Thursday, January 07, 2010

An Early And Extremely Self-Indulgent Clue to the New Direction

From 1983, please enjoy Greenwich Village's finest, the fabulous Floor Models (featuring some guy whose name rhymes with Sleeve Nimels on bass) with their dark psychedelic tune in e minor shameless rip-off of "Eight Miles High" -- the showstopping "Fade into Grey."




This was recorded more or less live at WBAI-FM under fairly hectic circumstances, and I don't think it really does justice to our stage version; the lead guitar, by my personal hero Andy "Folk Rock" Pasternack (who I firmly believe is the greatest Rickenbacker twelve-string guy who ever lived, and that includes Roger McGuinn) is kind of buried in the mix. But hey -- we got the studio time for free. I should also add that it's sung, authoritatively, by the song's composer, the irrepressible Gerry Devine.

In any case, as always, a coveted PowerPop No-Prize will be awarded the first reader who gleans the clip's relevance to the theme of tomorrow's Weekend Listomania.

20 comments:

geor3ge said...

Songs with titles in the imperative?

steve simels said...

I rather like that, but no.
:-)

Anonymous said...

If it ain't about fading or graying, I'm stunped.

David said...

Songs with a Byrds influence that aint by the Byrds? (certainly a pregnant topic)...

dave™© said...

Songs that sound uncannily like other songs?

Gummo said...

Songs that evoke a different musical era?

FD13NYC said...

Old guys diggin' up their old music of bands they used to be in and putting them on their blogs? (Kidding)

Wendy said...

Great cover ... :-)

steve simels said...

Okay -- here's a hint. It's something in the lyrics, specifically.

Anonymous said...

Re: Greatest Rickenbacker guitarist - Simels, Andy's great, but better then Tony Forte: no way!

Songs about feeling lost in your life.

ROTP(lumber)

steve simels said...

Okay -- it's something specific in the lyric.

In the lyric AFTER the instrumental break....
:-)

MBowen said...

Songs with references to wheels or going around?

(Nice song, needs a little production work)

Unknown said...

Songs with Smiles?

steve simels said...

Something specific in the lyric IMMEDIATELY after the insrumental break...


God, I'm being so good to you folks...
:-)

Anonymous said...

Songs about moonlight?

"Fade into Grey" is one of my all time favorite Floor Model songs.

ROTP(lumber)

Anonymous said...

Is it about...open field farming ?
GB

dSmith said...

Songs about wheels?

dSmith said...

Songs about wheels rolling

steve simels said...

They have ears but they will not hear....
:-)

Anonymous said...

Amazing to hear this again without cracks and hiss. There had been a film around this time called Fade into Grey starring the actor from Breaking Away, and I somehow always associated the two. Someone must have lost their job letting us use WBAI's studio, but I think Lynne Samuels played these tracks on a show during the next few weeks. I played the solo on a Hagstrom 12-string which recorded better than the Rick. On the solo, I'm definitely in Byrdsville but I was also aspiring (in my mind, that is) Tom Verlaine's solo in There's A Reason. - AP