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- Date Released: January 1, 1977
- Genre: Alternative/Punk
- Label: Norton Records / The Orchard
Ex-Modern Lover churns out a killer primer in rock spirit
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We Say...
From a New Yorker's vantage point (and, no, this is not baseball rivalry sloping into musical prejudice), Boston's underground rock scene of the early '70s sounded disappointingly traditional, more bar band slop than art-rock swing. Given a few years, however, that became a gross underestimation, as the city could lay claim to Mission of Burma, the Cars, Jonathan Richman, the Neats, Neighborhoods, Lyres and Willie "Loco" Alexander — all, in their way, visionary modernists. The Real Kids, formed and led by ex-Modern Lover John Felice, didn't try to be anything but garage rock realists, yet their vigor and grit earned them a wicked good place on Mass. Ave., and arguably set the stage for the potent Boston ha'core scene that followed.
The quartet's first album is a killer primer in rock spirit — determined, modest, tough, heartfelt (kind of like the Red Sox, but let's skip that). From the catchy signature original "All Kindsa Girls" through righteous covers of Eddie Cochran ("My Way"), Buddy Holly ("Rave On") and Frankie Ford by way of the Animals ("Roberta"), the Real Kids kick it loose but right, adding enough jizz to make it stick. Felice could certainly write durable rockers — "My Baby's Book," "She's Alright," "Do the Boob" and the very un-Marley-like workout "Reggae Reggae" all hold up fine, and the playing drips sweat and beer. It's all kindsa fun. -
They Say...
In the late '70s through the early '80s, the Real Kids were Boston's original rock & roll slop band. Fronted by John Felice, main songwriter and guiding spirit, the Real Kids ran on equal parts adolescent rivalry, drugs, and as much beer as they could consume. When Felice wanted to tear up a club with his rockin' originals or his favorite rock & roll tunes (equally adept at both), the Kids could be a thing of raw beauty to watch and hear. When Felice wasn't in the mood, he could play pissed-off rock star to the max and the results were desultory at best. This Norton CD, however, catches them early in the ball game, their debut album for the tiny Red Star label with all the great John Felice tunes like "All Kindsa Girls," "Taxi Boys" (which later became the name of an offshoot group that recorded for Dave Pierce's Star Rhythm imprint, the label that also issued the second [or last, depending on how you're keeping score] Real Kids album), "My Baby's Book," and "Better Be Good" along with spirited covers of Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran material just to give you the big picture. Perhaps the Real Kids were just too undisciplined to make it big; maybe the drugs and the booze got in the way of the creativity. Alas, it's an old story, but Felice's reputation over in Europe continues to earn high marks and rumors abound that new material is on the way. In the meantime, check this one out -- close your eyes and you'll swear you've been transported back to the late '70s at CBGB's. Like their name, these guys were for real.
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| 01. |  |
All Kindsa Girls |
3:38 |
|
| 02. | |
Solid Gold (Thru And Thru) |
2:08 |
|
| 03. | |
Rave On |
1:45 |
|
| 04. |
Better Be Good |
4:12 |
|
|
| 05. | |
Taxi Boys |
1:49 |
|
| 06. | |
Just Like Darts |
4:39 |
|
| 07. | |
She's Alright |
1:46 |
|
| 08. | |
My Baby's Book |
3:01 |
|
| 09. | |
Roberta |
2:38 |
|
| 10. | |
Do The Boob |
2:18 |
|
| 11. | |
My Way |
1:59 |
|
| 12. | |
Reggae Reggae |
5:00 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 34:53 Total Length
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Credits
- Howard Ferguson - Drums // The Real Kids - Producer // The Real Kids - Main Performer // Larry Alexander - Engineer // Bill Borgeolli - Guitar // John Felice - Guitar // John Felice - Vocals // Mono Mann - Piano // Allen "Alpo" Paulino - Bass // Allen "Alpo" Paulino - Vocals // Marty Thau - Producer // Alpo - Bass // Alpo - Vocals // Billy Borgioli - Guitar // Roberta Bayley - Photography
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