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"Numero 004: Yellow Pills: Prefill"
Numero 004 is named after Yellow Pills, the magazine that Jordan Oakes began publishing in 1990, dedicated to the power pop sounds discovered through obscure 45s from bands he thought of not as "has-been"s or "never-were"s, but "could-have-been"s. That, however, is up for debate.
The collection is an ambitious two CD set of 33 tunes, all of which are extremely fun, but were just a bit too derivative or a bit too tacky to become truly timeless. I wouldn't be surprised if some of these groups were some of the nameless bands who showed up in teen flicks of the early '80s as prom bands or incidental soundtrack music for the B-films that didn't produce soundtracks or top 40 hits. Once again, Jeff Lipton's mastering skills are utilized, this time his role it seems was more to create a collection of songs to actually sound well together, as the condition of these recordings aren't nearly as beaten into the ground as was the case on the Eccentric Soul releases.
The goal, musically, was to present lost tracks from power pop bands between 1978 and 1982, focusing on the bands who had smaller catalogs, were infrequently compiled elsewhere, and remain relatively forgotten. It has accomplished that goal and made for something that's enjoyable to listen but clearly "borrowed notstalgia for the unremembered 1980s" for most people reading or listening. Expect a parade of songs about desire on disc A, and it's almost always about a girl ("Not My Girl Anymore" by the Bats, "She's the Girl (Who Said No)" by the Tweeds, "Somebody Else's Girl" by Randy Winburn, and "Hey Little Girl" by Mr. Peculiar). "I Need That Record" by The Tweeds, however, is one of those songs that is probably far more amusing to a music critic, DJ, or record store employee, not only because it's obsessive about music, but because it manages to be completely derivative of The Who, The Cars, and Thin Lizzy, all at the same time (see: Ted Leo and the Pharmacists). Disc B is more of a reflective collection, whether it's self reflection ("I Wanna be a Teen Again" by the Toms) or societal ("Growing Up American" by The Colors). I've honestly never heard (nor even remember if I did hear) any of these songs, but things like "Hello Mr. Jenkins" by St. Louis' The Finns (which ironically is from the 1990s) take me back to my first memories of hate and fear by bigoted Republican/Christian types, a time when Ronald Reagan couldn't even utter the word "AIDS" with its lyrics "AIDS is punishment sent down from Heaven."
Accompanied is a deluxe booklet with an extended indie rock music critic wit-heavy diatribe (see 'clever' lines like the one about a former musician going to work for Subway because "there's no real bread in the music biz" to self referential remarks around wanting to be a teen again) from Jordan Oakes, commissioned to compile this release, where I'm actually left with more questions than answers. While I completely understand the joy of digging through record bins trying to find the fun things that aren't dreary or painful to listen to, often going on the covers alone, I can't understand what his point actually is on a few things. He makes bold statements how this period of the early 1980s was the last true era of power-pop rock music, and that the bands trying their hand at it now are derivative, but he goes on and name-checks bands every step of the way when describing this music. (The Beatles, for example, appear on nearly every page!) Although Oakes talks about the all important "guitar solo," in all of the 13 pages of small type he fails to recognize perhaps the most important thing about "the all important guitar solo" is that while the easy lyrics, catchy tues, and pretty faces existed to woo girls; the guitar solos were there to prove to the guys they were manly enough for guys to enjoy as well.
While the music is as enjoyable as an early XTC or Ted Leo and the Pharmacists record, I'm somewhat let down by the lack of biographical information. I'd like to know where each band are from, the year of each song, where it originated from (the name of the single/LP/comp) and the record label. It's basic information but it's far more helpful to get a good reference from than what's been presented.
samples:
- Luxury - Green Hearts
- The Toms - Sun
- LMNOP - Forever Through the Sun
