I Have Never Heard These Bands That Start With The Letter S

its on most punk compilations ... um .. its not that good

"New wave" saxophonist. I have heard something that sort of reminds me vaguely of Bowie's "Art Decade."

Scars - Scottish post-punk. Banshees-esque guitar sound. "Adult/ery" is their classic.

The Secret - 'whacky' ie: 'crap' (power?)pop

The Senders - blues-y NY band. French singer.

Shake - Ex-Rezillos powerpop?

Sheena & The Rokkets - Japanese rock band. Big in Japan?

Shox Lumania - amazing NYC art/synth performance art band. You can find their videos on Man Parrish's website (I think).

Slow Children - New Wave w/female singer. 1st album is recommended

T.V. Smith's Explorers - Sounds like late period Adverts w/1981-style synth

Starjets - Irish punk/pop/powerpop

Stinky Toys - 2nd LP is recommended. Existential French post-punk

Swinging Madisons - Kristian Hoffman's post-Mumps band. Featured Joe Katz from the amazing Student Teachers. (Ask Arthur!)

AHHHH! OOPS! I have them on the great & wonderful mutant pop comp with GO4 & Mekons. I love adult/ery. i knew it looked familiar when i typed it.

Walter Steding was a violin player/performance artist who also worked as an art assistant to Andy Warhol in the late 70s and released at least one single on Andy's Earhole Records.

Chris Stein was a friend of Walter Steding, right? He produced his album(s). Have'nt heard them, tho.

About 12 years ago, Skeleton Crew had a schmaltzy regional hit -"U.V.A. (Unrequired(?) Visual Affection)" - which has haunted open mic nights in Starkville ever since. And again, there may be more than one.

Shake - formed by Jo Callis, post-Rezillos and pre-Human League. Don't think they did anything particularly distinguished.

T.V. Smith's Explorers - didn't they do "Tomahawk Cruise"? That was good... and post-Adverts, T.V. was still doing a good live show in 1980.

Spherical Objects - bit like Swell Maps, weren't they?

Splogenessabounds - Hell no. Garry Bushell dubbed that sort of thing "punk pathetique", along with Peter & The Test Tube Babies and the Not Sensibles (whose "I'm In Love With Margaret Thatcher" had a certain charm).

Squire - more mod revivalism.

Stadium Dogs - contained XTC's original keyboard player, pre Barry Andrews. I've got a single of theirs called "Easybeat", which cost me all of 10p. Quite good. Sort of melodic new wave/power-pop, agreeably unhip.

Stinky Toys - the only band from the line-up of the legendary two-day 100 Club punk festival in 1976 who never went on to achieve any further measure of recognition (in the UK at least).

Suburban Studs - original 76 punks who did one good single: "Questions". It had a sax on it, which was awfully daring for the times. The follow-up was called "I Hate School" and was awful.

Yeah, Johnathan Perkins of "I'll bet my silver spurs she's wrong" fame.

Sussman Lawrence = another Mpls band, led by a very young Peter Himmelman. Debut extremely derivative of Elvis Costello, but the double album followup was more eclectic and interesting. Still, meh.

Silent Running - Irish U2 wannabees, bit like their compatriots Zerra One, but heavier on the synths though. Avoid!

Secret Affair - dodgy mods, couple of alright-ish singles, but mostly pretty weak. I think I had their second album, but I dont think I ever found one decent song on it.

Armand Schaubroeck had an album called RATFUCKER. Dunno what he sounds like though.

Silent Running, Tears for Fearsish synthpop from Northern Ireland.

Richard Strange (solo), once in a much hyped band during punk (whose name escapes me). Went solo and founded a club called Cabaret Futura, typically Bowiesque vocals, possible influence on Cud. Had greater success as a character actor,he's the executioner in Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves.

Starjets, another rock and roll revival act.

Scruffs - Not-awful powerpoppers who put out an indie album in 1977 or so that I believe Xgau liked. It was reissued on CD a couple years ago, and it was nice, though not nearly the holy grail that silly powerpop collectors pretend. They were kinda average, seems to me. Probably not even as good as Blue Ash, though I'm not the one to ask.

The Secret -- Had a totally hyper high-pitched Sparksabilly track on A&M's *No Wave* comp that I kinda loved at the time, though in some ways it seemed totally inept and phony. Maybe I liked it *because* it seemed inept and phony. Not to mention hyper and high-pitched, I guess. I never took the time to investigate who the hell they were.

Secret Affair - Mod-clothed Jam wannabes, I think. Never heard 'em.

Shox Lumania - Very silly, insanely outer-space-alien-haired proto-proto-electroclashers from New York; what Fischerspooner only wish they could be. No Zoltan X, though. I still own their ROIR cassete.

Sic Fucks - "Offensive" surf-punks from LA, maybe? Or maybe not.

Single Bullet Theory - Probably from Boston, or maybe I just think that because their name has to do with Kennedy getting shot.

Skeleton Crew -- Something to do with Fred Frith or somebody like that? Aging proggers making a new wave move; doubt I ever heard 'em.

Slow Children - Husband/wife duo doing better-than-Soft-Boys (maybe because slightly verging on, I dunno, Robin Lane and the Charbusters? Quarterflash, even?) new wave pysch pop stuff. I found their album for a dollar last year, played it a couple times. Liked it alright.

T.V. Smith's Explorers - The Adverts guy goes solo, and judging from the album I have at home, does it well. I really kinda love his voice.

Splogenessabounds - Weren't they a joke band included on some oi! compilation? Not as funny as Peter and Test Tube Babies, either way.

Starjets - George Smith hates this band. I kinda liked "War Stories" and, um, I think they did a song about school too, at the time (University of Missouri's radio station KCOU used to play them), for some reason. Totally half-assed post-Buzzcocks/Undertones/Stiff Little Fingers Belfast teen pop-punks, w/ a black and white LP cover.

Walter Steding - An older guy, played guitar. I probably have him on some other people's records at home, but damned if I know which ones.

SVT - Wasn't this some old Jefferson Starship hacks making a new wave attempt that, well, wasn't actually a new wave attempt at all, really?

Swinging Madisons - Rockabilly, I think. Pretty bad, probably.

SVT -- SF hard rock/metal band with members from Hot Tuna, tried to pass off as new wave/punk influenced. They weren't but the records were pretty good and I wish I still had them.

Starjets -- UK new wavey/pub band. Poor man's Jam. I had one record which has recently been reissued.

Doctors Of Madness - Figments Of Emancipation

And "Belfast Boy" invented acid-house 15 years before acid-house invented itself (okay, maybe not, but that synth intro roolz and was way ahead of its time.I love Don Fardon.)

"Wanna' Meet the Scruffs?" [Power Play, 1977]
Only a sucker for rock and roll could love this record, and I am that sucker. A middle-period Beatles extrapolation in the manner of Big Star (another out-of-step Memphis power-pop group on a small, out-of-step Memphis label), it bursts with off harmonies, left hooks, and jolts of random energy. The trouble is, these serve a shamelessly and perhaps permanently post-adolescent vision of life's pain, most of which would appear to involve gurls. To which objection the rockin' formalist in me responds, "I wanna hear `Revenge' again." A-

Midtown [Northern Heights, 1998]
it's Memphis, it's the '80s, and darn it, Big Star lives ("Machiavellian Eyes," "Judy [She Put the Devil in Me]") ***

Skeleton Crew were unbelievably great live. The idea was that Frith and Cora would perform the parts of 6 or 7 musicians (hence the name), simultaneously playing percussion, guitar, bass, fiddle, cello, keyboards, tapes, etc., and singing playfully leftist lyrics. First album, "Learn To Talk," is poorly recorded but classic prog-pop (Recommended/ReR sensibility). Second album, "The Country of Blinds," (with the not-so-interesting Parkins) is even worse recorded and less successful. I'd be happy to yousendit a sample.

Unless I wasn't! Though yeah, I think I must have confused them with the other Skeleton Crew (not to mention Skeleton KEY) at some point.

They had a sizeable hit in the UK with 'Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps Please'. B-side was the wonderfully named 'Michael Booth's Talking Bum' IIRC. I thought they were funny for about five minutes anyway.

Now I feel like asking if anyone here knows more information on Scary Thieves and where I might be able to acquire that lost LP of theirs. I tried looking at this one location and they were all sold out! But I LOVE everything I've heard from Scary Thieves and I *kinda* know their story but... yeah. OH! And if anyone knows anything about The Sights and what else to check out from them aside from "So Much For Everlasting Love" (which I've become addicted to), that would be really cool.

C'mon people, be my obscure-ish New Wave database for me. ;)

(Also, wasn't Sandii of Sandii & the Sunsetz actually from Hawaii?)

*investigates*

Oh look! More info on Sandii & the Sunsetz:

Sandii & The Sunsetz found some success in Japan and Australia in the 80's (where they had a top 5 hit) but after a few changes of direction and problems with international record companies, began to release albums just under Sandii's name. These began with 1990's "Mercy" which is a stunning collection of ethnic club pop and established her as a successful artist in Malaysia, the Phillipines, Thailand and China, plus it was a big seller in Japan. Sandii's albums "Mercy", "Pacifica" and "Dream Catcher" are excellent, in my opinion, well worth buying if you have the opportunity. She mixes Bhangra, Hawaiian, J-pop, techno, R&B and dub styles to great effect and is comparable to Madonna in a lot of ways. The next album "Watashi" (1996) featured Brazillian styles and was released in France to critical acclaim. Increasingly interested in Hawaiian music and life, Sandii has pursued interests away from the mainstream music industry in recent years and has qualified as a teacher in Hula dance. Her album "Hawaii" has been released in the USA. Sandii owns a dance studio, store and restaurant in central Tokyo.

And apparently there's an official Sandii website. So there.

Secret Affair were basically the Jam without brains.

Shakin' Pyramids were really crap rockabilly.

Sheena & the Rokkets are Japanese, a bit like Princess Princess.

Sic Fucks, as noted elsewhere, included Trish & Snookie, who were indeed part of the same circle as Chris Stein and Debbie Harry. The only thing they did I can recall was a fairly droll white-soul send up that included a chorus in which a male vocalist sang, "Take me to the bridge," and Trish & Snookie replied, "And drop him off!"

Single Bullet Theory weren't Bostonians (sorry, Chuck); they hailed from Richmond and played the D.C. area quite a bit. Seem to recall them as amped-up new wave, but that may be entirely wrong.

There were two Solid Senders, appallingly enough. One were the post-Dr. Feelgood vehicle for guitarist Wilco Johnson, which was pretty much a fans-only proposition. The other were a by-the-numbers blues rock outfit most notable for the presence of onetime Fabulous Thunderbird Keith Ferguson.

SVT was, specifically, a Jack Cassady project, named after his amplifier.

Walter Steding's schtick was very cutesy and annoying. Just some dork and his violin. I never understood why he was everywhere back in early 80s New York. I guess he worked his friends.

The Sic F*cks were lots of fun. They were sort of Dictators-ish, I think, circa their first album. The singer Russel Wolinsky was OK, in a Handsome Dick style, but I mainly liked them for Tish and Snooky. They were so charismatic!

Shox Lumania were very Klaus Nomi-influenced, led by a an artist named Lari Shox. Lenny Kaye's wife was in the band. If there was any sort of New Romantic movement in New York, they were it. I think part of their act was to pretend that they were from some obscure Eastern European country called Lumania. Their big hit was called "I Have No Shoes" and it did kind of sound Eastern European. I loved them! Lari Shox died of AIDS in the late 80s.

Armand Schauobreck Steals' albums always seemed like concept albums about his troubled youth, his time in reform school, etc. They were interesting but I never really listened to them much. They had great covers, though, especially the one with the big grinning Armand with a bullet hole through his head. Also, I think he used to run House of Guitars in Rochester, NY. And he was always sending his picture into Rock Scene.

I never knew Don Farndon was in the Sorrows-thank you, Dr. C! "Belfast Boy" is incredible.

Here's that page w/Shox Lumania videos: http://manparrish.com/video/

"The Stranger" is really catchy!

shit, you are right! then i have heard them cuz i own that movie on vhs. it's a good one.

I have the video, but there are bits I remember from the ICA screening that aren't on it.

Yes

"If so while on a break from Doctors of Madness he stood in for Dave Vanian in the The Damned (or some offshoot)"

Other way 'round actually: Dave joined / replaced Richard Strange as lead singer of Doctors Of Madness for a while after The Damned split up in '78.

">Shrink
This lot I'm sure had a bigger label behind them, I can recall seeing a 10" single (?) at record fairs with a mohawked guitarist on the sleeve (the kind of thing that was always priced at 10p)"

I loved Shrink and I'm sure I've waffled endlessly about him here before.

Shrink was actually one guy rather than a band. He had half a head of pink hair and used to cover his entire face with gold paint before going on stage, until his psoriasis got too bad. Absolutely barking bloody mad. He released a couple of singles (including the absolutely phenomenal "Valid Or Void") and a 10" 6-track thing on an A&M offshoot called Oval around '80 / '81 and had a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo in the film Broken Glass. His backing band was The Secret, who were also signed to Oval.

"I went to the delie (sic)
and Mr. Selaginio
dove right into the cans of peas and carrots
I told him, I'm off duty
I'M here to buy a six pack"

http://www.earache.com/catalog/mosh010.html

Back in the day, when we just had filofax users to worry about.

It probably wasn't the one Scott didn't know in 2003 (it could be though since they've been recording since 2001) but there's a band that features members of Pizzing Razors and Seven Witches from Philly with that name. They released two unspectacular but listenable thrash/death/core albums on Crash (formerly Pavement) and continue to tour.

www.singlebullettheory.net
www.myspace.com/singlebullettheory

The Secrets were comprised of former members of the band, The Brats .
The Brats were a glammy kind of rock band that did the Maxs KC ,Gildersleeves, CBGBs ,circuit in the last 70s .
The singer of that band was the infamous Keith West .

The Sic F*cks Are still together ,as are Sheena and The Rokkets .

The Sic F*cks played last night at Don Hills. They are doing 2 shows in Oct ,one of which is Oct 13th at CBGBs with the Dictators .The 2 girls in the band ,are the 2 girls that own Manic Panic .
You can buy Sic F*cks stuff here
http://www.manicpanic.com
http://www.manicpanic.biz/ct_CGsicf_cksclothingandmusic.htm
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083542/fullcredits

There is a song of theirs here
http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/shows/14786
http://www.cbgb.com/shrine/shriners/snooky.htm
this shot would be during a song called "Chop Up Your Mother"

Shox Lumania were an inflamous 80s synth ,"we wanna be like The Velvet Underground ,only cooler " kind of band . That crap puts me to sleep .
That guy Richard Bone form the band went on to do Broadway music i think .He did lots of stuff .

sheena and the Rokkets opened for Blondie is Tokyo no less than a week ago .

And i bet you never heard of that god awful San Fran "we wish we were japanese ,and we suck" band
"Secret Secret"
blllearrghh ~~~

or do you mean the sorrows of early '80s cbgb power-pop semi fame? they had two albums, one of 'em produced by shel talmy. very merseybeat-flamin groovies-the knack. the bandleader was arthur alexander, but not THAT arthur alexander. a million or so years later, guitarist/sometimes-singer joey cola wound up as the drummer in my first band.

wasn't the guy from mojo guitars on st marks place in the senders? or is that my mind playing tricks on me?

I have never heard these "S" bands from Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums 1955-1996 book:

(At least I don't think I have. At least not much. Unless I'm wrong about a couple, but so what):

Sacred Reich
Sadat X
The Sandals
The San Sebastian Strings
Santana Brothers
Saraya
Saturday Night Band
Savage Grace
Scarlett & Black
Scatterbrain
School Of Fish
Scruffy The Cat
Seatrain
Seawind
2nd II None
The Serendipity Singers
Shadowfax
Bob Sharples And His Music
Shenandoah
Shotgun
Shotgun Messiah
Shy
Shyheim
Side Effect
Sidewinders (rock quartet from 1989)
The Silencers
Silk (folk-rock quartet from 1969)
Silver
Silver Condor
Sky (Detroit rock trio from 1970 w/ Doug Feiger)
Skylark
Sleeze Beez
Smif-N-Wessun
Smokestack Lightnin'
Smoothedahustler
Snail
Sneaker
Sons of Champlin
The Sopwith "Camel"
The Soul Children
Soul For Real
The Soulful Strings
Souls Of Mischief
Sounds Of Sunshine
Sounds Orchestral
South Central Cartel
South Circle
The Souther Hillman Furay Band
Southern Comfort
Special Ed
Spider
Spiders From Mars (sans Bowie)
Splinter
Spys
Stage Dolls
Stallion
Starpoint
Dakota Staton
Steady B
Stealin Horses
Steel Breez
Steelheart
Stone Fury
The Storm
Billy Strange
Streets
Strunz & Farah
Stuff
Suga T.
Sunny & the Sunliners
The Sunshine Company
Supersax
Susan
Sutherland Brothes and Quiver
Sweat Band
Sweet F.A.
Sweet Tee
Sweet Thunder
The Swingle Singers
Synergy

"S" artists who I came close to listing above then decided that'd probably be lying, even though I'm sure I've never heard a Mort Sahl LP, not even "Sing A Song Of Watergate," which may well be hilarious. (There may be a couple of these that I haven't actually heard, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. Most of them, I've probably only heard one song by. Feel free to discuss them here regardless, though):

Mort Sahl
Sailcat
Saigon Kick
Salty Dog
Sea Hags
7 Seconds
Shakespear's Sister
The Shamen
The Silos
Soho
Soup Dragons
Stackridge
Stampeders
Starcastle (who I still confuse with Stackridge sometimes)
Stargard
Curtis Stigers
Jud Strunk
The Sundays
Sunscreem
Switch

"S" artist who I have definitely heard before (their excellent Australian Joe Jackson imitiation "Who Listens to the Radio" got some radio airplay in Detroit in new wave 1979), but I bet almost nobody else here has (except possibly Australians), and I really wish I had a copy of their album right now:

The Sports

Scruffy the Cat was Boston's entry in the mid 80's roots-new wave thing, after the Del Fuegos, at least. I remember the singer wearing a bandana over his mouth, like a silent film bandit. Not as good as the Dogmatics.

Shy - Brit attempt at riding on the coat-tails of Journey, Foreigner etc (see also : Magnum). Unsuccessful! I saw them supporting Manowar once in London, the singer sang the last song clad in nought but rollerskates, the audience tittered at his small-to-average size manhood.

The Sopwith "Camel" - somewhat in the vein of Spirit, not quite as good but worth a punt.

Spider - utter rip-off of Status Quo but without the CCR bits. Instead, they'd come up with dumbass catchy choruses containing the words "rock n'roll" - Here We Go Rock n'Roll, Rock n'Roll Forever Will Last ("play it loud, play it fast, rock n'roll forever will last") etc. Pretty good actually!

Steel Breez - is this Sacramento's finest Steel Breeze, who hit with "You Don't Want Me Any More" in about 1985? AOR.

Sweet F.A. was The Sweet after they left Chinn & Chapman and tried to go hard rock, to little success.

Synergy was synth wiz Larry Fast, who played on a few Peter Gabriel albums in the late 70's.

Shakespear's Sister had this massive number 1 hit in the UK called Stay, which was unavoidable for about a year. Imagine a cross between Patricia Morrison-era Sisters Of Mercy and The Eurythmics. Eurgh.

Soup Dragons - jumped ship from shambling to baggy, hit with "I'm Free", disappeared.

Stackridge - prog, I always confuse them with Stackwaddy.

Starcastle - American Yes clones, very wimpish.

scatterbrain had a big hit (in oz anyway) with "don't call me dude" mainly due to the amusing video

the sundays are probably the best smiths tribute group of all time, in that they managed to completely transcend their influences

that sounded weird in retrospect

Spider - utter rip-off of Status Quo but without the CCR bits.

Probably a different Spider (though your Spider sounds like they'd be good!) This was a NY-based rock quartet with a (female, I assume) South African singer named Amanda; charted with two albums in 1980 and 1981, which means they probably passed as new wave. Drummer was Anton Fig, later of the Dave Letterman show.

Steel Breez - is this Sacramento's finest Steel Breeze

Yep, guess I lost an "e" there.

Sweet F.A.

Seemingly not former Sweet guys, judging from their names. "Hard rock quintet," scored in 1990 with an album called Stick To Your Guns. Never even heard of 'em, I don't think.

Wait, so were Scatterbrain (from 1990) Aussies? (Whitburn doesn't say where they came from.)

no, americans

The Shamen?
"There's a guy in the place
He's got a bittersweet face
And he goes by the name of Ebeneezer Goode...", no?

"S" artist who I have definitely heard before (their excellent Australian Joe Jackson imitiation "Who Listens to the Radio" got some radio airplay in Detroit in new wave 1979), but I bet almost nobody else here has (except possibly Australians), and I really wish I had a copy of their album right now:

The Sports"

I've heard of them (I've got the single "Who Listens To The Radio?" and maybe others, but no album) and I'm a Limey.

Shamen info from WP:

When the Shamen appeared on Top of the Pops, it was expected that Mr C should tone down the song [Ebeneezer Goode] due to its being broadcast. The group replaced the final lyrics: "Got any Salmon?" - with "Has anyone got any underlay?". The BBC were furious, and dragged Mr C into a room off-camera, to explain himself, only to be told that it was simply a gratuitous rug reference.

"Has anyone got any Veras" is obv. rhyming slang, Vera Lynns = skins. The salmon reference has always bamboozled me though. Anyone?

Shadowfax

Acoustic New Age. I used to like them at one time. I think they were Bahais. Might have been from the Philadelphia area or had some sort of connection to it, since I remember them being around a lot in the 80s. In fact, I probably saw them.

The Swingle Singers

Someone from the older end of the baby boom generation at work used to talk to me about them. I think they do a capella arrangements of wildly different genres (but with a doo-wop foundation?), or something like that. The name is so horrible that I don't think I could ever give them a chance.

Synergy

I think this was a third-rate electronic music outfit.

7 Seconds

Hardcore punk? I think I may have seen them.

I think they were Bahais.

D'oh! I was thinking of Do'ah.

Shadowfax were Windham Hill. Big time.

(I think. Don't trust anything I'm saying here, since this is all about stuff I used to listen to around 25 years ago.)

There was a Minutemen'ish band from the late 80s called Special Ed. By Minutemen, I mean there were like 30 tracks on the LP, and it was sent to the college station where I was DJing. I don't remember what it sounded like now, but I remember it going on my purchase list of the time.

"The salmon reference has always bamboozled me though. Anyone?"

Salmon & Trout = snout = tobacco

Laaaaaaahvely

>>Stackridge - prog.

Not so much, really, more Beatle-y, 10CC-ish pop. I love the two I own ("Friendliness" and "The Man In The Bowler Hat,") the latter produced by George Martin.

As were 2 of the 3 Seatrain albums I used to own. Formed out of The Blues Project, but also featured violinist Richard Greene. Somewhere beween the roots rock of The Band and the art rock of Procul Harum; tough to pigeonhole.

Skylark had a huge hit soul ballad, "Wildflower," in the 70s (Let her cryyyy, for she's a lady, let her dreeeeam, 'cause she's a child) that I'm sure you've heard.

I only know people from the second list. Or is it the third list?

Anyway, the Silos are boring-as-all-get-out Americana with a violin that Weisbard liked in the SPIN guide, so I wound up with two of their cassettes. I can't remember anything about them, except I think there's a song about a wedding that reminded me of "The Deer Hunter." But that could've been 10,000 Maniacs.

My wife really really likes Shakespear's Sister, and I remember "Stay" and one other song from when they were big. One of the ladies was from Bananarama, right?

I really liked slow dancing to "Love Is on the Way" by Saigon Kick. Their green-covered CD is widely available in dollar bins, last I checked.

Curtis Stigers made Nick Lowe filthy rich by covering "What's So Funny 'Bout Peace Love and Understanding" on the Bodyguard soundtrack. He had a hit around the same time as Shakespear's Sister, but I forget what it was called.

Oh, shit, and Sons of Champlin! I have a buddy who's wayyyyyyyy too into Chicago, and he has all the Sons of Champlin albums. Bill Champlin joined Chicago in the '80s, I wanna say, and sang lead on "Look Away" and "I Don't Wanna Live Without Your Love," and won a Grammy for writing "After the Love Has Gone" for Earth Wind and Fire. But before all that, he played in this tasty West Coast chop-rock band. I think their albums are rare and expensive now.

I've only heard one song ("Border Town") from the Souther Hillman Furay supergroup, but it's just great...makes me think of what Laura Nyro might have written had David Geffen successfully recruited her to Asylum Records and Laurel Canyon...

I should add that Sons of Champlin are not good, if my description tempted you to spend a lot of money on one of their albums. (xp)

Soho were those twin black chicks who scored with "Hippychick", constructed from samples of "How Soon Is Now"? back in '90 or so...

I'm surprised you haven't heard Savage Grace, who played the Detroit bar circuit sporadically in the 70's...I wanna say they had something to do with either Frost or the Amboy Dukes, but I could be wrong about that...so I won't...

"The Storm" I'll hazard a wild guess that this isn't the band I was in which gigged sporadically around Reading for a couple of years in the early '90's.... anything to do with Pauline Murray & The Storm???

School of Fish had a "modern rock" hit in 90/91 with "Three Strange Days." I remember liking it at the time but haven't heard it in forever.

Sadat X - Brand Nubian rapper. I heard his debut (I think) which was pretty snoozeworthy.

Smif-N-Wessun - Brooklyn rappers best known for "Bucktown." Later became Cocoa Brovaz due to hounding by the copyright stormtroopers at Smith and Wesson (cf. Kleenex ------> LiLiPUT).

Souls Of Mischief - Jazzy, Native Tongues-esque Oakland rappers who get a lot of love. Their '93 'til Infinity frequently shows up on best hip-hop albums lists. Mutated into Hieroglyphics.

Steady B - Bland 1980s Philly rapper currently serving life.

Streets - Not THE Streets, right? Teachers of the fine art of hotel expressionism?

Sweet Tee - Was JUST listening to her not even half an hour ago in the form of "The Feeling" by Tin Tin Out featuring Sweet Tee. Good late 1980s rapper.

The Shamen - Classic early ravers from Scotland. "Move Any Mountain," "Make It Mine," etc. Vocalist Mr. C (cute!) always reminded me of The English Beat's Dave Wakeling (cute too!).

Stargard - Funky disco which Escort does much better today. Best known for being sampled in Peter Heller's majestic "Big Love." And didn't they have something to do with the odious Sgt. Pepper flick?

Sunscreem - I saw their name last night on a thread about bands that will never be discussed on ILM. Alors... Trancey, very white Brit dance. "Love U More" was a hit. I used to spin their "Catch" towards the end of the night since it was speedy but felt quite "driving home along in the rain."

along = alone

Remember Sunscreem
sunscreem

Debut album is pretty good, never heard any of the later stuff.

Shamen - same period (more or less) as Sunscreem. Kind of written out of history but En-Tact and Boss Drum are fantastic pop-dance records. Earlier more indie/psyche stuff is less sucessful but has it's moments, especially 'Jesus Loves America'.

Soup Dragons - Indie chancers going dance, hit big with I'm Free then went off to try to crack America. Drummer went on to join Teenage Fanclub. Lead singer Sean Dickson formed the far more interesting 'High Fidelity and Sushil Dade post rock/jazzers 'Future Pilot AKA'.

Silencers - worthy, Scottish pop-folk-rock act. As dull as it sounds.

Shakespears Sister - Siobhan Fahey's post Bananarama project. Second album and mega single 'Stay' are utterly fantastic slices of glam-gothpop.

Sweet Tee - made the impeccable 'I got da feelin'' in 1987 which was produced by Salt N Pepa head honcho Herby 'Luv' Bug. Surprisingly she's till going and looks very rowr on her myspace page.

I found a CD copy of Sweet Tee's album that accompanied "I got da feelin'" in Music & Video Exchange a year or two back. Rather endearingly entitled It's Tee Time. As others have said, she was pretty good.

Swingle Singers: doo-be-doo a capella arrangements as RS suggests - I have their very first LP, Jazz Sebastian Bach - BUT it's not all cheese; they've also been involved in some ultra cred modern compositions, e.g. they provided the vocalists for the first performance and first recording of Luciano Berio's "Sinfonia". They've been around since the 60s, and are still going, although the line-up has altered considerably over the years with singers coming in and then leaving. I think even founder Ward Swingle may have retired now.

Sounds Orchestral: British studio based easy listening group, again started in the 60s and kept going. John Schroeder was the mastermind behind them. Had a big US hit with "Cast Your Fate To The Wind". Best known now for ladies in various states of undress on the covers of their albums (most of which you can pick up cheaply second hand in thrift stores and charity shops).

I think "Swingle" is actually someone's name, but it still sounds so awful.

Strunz & Farah - New-Agey world-music stuff, Latin/Carib rhythms with a pair of hotshit Gipsy Kings-style flamenco guitarists on top. Vocals in Spanish? or entirely instrumental? Can't recall at all. (Why do I own this?)

Stampeders - Everyone knows these Calgarians for "Sweet City Woman" from '71, right? The rest of the time, a poor man's James Gang minus much of the funk. Still, a "Best Of" is worth a buck or two.

Salty Dog - Last-wave hair metal from 1990 or thereabouts. Closest thing to a hit was "Come Along", which I thought was pretty great (rocked like Collective Soul's "Gel" five years early). Can't remember anything else.

Saraya -- shitty pop metal band with sexy chanteuse of singer, Sandy Saraya. Saw 'em too many times, had a little mileage on radio and MTV in late Eighties. Were harder to take than Bad English in front of 500 little girls at a Phillipsburg theatre.

Scruffy The Cat -- horrid poppy roots rock indie band from Massachusetts or thereabouts. My ex-wife used to like them.

The Silencers -- poor to vile New Wave act. Had one album, they were dressed like Mafia gunmen.

Silver Condor -- hard rock band full of 70's-80's session aces -- Earl Slick, Kenny Aaronson, etc. Singer was leased to Blue Oyster Cult for making of Imaginos. Have both of two albums. Second is best. Solidly fair.

The Souther Hillman Furay Band -- poor man's Eagles.

Spiders From Mars (sans Bowie) -- imagine Man Who Sold the World without any of the punch, played by your block party band.

Stone Fury -- singer doing his Led Zep thing before he started Kingdom Come and really did his Led Zep thing.

The Storm -- California metal band, passed off as poor man's Queen. I didn't think they sounded like Queen.

Susan -- Made one major label album of poppy hard rock. One song, "Marlena," stood out. Were on Live at the Rat too. Guitarist Ricky Byrd went into the Blackhearts and was heard by a zillion.

Sea Hags -- Denim & leather metal band from soCal. Leader died of drug overdose almost immediately upon release of major label album. Also might've been the guy Inger Lorre of the Nymphs infamously blew onstage at some Cali gig.

7 Seconds -- the most preachy of the early army of very dull extremely politicized hardcore punk bands and enshrined for it.

Anyway, the Silos are boring-as-all-get-out Americana with a violin that Weisbard liked in the SPIN guide, so I wound up with two of their cassettes

Once had an opportunity to do a bill with the Silos and declined because they were boring-as-all-get-out American and beloved by Weisbard in the SPIN guide.

Special Ed -- no idea but everyone knows they want to hear a band crazy and tasteless enough to name themselves in this way. Was there ever a band called The Retards and should they have been filed under "R" ?

Scruffy The Cat -- horrid poppy roots rock indie band from Massachusetts or thereabouts. My ex-wife used to like them.

-- Gorge, Friday, 14 March 2008 17:43 (7 minutes ago) Link

I can understand this evaluation through the lens of an ex-wife, but they were actually a quite entertaining mid/late 80's roots rock band with a taste of jangle/power-pop. Charlie Chesterman was very good with his joyful guitar and endearing lyrics. They did lose the plot near the end of their run with Moons of Jupiter, so anyone only familiar with that release isn't getting the whole story.

Was there ever a band called The Retards and should they have been filed under "R" ?

Boyd Rice and Adam Parfrey had a band called The 'Tards, the joke being that the musicians were supposed to be retarded. More liberal baiting I guess.

Strunz & Farah - New-Agey world-music stuff, Latin/Carib rhythms with a pair of hotshit Gipsy Kings-style flamenco guitarists on top. Vocals in Spanish? or entirely instrumental? Can't recall at all. (Why do I own this?)

I have one of their albums too. I still play it occasionally. It's a little New Agey perhaps - but not too much for my taste. Some songs are instrumental and some have Spanish vocals. Mostly flamenco with Afro-Cuban rhythms as you mentioned, though some songs are more atmospheric with a Latin folk vibe and traditional instruments.

School of Fish had a "modern rock" hit in 90/91 with "Three Strange Days." I remember liking it at the time but haven't heard it in forever.

I liked this one at the time too. It's got that crunchy, early-90s Butch-Vig guitar sound with croony vocals, like contemporaneous releases from Smashing Pumpkins and Overwhelming Colorfast (don't know if Vig was involved though).

I have still not heard these bands filed under "S" in J&O's International Enclycloped of Hard Rock & Heavy Metal

Santers
Saracen
Sassafras
Schloss
Screams
Screen Idols
Servant
707
Shaftsbury
Shanghai
Shanghi
Sheriff
Shiva
Sid Rumpo
Silver Train
Silverwing
Slack Alice
Snopek
Speedway Boulevard
Split Beaver
Richard Steep
Stingray
Stonebolt

707 were a Detroit band...did the theme song from the classic Barry Bostwick sci-fi thriller Megaforce in the mid-80's...also had a regional hit with "I Could Be Good For You"...they were neither hard rock nor metal...

Saracen - 80's hard rock / prog types, somewhere between UFO and Rush style-wise. Not exactly what the public wanted to hear at the time, hence they sank like a stone after one or two albums.

Shiva - see above.

Silverwing - early 80's attempt to ape Van Halen and Kiss on a budget of about £1.50. "Rock and Roll Are 4 Letter Words" was a good title I guess. I think they changed their name to Rox or Roxx and dropped the visual horror elements in favour of more mascara, then disappeared.

Snopek - is this Violent Femmes keyboardist Sigmund Snopek III? If so he had an ok-ish line in keyboardy prog a la early Utopia.

About half of those bands I remember from Kerrang's "Armed And Ready" new bands column, but can't say I ever really heard them.

Split Beaver is a really stupid name for a band.

It's right in there with the Special Eds and Hairy Clams of the world.

Skunks (first list)were an Austin trio featuring Jesse(not Ned)Sublett and pre-True Believers Jon Dee Graham.

And the Silos do not either suck. Their first full-length record, Cubais tremendous.

If you've ever seen a late-night commercial for a CD comp of the greatest power ballads then you've heard Canadian one-hit wonder Sheriff and their song "When I'm With You" ... or more accurately you've heard "BAY-BAHHHH AYEEE AYEEEEAHH AYEEE AYEEEEAHHHH oh i get chills when i'm with you OOOOOWEEEEOOOHH OOOOOWEEEOOOOOHHHHAAAAHH"

^^^pretty accurate

Streets - Not THE Streets, right?

Nope. Atlanta rock quartet, 1983, featuring Steve Walsh of Kansas. How he got to Atlanta I don't know.

The Skunks from Texas did "Earthquake Shake" (which is on Bloodstains Across Texas, by far the best Bloodstains comp!) and then changed their sound to new wave/power pop - this is off the original list but never mind. I have their power pop album, it's not that good really unfortunately.

7 Seconds I think were (slightly) underrated - hardcore fans hated them because they sold out and went pop in the late 80s (where pop means sounding a bit like Dag Nasty/Descendents) - their early stuff is good old school hardcore.

7 Seconds = "Walk Together, Rock Together" -- hand-wringingly sincere hardcore punk, for those who needed a daily dose of an alternative Kumbaya. And a version of "99 Red Balloons" that makes you want to listen to the entire Nena album in its place.

Yes, "Walk Together, Rock Together" is all those things. Like I said, their early stuff as collected on the "Alt.Music.Hardcore" CD and the "Old School" CD or even the "The Crew" CD is all worth listening to.

Spdfgh

Now there was a great band. Sort of a cross between Splodgenessabounds and Showaddywaddy.

Yes, you're quite right. Somwhere between Shut Up You Cunt and Who Gives A Fuck.

Spdfgh sold millions of records so obviously someone gives a fuck, sister.

I saw Max Splodge the other day!

Godammit i hate rapidshare

i loved 7 seconds. especially the first 7-inch with i hate sports on it. but i still hold on to my copy of the crew. they lost me with new wind, their crossover attempt. we in connecticut took pride in one member of the band wearing a violent children t-shirt on the cover of walk together rock together. (which i also liked despite the nena cover)

"Snopek - is this Violent Femmes keyboardist Sigmund Snopek III? If so he had an ok-ish line in keyboardy prog a la early Utopia."

his band The Bloomsbury People made one of my all-time fave early 70's psych records. you can get it on cd now:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/bloomsbury

and his later-70's power/pop/prog stuff is neat too.

Shox Lumania were very Klaus Nomi-influenced, led by a an artist named Lari Shox. Lenny Kaye's wife was in the band. If there was any sort of New Romantic movement in New York, they were it. I think part of their act was to pretend that they were from some obscure Eastern European country called Lumania.

I'm pretty sure Shox Lumania were actually purporting to be from some undersea country analogous to Atlantis. It was a sci fi concept for sure. I got a great deal of enjoyment out of that cassette. Always wanted to know more about them. Glad to find those video links!

The Secrets were comprised of former members of the band, The Brats

Though I could be wrong, I'm pretty sure The Secrets from Scott's list is The Secrets* (with the asterisk), whose self titled album from 1982 is #81 on John Borack's Top 200 Power Pop albums book. It was reissued in 2000. Here are some details:

* Missouri-based group
* Band's first single in late 70s was "It's Your Heart Tonight" on Titan Records
* Only full-length album was issued in Canada only
* Album was co-produced by former Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch

Sid Rumpo - is it just me or has anyone else just conjured up a mental image of Sid James as "The Rumpo Kid" in Carry On Cowboy???

Savage Grace -- from Ann Arbor, they were in the second wave of 60s Dee-troit sound along w/Brownsville Station. did two -- or maybe three? -- albums on Warner Brothers. don't think they're on CD. sound pretty eclectic judging from the five songs I've streamed on my computer. prog and country influences though 1 track, "Come On Down" delivers the motor city mojo thanks to guitarist Al Jacquez.

Seatrain -- folk/jazz/flute hybrid with former members of Blues project.

Sadat X -- Brand Nubian were brazen anti-semites who ended up getting bounced from Elektra for hassling their (Jewish) publicist. Rolling Stone once quoted -- approvingly! or at least neutrally -- some pretty disgusting christ-killer lyric of theirs in a record review. just thought i'd share that.

What I wrote about 707 (from George's list) on Rolling Metal last year:

707 Greatest Hits Live (GB Music) -- Liking this a lot, too. Know nothing about the band. New Rolling Stone Record Guide (blue 1983 edition) dismisses them as "second-rate Toto." Jasper and Oliver's International Enyclopedia of Heavy Metal raves about their "classic heavy-pomp sound with brutal drumming" and says their second album (apparently called 2nd Album!) went top 20 in the U.S., in 1981, and then they got Angel's bassist Felix Robinson. I thought Martin Popoff might be a fan, but realized I was confusing them with 54-40, whoever they are (Canadians, apparently) by mistake.
Anyway, the live album shows they did indeed make truly catchy hard-pop rock with plenty of smart pomp in the arrangements. Closest of maybe just laziest comparison I can think of would be Prism. But the first cut, "Live With the Girl," is a total ringer for "On Top Of the World" Cheap Trick. Some Babys and early Loverboy in there too. Most brutal (and funkiest) drums are in "Millionaire," one of the two heaviest cuts along with the Zep-like (or okay, I dunno, Fastway-like? Paris-like?) "Pressure Drop" (which is not a Toots and the Maytals cover.) Every other cut sinks its hooks in real quick. "Rockin is Easy" might be a protest against protest songs, but I might have heard its words wrong (defintely stuff in there about people wasting time seeking gainful employment and keeping up with the Joneses, and not knowing about the state of the nation and foreign relations, so let's just rock easy instead okay?)
-- xhuxk, Sunday, May 27, 2007 6:37 PM (9 months ago)

special ed - eighties hiphop. i only know his I'm The Magnificant, but in a version with a completely different beat than the one on youtube.

sleeze beez - glam-y dutch hardrock from the late eighties/early nineties

If you've ever seen a late-night commercial for a CD comp of the greatest power ballads then you've heard Canadian one-hit wonder Sheriff and their song "When I'm With You" ...

That song was a hit TWICE up here! First time in '83, later in '88. There was some weird kinda epidemic in 1988-89, with three different songs ("Red Red Wine" and "Send Me An Angel" being the others) all being rereleased & charting higher than their first go-round 3-5 years previous. Weird...

Suburban Studs - original 76 punks who did one good single: "Questions". It had a sax on it, which was awfully daring for the times. The follow-up was called "I Hate School" and was awful.

I wonder if this band got their name from the scene between Janice Rule and Burt Lancaster in "The Swimmer".

The version of the Sports' Don't Throw Stones is actually a composite of the same-titled Australian release with some tracks from the preceding album, their first---so it goes from more of a pub rock, rootsy, even rockabilly (and other 50s) sound, updated to and from the mid-70s, since they picked it up on the late 70s, from Graham Parker & The Rumor (with whom they toured), transitioning smoothly to the hookier newer tracks---so it's kind of like Graham Parker & The Attractions: Stephen Cummings' voice was deeper than Costello's, raspy around the edges, like Parker's, also not as nasal as EC, but sill kind of, so Parker plus early Richard Butler. A somewhat strict sound, not pompous, but no BS young schoolteacher or coach, with crisp combo incl. versatile guitarist, good LP! I've still got it somewhere.

The Stiff-to-Arista version is what I'm talking about.