The dB's - Stands for Decibels / Repercussion - whats the cream of the crop?

Happenstance and Ask for Jill from the Stamey side of things; Black & White, Bad Rep, Moving in Your Sleep for Holsapple. There's a lot of good here. I'll go w/Happs.

(Hi Zeno, I was just now sticking all this on my ipod for a run)

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/860/10089965.JPG

Black & White

"Big Brown Eyes" is them at their most charming, also, "Judy." If only Holsapple sang a little better, but what the hell, they were a real good band and they tried, didn't they? I like the wistful tone of the secondr record; the individual songs aren't always great. I think Holsapple is a fine songwriter, but I've always liked Stamey better. I've been listening to these records since they came out back in '81 and '82, and certainly, they deserved to be as big as Squeeze or someone like that.

of the second record

Is it wrong of me to prefer the later recording of "Amplifier"?

Spy in the House of Love also grossly underrated.

I grew up in a tobacco town (though not Winston) so Ups and Downs get my vote. Black & White, From a Window to a Screen, I Feel Good, and many others also worthy.

Yeah, From a Window to a Screen perfectly captures the mood of like 3 years of my life, so I went with that. I generally prefer the Stamey tracks, but it'll be sad if Moving in Your Sleep doesn't get any votes.

I also have a love for "Ask for Jill." I grew up in a tobacco town too, in Tenn.

what's the word I'm missing here: "In Spain they call it ??, when you're caught between hell and the heavenly host.."? can't exactly make it out.

I thought the later recording of "Amplifier" was just remixed, not a new performance...? am I wrong here? it's been years since I listened to or owned a copy of Like This, but I guess that's a real forgotten alt-country predecessor kinda record in a way

Yeah, they just remixed it. Supposedly Todd Rundgren did some uncredited work on Like This, if not that particular cut.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

oh man this is impossible: big brown eyes, moving in your sleep, we were happy there, from a window to a screen. these are all some of my favorite songs.

'Living A Lie', but 'Amplifier' is at close second.

...tobacco towns. Not so much anymore. Winston-Salem NC, where the dBs grew up, is HQ for RJ Reynolds tobacco but now you can barely tell that the city was built with tobacco money. And it was a huge pile of money coming in from tobacco. No self-respecting city fathers want to remind visitors about cigarettes. Most of the old tobacco warehouses in my old home town are now condos, offices and shopping areas. At least they didn't rip them down. Haven't been to Winston in years to see what they did with their heritage buildings.

NEVERLAND!

Yeah, so many wonderful songs on these two LPs. Has to be Big Brown Eyes, for the fact that the guitar solo is after the first chorus (rather than the second). And the amount of ennui in the "paralyzed" backing vocs.
But gosh, there are so many classic moments like these on those two records. Such an under-rated combo.

Off the top, Ask For Jill or Big brown Eyes always grabbed me the most.The latter probably.They pack a lot into that two minutes.

no love for "The Fight" on this thread :(

(and not nearly enough love for "Bad Reputation")

Bad" is good--again, the vocals are kind of not so great and that detracts from the whole thing. "The Fight" is the one dB's song I actually cannot abide, I always skip it.

Ask for Jill, of course.

Man, I love The Fight! I'm kinda surprised by all the love for Big Brown Eyes, actually. It's nice and all, but I usually end up skipping it.

How about the METAL breakdown in Bad Reputation? Always makes me laugh. Seriously, so many great moments on these albums. "Hey, it's Chris, what's up? So I HEARD."

black and white

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Still can't pick.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I forgot to vote for "In Spain".

MY VOTE COUNTS!!!!

I guess I should have voted for "Storm Warning."

Aw, I forgot to vote in this one. I probably would've gone for "Black and White" (though, as a child, I loved "Amplifier" for reasons I still don't understand -- it's a great song, but WTF, eight-year-old lindseykai?).

just picked up the White Vinyl LP of Repercussion for £1.00 in a cancer research chazza this afternoon - never heard of them - just thought it looked worth a punt - really enjoying this a lot

So this band-approved rarities site has posted a free .zip of Repercussiontracks performed live and otherwise; mp3s or wavs, your choice.http://dbs-repercussion.blogspot.com/

Wowza, thx.

"Band-approved rarities site"? Well, that's kind of unofficially the case, I suppose. There are members of The dB's that cooperate with me, and others that hold their noses at the mention of the blog (I won't name specific names here...)!

In any event, I'm glad to have folks here know about the blog. Poke around. There's a ton of rare dB's, Let's Active, and related groups.

Cheers,

Rob-in-Brevard
http://dbs-repercussion.blogspot.com/

On Omnivore, but not a reissue:
http://omnivorerecordings.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Holsapple-Game-Day-OV-291.jpg

Peter Holsapple, Game Day July 27 (CD, Digital)

First solo album in 21 years from the veteran musician and songwriter.
You would think being an integral member of one of the most beloved power pop bands, the dB’s, would be enough for a guy and his resumé. But no, Peter Holsapple just had to tour with R.E.M. and Hootie & The Blowfish, join Continental Drifters, and collaborate with John Hiatt, Indigo Girls, The Troggs, The Cowsills, Juliana Hatfield Three, Better Than Ezra, and so many others. Not one to rest on laurels, Peter has continually been in motion since his first recordings in 1972 with Rittenhouse Square.

Perhaps that’s why he’s releasing his first solo album in 21 years—he’s been a busy, busy man. And, as Peter himself says, “And it’s really ‘solo,’ too! I played and sang 99 44/100ths of the notes on this record. I wanted to be responsible for all of it, so I dove deep inside myself and the songs and came up with Game Day.”

Game Day contains 13 new tracks, a bonus track, and two “super bonus tracks”—Holsapple’s critically acclaimed single “Don’t Mention the War” b/w ”Cinderella Style,” originally released in 2017. “After putting the single out on my own last year, I made the decision to put out an album. Some tunes are brand new, some have been in rotation for a bit, but all are worthy. My ‘middle-aged Pet Sounds fantasy’ is real, with the issues of middle age put to memorable melodies. The old guy at work in ‘Tuff Day,’ watching my parents’ place get cleared out in ‘Inventory,’ a decades-late thank-you note to a college girlfriend in ‘Commonplace’—they’re all a part of the present-day me.”

Game Day is prime Holsapple, whose recording career spans nearly five decades. It contains all the hooks, clever lyrics, and deft instrumentation one would expect. As he paraphrases Jeff Beck in the packaging, “Today, with all of the hard competition in the music business, it’s almost impossible to come up with anything totally original. So I haven’t, but I had a lot of fun making Game Day, and I hope it comes through when you hear it.”

For a limited time, we also have a special bundle available of the CD and a copy of the original 45!

CD / DIGITAL TRACK LIST:
GAME DAY
COMMONPLACE
CONTINENTAL DRIFTERS
IN TOO DEEP
INVENTORY
I GOT HIGH WITH YOU
TUFF DAY
THE BETTER MAN
SHE HANDED HIM A PENCIL
DON’T EVER LEAVE
YELLING AT CLOUDS
NOT RIGHT NOW
THE SMARTEST THING I’VE EVER DONE
BONUS TRACK:
THEM CHANGES / SING LADY SING
SUPER BONUS TRACKS:
DON’T MENTION THE WAR
CINDERELLA STYLE

Also on Omnivore:

Peter Holsapple vs. Alex Chilton
The Death Of Rock
Release date: October 12, 2018

Newly discovered recordings of early solo Peter Holsapple and Like Flies On Sherbert–era Alex Chilton.

“I caught Alex exiting a world of sweet pop that I was only just trying to enter, and the door hit me on the way in, I guess”
—Peter Holsapple

It’s 1978 at Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, TN. Peter Holsapple had rolled into town chasing the essence of Big Star. He hooked up with musician/engineer/friend-of-Big-Star, Richard Rosebrough after approaching, and being turned down by, Chris Bell who Holsapple had hoped might be interested in producing him. Together Richard and Peter started laying down tracks during the off hours at the studio.

Chilton meanwhile, was knee deep in the making of Like Flies On Sherbert, also being tracked at Phillips. He told Peter, “I heard some of that stuff you’re working on with Richard… and it really sucks.” Alex promised to come by and show Peter “how it’s done.”

The results? Alex’s tracks definitely line up with the chaos found on Flies, while several of Peter’s songs found homes on The dB’s albums (“Bad Reputation” and “We Were Happy There”) and on an album by The Troggs (“The Death Of Rock” retooled as “I’m In Control”), so not a loss at all. What we have in these newly discovered tapes, is a fascinating pivot point with both artists moving past each other headed in distinctly different directions. Chilton moved toward punk/psychobilly as he began playing with Tav Falco’s Panther Burns and produced The Cramps debut, Songs The Lord Taught Us, within a few months of these recordings. Holsapple was off to New York to audition for The dB’s and enter the world of “sweet pop.”

Liner notes by Peter Holsapple tell the story of these recordings firsthand and author/filmmaker/Memphian, Robert Gordon, helps pull the time and place into focus. Previously unseen photos included in the package are drawn from the collections of Peter Holsapple and Pat Rainer. Produced by Cheryl Pawelski with mastering by Mike Graves at Osiris Studio and Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl/Sam Phillips Recording Service in Memphis, who brings it all right back to where it started.

CD / DIGTAL TRACK LIST:
PETER HOSLAPPLE:
BAD REPUTATION
HOUSE IS NOT A HOME
WE WERE HAPPY THERE
THE DEATH OF ROCK
TAKE ME BACK
TAKE ME BACK (Backing Track)
ALEX CHILTON:
TENNIS BUM
MARSHALL LAW
HEART AND SOUL
TRAIN KEPT A ROLLIN’
HEY MONA
BONUS ABUSE: PETER HOLSAPPLE (EXCEPT *ALEX CHILTON)
BAD REPUTATION (Long Version)
TENNIS BUM (Rehearsal)*
O MY SOUL (Instrumental Rehearsal)
IN THE STREET (Instrumental Rehearsal)
BABY I LOVE YOU (Rehearsal)
THE DEATH OF ROCK (Rehearsal)
SOMEONE’S GOTTA SHINE YOUR SHOES (Rehearsal)
MIND YOUR MANNERS (4-Track Version With Vocals)
LP consists of Tracks 1–11 and includes download card of entire CD Program.
Cat: OV-303

both these albums have been pulled from spotify, for whatever reason

Probably the rights have been exchanged to a new owner.
In his book, Stamey talks about recording Repercussion in London and the general tension within the group at that time. McCartney was in the studio at the same time, apparently very friendly, and Stamey regrets responding sullenly to his overtures.
These are songs are all mostly good to great, but my pick would be "From a Window to a Screen" or "Ups and Downs".

a few of my favs from stands for decibels didn't get a vote here ("i'm in love," "the fight," "tearjerkin'"), perhaps a re-poll is in order

From the 1st album, I'd pick "Cycles per Second" for Stamey and "Big Brown Eyes" for Holsapple. It's a shame that their singing on that record is weak, though.

From my P&J notes on 2018 releases:
Peter Holsapple/Alex Chilton, The Death of Rock: main keeper AC's "Marshall Law" (sic): blithe Ray Davies vox over terse VU-ish detail "sharpshooters" etc PH says it's re 70s Memphis Fire & Police Strike, tho incl. "Martin Luther King" (who came to town during Garbage Strike).
The title track is okay too, but most of the vocals are either awkward (PH) or nerfy (AC), too self-conscious no matter who's singing---and AC esp. redic on "Train Kept A-Rolling" and "Mona," though playing is okay on those and several others, incl. stand-alone leftover backing tracks. Somebody cover "Marshall Law."
Several of the PH originals got another chance w the dBs (and "Death of Rock" got retitled remodeled etc. for a Troggs album).

Since Holsapple is the common denominator on both of those Omnivore editions, I assume he may be shopping the rights, looking for however better a deal---which reminds me of his backstory to this good dBs song, on Falling Off The Sky---from Nashville Scene 2012 ballot notes:

The dB's--"She Won't Drive In The Rain Anymore": Very good contemporary country jangle-ballad, one of the highlights on a very good reunion album (aren't many of those). The true story, as told by Holsapple to http://dbs-repercussion.blogspot.com
"It's about my wife evacuating New Orleans during Katrina. I was on the road with Hootie [and the Blowfish]; my wife had taken my daughter and my baby son and my daughter's best friend on a train to Birmingham to buy a vehicle up there. She knew the hurricane was coming, and she did all the things you're supposed to do. We didn't think too much about it — we certainly didn't realize it was going to be a 100-year storm. But when she got to Birmingham to get the car, it was very evident there was no turning back, so she drove literally across the storm path to get to her grandmother's in Little Rock."
Peter goes on to explain the reunion theme in the lyrics. He says his wife "took a day to re-group and then started driving back and she dropped my daughter's best friend off with her mom in Memphis. And then [my wife took] Miranda, my daughter with Susan Cowsill, to where Susan and her husband were living at the time. Then she made a beeline to where Hootie was playing next, which was Baltimore. She got there 15 minutes before we went on. It had been this incredible, tortuous time, unable to get in touch with anybody. Meanwhile, I'm in this sort of suspended state of touring because I need the money, and I can't really stop. Where am I gonna go, what am I gonna do? When I saw her, it was the first time in weeks, she and my son pulled up and I was overjoyed just to get to see her. We didn't really talk very much because we didn't really know what to say; it was all just so overwhelming."
Would really like to hear the Pistol Annies With Special Guest Lee Ann Womack cover, but the orig should be on the radio rat now.
Turns out Holsapple wrote it w Kristian Bush of Sugarland, so maybe they'll do it too (or does Sugarland work that way).

Debut's been remastered and is getting reissued on June 7, hitting all digital platforms along with a new CD and (for the first time in the U.S.) vinyl pressing:

https://propellersoundrecordings.com/products/copy-of-pre-order-the-db-s-stands-for-decibels-2024-remaster-webstore-exclusive-splatter-vinyl

Later in the summer, the band will announce a similar remastered multi-format reissue of Repercussion. The street dates for that will coincide with a U.S. tour in the fall, details of which are still coming together. (The last dB’s shows in the U.S. were in 2012 on the heels of their studio album of that year, Falling Off the Sky.

Also on a sadder note, bassist Gene Holder's daughter had a medical emergency. Yo La Tengo and his bandmates in the db's all shared this gofundme link:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-gene-holders-family-medical-emergency

*dB's

this is great, just pre-ordered the vinyl. and will check out the gofundme

hitting all digital platforms

FINALLY my power pop playlist will be back at full capacity

Wasn't around to vote for this...Toss-up between the co-winners, two of the greatest--and not ruling out reshuffling those words and dropping the "of"--power-pop songs ever. I mentioned on one of the vinyl threads getting a virtually-new copy of Chris Stamey's It's Alright for five bucks on Record Store Day. Quite good.

got to see Holsapple and Stamey together at the Trouser Press 50th anniversary celebration a couple months ago, love them together so much. great to hear there will be a dB's tour.

i got pretty familiar with, and grew very fond of, like this when the first two albums left streaming services, but looks like that one is also gone now :/ hopefully they work on a reissue for that one too

Later in the summer, the band will announce a similar remastered multi-format reissue of Repercussion. The street dates for that will coincide with a U.S. tour in the fall, details of which are still coming together.

Where does this info come from?

Their press release. Repeated here:

https://musictap.com/2024/04/24/the-dbs-seminal-debut-stands-for-decibels-to-finally-be-reissued-in-the-u-s/

Lots of love for the first 2 records. In a parallel universe they could have snuck onto the charts along side the Cars as quirky new wave power pop.

I used to think about that parallel universe all the time, why the DB's and the Undertones and the Shoes and all my favourite early-'80s power pop bands never crossed over onto American Top 40. It's not like they were threatening or anything.

(And was indeed a chapter topic for my rejected Black Vinyl Shoes 33-1/3 proposal in 2007: why the Cars and not the Shoes?)

xxp thank you!

(And was indeed a chapter topic for my rejected Black Vinyl Shoes 33-1/3 proposal in 2007: why the Cars and not the Shoes?)

― clemenza, Wednesday, May 1, 2024 6:49 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

would've loved to read this but surely you know it's Shoes and not the Shoes

not to be confused with Sneakers, or the Plimsouls for that matter. have we ever head a footwear band poll??

You know, I don't think I knew that--I've always called them the Shoes. So that's why it was rejected: "This guy doesn't know what he's talking about!"

Another fine thread, incl. videos and links that still work (the ones I checked). Also, the host of the leading rarities site drops in: The dB's - Classic or Dud