunt down the band's sole LP. Jane Aire, like Chrissie Hynde, was a native of Akron, Ohio (an early punk/new wave breeding ground), who traveled to England to seek her musical fortune. Her sojourn resulted in a handful of singles but only one LP, her Liam Sternberg-produced eponymous 1979 debut (Virgin UK).
To modern ears, the album may sound too polished; in truth, it's closer to power pop than punk. But, the performances are spirited and the songs (many written by Sternberg) are memorable. Jane Aire's voice is a big, impressive instrument, and she uses it unabashedly, unaffectedly, and unpretentiously in a way few female singers do anymore. When she digs into rockers like "Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache" or ballads like "Duke Of Love," she very nearly jumps out of the speakers and into your lap.
Jane Aire & The Belvederes has never appeared on CD, but, one of Jane Aire's early, non-LP singles, "Yankee Wheels" (not a particularly outstanding song) appears on the Stiff Records Box Set. The Belvederes, by the way, were, in fact, the Edge - a group in their own right. Their lineup included future Culture Club drummer (and Boy George paramour) Jon Moss, and they released a couple of records under their own name.
The famous Kirsty MacColl (R.I.P.) and the not so famous Rachel Sweet are contributing with backing vocals here to a great effect.
You know I love this. Consider yourself blogrolled.
And this site blogrolls another: Power Pop Action! My Spanish only allows me to find bathrooms and libraries; yours may be better.
2 comments:
I'm looking to do a MP3 blog but I'm still researching hosts. Rapidshare makes you wait for downloads (I think). Oh well. This new blog looks good though, and it's a nice trip down memory lane with the album covers.
Ah, interesting, Liam Sternberg also worked with Rachel Sweet. Her 1978 LP "Fool Around" is notable for also including a nice tune written by Birch and Wicks "Pin a Medal on Mary."
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