For power pop fans and aficionados of the mid-to-late-'70s Boston and downtown New York scenes, news that at last a CD is coming out containing ALL of the sides the Paley Brothers released on the Sire label would be reason enough for rejoicing. But news that said CD also contains 11 unreleased bonus tracks drawn straight from the band's archives…well, that's cause for a national holiday among certain quarters of rock 'n' roll fandom! Andy Paley was the lead singer and songwriter for the legendary Boston band the Sidewinders and played with the Modern Lovers, while Jonathan was a member of CBGB's fixture Mong before the siblings formed the Paley Brothers in 1975, and were signed to Sire Records soon thereafter. However, while the band was a favorite of Sire label owner Seymour Stein, and their good looks put them on the covers of teeny bopper magazines, the Paley Brothers only recorded one LP and several singles of sweetly harmonious power pop for Sire that have since become serious cult classics. The brothers then went their separate ways: Andy went on to produce and/or write for such acts as Madonna, k.d. lang, Brian Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elton John, Brenda Lee, Little Richard, and SpongeBob SquarePants, and Jonathan played with and/or produced such bands as the Nervous Eaters, the Dogmatics, Band 19, Skirt, Shrapnel, Classic Ruins, and the Reflectors as well as composing for soundtracks. Now, 35 years after the release of their lone album, the Paley Brothers are back with a collection of 26 tracks they compiled and polished in the studio, their complete recordings including the entire 1978 self-titled release on Sire produced by Earl Mankey and the singles they recorded for the label produced by Jimmy Iovine, plus the version of "Come On Let's Go" they recorded with the Ramones that was on the Rock and Roll High School soundtrack; the song "Jacques Cousteau" they recorded under the name The Young Jacques; and 11 unreleased tracks, highlighted by two from their 1978 Madison Square Garden gig opening for Shaun Cassidy and a track they recorded for Sire, "Baby, Let's Stick Together," that was produced by none other than Phil Spector. Gene Sculatti's liner notes include copious quotes from the Paley Brothers, testimonials from such luminaries as Seymour Stein, and photos from their private archive. The power pop release of the year, decade or even century!
E**.
VERY WELL DONE LONG OVERDUE RE ISSUE
this is certainly a well done LONG over due reissue of this power pop classic from 1979, i know this came out in japan on papersleeve around 10 years or so ago and as quick as it came out it went oop and then on e bay the damn cd was going for silly prices so im glad i waited a decade to get this on cd, i bought this lp in 1979 and way back then i was not to impressed as my ears where more in tune with heavy metal and punk at that time, anyway revisiting this album was a pleasure!!!!! the remastering is awesome on here and the booklet pretty fat with tons of information about this power pop classic, by 1981 or so i dont know what happened to the paley brothers but this album along with some 45s between 1978 and 1980 are pretty much all here even with some live bonus stuff i never heard before, i would say in the 76 minutes this cd takes to play you probably get everything from the old vaults they had packed away, if you enjoyed the power pop scene of the late 70s and you liked records by THE SHOES, THE PEZBAND, THE RUBINOOS, OFF BROADWAY AND most of the great acts that came out of the chicgo / indianapolis power pop scen i think it is safe to say YOU WILL REALLY ENJOY THIS CD, these guys where from new england and used to play cbgb, maxes kansas city and all the old legendary clubs in the village in nyc back in its heyday, the paley brothers played here a lot with bands like THE SHIRTS and all, this is a very upbeat uptempo record and it is packed with everything a popwer pop fans loves, also the song from rock n roll high school is awesome but sadley that was as far as the paley brothers ever got. today in 2013 fortunatally we have this great reissue to bring us back to when times where much better, play loud and enjoy!!!!!!
B**R
I love this album!
This is a great recording. I bought it months ago, when it first came out. It was stolen from my car, and now I HAVE TO replace it, because I just don't get tired of it.Like a fine wine, there's a lot of complexity...deceptively simple and upbeat on the surface, with undercurrents of Beach Boys and Everly Brothers harmonies, Ramones driving beat, classic rock n roll excitement, Motown ideas. Like most geniuses, they absorb everything useful and turn it into something new and uniquely their own. Amazing that this sounds new, after 35 years or so. I think that back in the 70's and 80's the music industry didn't know what to do with the Paley Brothers because they were too far ahead of their time and simply too in love with the music to care about pigeon-holing themselves.Don't miss this!
D**Y
Paley Brothers Rock
This is a great collection of fantastic power pop tunes from this under-rated New Wave era band. If you are a fan of late 70's early 80's power pop don't miss this one!
M**L
Four Stars
Worth admission for the Richie Valens cover
F**P
Finally
Great cd love this band
H**M
A revised retelling of should-have-been power pop stars
The Paley Brothers - Andy and Jonathan - had the experience, original material and connections to make a much bigger splash than managed in the mid-to-late-70s. Having threaded individually through the Boston rock and New York punk/new wave scenes, their work as a duo charmed power-pop aficionados, but had little commercial impact. Their records with Seymour Stein, Jimmy Iovine, Earle Mankey, Phil Spector and the Ramones failed to ignite widespread notice, and their primary catalog - a four song EP and an album on Sire - has been unevenly reissued since its 1978 release. Surprisingly, this first-ever twenty-six track anthology, curated by the brothers themselves, tells a slightly different story than the original releases; but its alternate takes and mixes may offer some clues to the original lack of commercial rewards.The collection's lack of fidelity to the brothers' original releases is both a blessing and a curse. The eleven previously unreleased tracks offered here, including two from a live date with Shaun Cassidy at Madison Square Garden, flesh out a fuller picture of the Paleys' time as recording artists, and the alternate takes and mixes provide an aural view that went unheard at the time. But the alternates don't always best the originals, and the lack of clear attribution creates a shadow of revisionism. The Paley's may prefer these versions, and there is great merit in letting them out of the vaults, but replacing dear artifacts without so much as a note (the credits source the EP and album without any indication that some tracks are different recordings, and most are different mixes) is a disservice to those seeking clean digital copies of the originals, as well as to those who'd be enticed by the alternates.With the album having been reissued in 2009, what's still missing from the digital domain are the previously released versions of the duo's 1978 Ecstasy EP. What's here are mono mixes of "Ecstasy," "Rendezvous," "Hide 'n' Seek" and "Come Out and Play" that, while often more crisp than the vinyl release, are not always better. The alternate take of "Rendezvous," in particular, hasn't the Spector-inspired grandeur of the previously released version, and "Come Out and Play" is offered here at the edited length that appeared on the album. To be sure, the alternates are a gift to the Paleys' fans, but offering them in lieu of the originals renders this "complete" collection incomplete, and leaves fans to find and transcribe original vinyl.That said, the newly released material here is terrific. Opening the set are two previously unreleased originals from 1979, the bouncy Beach Boys-styled "Here She Comes" and the love-poor (but vocal-rich) "Meet the Invisible Man." The latter, produced by Andy Paley, features a driving guitar line, brilliant harmonies and a coda that brings to mind the Beatles' Revolver . Also from 1979 is "Boomerang," with Brian Wilson adding his vocal to the background, the rock rave-ups "She's Eighteen Tonight" and "Spring Fever," the rare Paley Brothers ballad, "Sapphire Eyes," the blink-and-you-missed it surf-styled "Jacques Cousteau" (though not the single's B-side "Sink or Swim"), and a faithfully sweet cover of the theme song to the supermarionation show, Fireball XL5 .In 1978 the Paleys had opened for Shaun Cassidy (who, in addition to fine bubblegum, waxed Wasp with Todd Rundgren), and two covers from their August stop at Madison Square Garden show how easily the brothers added Everlys-styled harmonies to Bobby & His Orbits' Zydeco-tinged 1958 rocker "Felicia" and Tommy Roe's 1966 smash "Sheila." The remaining rarities are a cover of Richie Valens' "Come on Let's Go" and the Phil Spector-produced "Baby, Let's Stick Together." The former was recorded in 1977 with the Ramones while Joey Ramone was laid up in the hospital, and may be the Paley's most broadly known single, as it was included on the soundtrack to Rock 'n' Roll High School . The latter was waxed at the temple of the Wall of Sound, Gold Star, with the Wrecking Crew kicking up the beat from Spector's previous production of this title with Dion.The Paley's have stated that this is not an album reissue, which is fine, but without proper annotation, the changes elide rather than augment. Sorting out what's actually here (and more importantly, what's not) is basically impossible. To their credit, the mostly mono mixes of the album tracks improve upon the dated, booming production and vocal processing of the original album vinyl. The 16-page booklet includes liner notes by Gene Sculatti, terrific memories from Sire Records chief, Seymour Stein, and rare photographs that provide visual context for the Paleys' place in the musical milieu of the 1970s. This is a must-have for Paleys fans, and a good, if not historically complete introduction for those who missed them the first time around. [©2013 Hyperbolium]
J**N
Five Stars
Great album, long overdue.......
