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my loveliest vinyl, part 26
Modernettes – Teen City EP (Quintessence Records QEP 1204, 1980) Oh Canaduh! This is more history from Canada and this is even more underrated – this is most likely the definite punk/power-pop trio in history. They got it all – style (and the good looks of the girl on bass), songwriting, punch and great tunes. The only lived short (from 1979 to 1983, with their peak being 1980). But they did leave something behind, oh boy, this absolut stunning 12″ EP.
The internet (damn internet, never forgets) quotes:
“Some punky powerpop now and then is exactly what we all need to be able to coop with life. Canadas Modernettes does everything right, up till the title track. It’s catchy, it’s intense, it’s great, it’s awesome. Hell(paradise?) yeah, they make smile the whole sunday long which makes it’s so much easier to do the laundry and clean my apartment.
What’s for dinner? Mmm salmon. Pink innersleeve and pink food. Take note of the great looking sleeve. Always been very fond of squares and circles. AND! AND the production! Oh man it’s Bob Rock you know!” That comes straight from our bible, KBD!
The verdict:
1977 – sure, The Jam where part and this truely is!
published by a cool lable – a local indepdendent lable, tick!
found in a cool shop – … Michelle Records if my memories serves well
catching sound – POWER with a capital P like in Punk Pop!
The lyrics – simple teen fun – cool!My favorite is Barbra, a timeless ode to school and love and girls and and and:
there's a new little girl in my home class you know i'm talking about barbra and everybodys thinks that she's such a gas b-a-r-b-r-a barbra shes the girl i love forever we spend our lives together barbra well the docs gonna side so she can pass you know i'm talking about barbra and everybodys looking and thats such a gas b-a-r-b-r-a barbra i envy the guy she kisses i just wanna skip class with barbra there's a new little girl in my home class you know i'm talking about barbra and everybodys thinks she's such a gas b-a-r-b-r-a barbra shes the girl i love forever you know im talking about barbra talking about barbra talking about barbra talking about barbra (c) 1980 Modernettes / Buck Cheery
and it has been glued to film perfectly and even got restored to HD – modern times, tststs:
And for those who are by now deep in love with the girl on bass – Mary Jo Kopechne has for a long time retired from music and lives a remote life on her horse farm:
What do others say?
Mary Jo from The Modernettes is the blonde (dancing), one of the greatest rock stars of all time who didn't become one. The Modernettes basically had the idea (and part of the sound) of Green Day, ten years ahead of time and locked in a corner of Canada with no one who could ever get the record (Teen City) distributed outside of British Columbia. And obviously not a single hustler from the scene loading quarters into a pay phone, telling every A&R Man in major lable Hollywood to GET YOUR ASS UP TO SAN FRANCISCO and see this fucking band (The Modernettes Tour Fall 1980). I did (because i lived in Oakland) and they where the best band ever. Fact! So Green Day would up selling 80 Million albums (and got paid for every one of them), deservedly so. The Modernettes sold 8 Thousand and got doofus Ted (who ran Quintessence Records, sort of) sticking his head into Jughead's bass drum in practice room and saying "I don't hear a follow-up hit here!" to which buck/joch quite reasonably replied "our first record was a HIT? In what universe?" (since it didn't get five copies hipped to Retail ourside of the British Columbia Area). Stories, Stories - but put on the record, the music does not lie! (unknown, found on the net)
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my loveliest vinyl, part 25
The Subhumans – Incorrect Thoughts (Friends – FR 008 (1980), CD Presents – CD 036 (1985)) I always loved Canadian Punk – be it D.O.A., be it Forgotten Rebels and and and – and The Subhumans are top of the pile. Their history is long and starts in 1978 and their contribution to Punk in Canada is key. Not only played many of the Subhumans in other bands but they also have had one of their members making a step further – Garry Hannah was part of an early 80’s Direct Action group that did go all the way including bombing a canadian plant manufacturing parts of the US Cruise Missile. That got him a 10 yr sentence (serving five) and that ended the first part of The Subhumans carrer. Plenty of years later they reformed and continue to play and put out records – true to their style of punk rock.
After a couple of noticeable singles Incorrect Thoughts was their first release, later put to a wider audience by CD Presents in the US of A in a 1985 re-release (as far as the story goes a bootleg, Songs remixed, tracks added and re-ordered, and the cover art changed -all without participation or permission from the band).
The verdict:
1977 – no doubt, Hardcore for them is years away!
published by a cool lable – a local indepdendent lable (as for the Canadian version)
found in a cool shop – the CAN version never made it to me, little did i know about the “bootleg” on CD Presents (but that i have thanks to … Konneckschen, where else)
catching sound – True, great songwriting and inteligent lyrics and not too much focused on speed or “heavy” or “hard”
The lyrics – the key differentiator with other bands – a brain and a pen! And a storyline! And moving subject from individual, to politics and to self. Genius, trust me!A line like this handed down from the stage, yes, that’s genius:
I’m a hero
I’m the spokesman for the crowd
My only claim to fame
is a machine that makes me loud
Where am I leading you
why can’t you get there on your own
If you believe in me
someday I’ll leave you all aloneAnd thats from my loveliest song, which is actualy from the bootlegged version (and appeared initaly only on the the great “Vancouver Independence” compilation, also courtesy of Friends Records) and it reads like this:
You and me, girl we'll fight it out against the world If she believes that she'll believe everything she's told I'll never leave you not till the mountains turn to dust If he believes that he's got a little too much trust She's nothing to him He's nothing to her And both of them are less than that to me They've both been had A lie behind the smile Perjuring to cultivate a dream Businessmen and workers help each other make their way If you believe that just look around and count your pay The government will help you protect the old and feed the poor You might believe that till the police are at your door You're nothing to them They're nothing to you And both of you are less than that to me The skull and the badge Are the lie behind the smile Used against the powerless and weak I'm a hero I'm the spokesman for the crowd My only claim to fame is a machine that makes me loud Where am I leading you why can't you get there on your own If you believe in me someday I'll leave you all alone I'm nothing to you You're nothing to me And less than nothing's what I want to be Confusion and noise I'm sick behind my smile Sick of every face that I see I'm sick of every face that I see I'm sick of every face that I see (c) 1980 The Subhumans
Now, listen up:
And this is their mates D.O.A. covering it for the soundtrack of Alternatives Tentacles 1990’s venture into movies – TERMINAL CITY RICOCHET:
Whilst we are at it, here the movie trailer (get the DVD/Sountrack combo!):
And, what do the Subhumans have to say today?
and if you dare for more (“Gimme Gimme some more!”) then get THE PUNKMOVIE!