Pete Shelley “Telephone Operator” 1983. 12″ single on Genetic Records. Heavily electronic, 80’s new wave synthpop with just a whisper of punk attitude (that Buzzcocks snot). The track was a single from Shelley’s second solo LP XL1 and hit #66 on the UK singles chart. I’m not too familiar with the album but Wiki tells me the original pressing was “packaged with a computer program for the ZX Spectrum which displayed lyrics and graphics in time with the music The computer program was written in a mixture of BASIC and Assembly and is widely considered to be one of the first multimedia albums ever released.” While “Telephone Operator” – a hard driving, industrial-edged dance track – is clearly the feature/single of this 12″, it’s the non-single Devo-esque track (also on XL1) “Many a Time” — with its hook that almost exactly mirrors his controversial single “Homosapien” single from 1981 — that gets the most attention. Side One has the extended mix which, I believe, appears on the UK release (the US version has a shorter version) and Side Two has the Dub Mix of “Many a Time” which isn’t much different from the Extended Mix other than it’s even longer and has a harder-edged beat; I’m not sure it is included on any other releases.

The Selecter “Too Much Pressure” 1980. The debut album from English 2 tone ska revivalists; the record went to no. 5 in the UK (it was released on 2 Tone Records in the UK and Chrysalis Records in the US – our version – but I do not think in charted here). The singles released from the LP did really well, too: “On My Radio,” released before the album in the fall of ’79, hit #8 (it’s one of the better tracks on the album); “Three Minute Hero” went to #16 and “Missing Words” to #23. Those were all band originals, written by Selecter guitarist and primary writer Neol Davies; another original “Street Feeling” is one of my top tracks. Another top pick is “My Collie (Not a Dog)” which is not a Selecter original; I can’t find any other bands’ versions but it was written by Robert Spencer and Johnny Roberts, songwriters active in the 50’s and 60’s. The song is a play on Jamaican slang for weed (collie) and is a super upbeat, ass-shaking ska burner. Other covers/non-originals Too Much Pressure include “Time Hard” (The Pioneers), “Murder” (Owen & Leon Silvera), “Carry Go Bring Come” (Justin Hinds And The Dominoes) and a ska’d up version of “James Bond” (the movie theme). It’s a good end-of-summer listen but I think this is LP is on the thin-the-herd chopping block.

The Pleasure Seekers “What a Way to Die” 2016, songs recorded 1965-1968. Sundazed Music, pink vinyl. A comp of the 60’s all-female garage rock band from Detroit, From their Discogs bio:

All female American band founded in 1964 in Grosse Pointe, Michigan by sisters Patti and Suzi Quatro, sisters Nancy (drums) and Mary Lou Ball (guitar), and Diane Baker on piano. Baker was soon replaced by Arlene Quatro. The released their first single in 1964 on Hideout (Never Thought You’d Leave Me). “Nan” Ball left in 1965 and was replaced by Darline Arnone. In 1968 they signed to Mercury and released a second single (Light Of Love). In 1969 they changed their name to Cradle and pursued a heavier direction. Arlene became the band’s manager and Nancy Quatro joined as the new drummer. Suzi Quatro left in 1971 and went on to have a successful solo career. Cradle ultimately disbanded in 1973.

This compilation is killer! A mix of hard rock (for the mid-60’s), soul/Motwon-inspired, and psych. Their first single, the l0-fi “Never Thought You’d Leave Me” from 1965 is included as well as their second (and final, I think) poppy single “Light of Love.”  I also love “Gotta Get Away” – classic 60’s garage and a real ass-shaker with the organ sound up front and center, “Locked In Your Love” (girl-group soul all the way). Side Two of this comp slides into the later 60’s with a much more hard rock sound: ‘White Pig Blues” is all hard and heavy bendy blues with vocals that have just a smidge less edge than Janis Joplin’s and “Brain Confusion” is acid psych backed by more hard blues.

While this song is not on the comp, it’s the only live performance video I could find and it’s pretty fucking awesome (“Reach Out” 1968):