A few weeks ago, I introduced you to a Canadian trio called Nightwood. These Canucks (two chicks and a dude) bring back the glory days of Nineties female-fronted alternative rock. A little Breeders, a little Hole, a little Sleater-Kinney with some Liz Phair (pre-sellout) thrown in. Very good stuff.
Well, they’ve just shot and released a brand new video for the song “The Bikeriders”, and it’s quite the titillating clip-it would be perfect for “120 Minutes”-if “120 Minutes” still existed and MTV actually played videos nowadays. Shot in arty black and white, the video features shots of the trio rocking out (watch out for Eric, the drummer’s unruly hair) amid (ooohhhhh) chicks making out and (ahhhhh) gratuitous ass shots.
SQUEEZEÂ Packet Of Three EP:Â “Cat On A Wall” b/w “Night Ride” & “Backtrack”(Deptford Fun City Records DFC 01, November 1979)
Squeeze needs no introduction, so I’ll just dig right into the meat of this platter. This is the 1979 reissue of their 1977 debut EP on the Deptford Fun City label from the UK. Exactly how I ended up with this I’m unsure, but suffice to say it’s one of my favorite little time-capsules from the late-’70’s English punk/pub/power-pop explosion. Not that I was there to witness it mind you, but some scenes you just have to experience vicariously, right? Right. So let’s move onward.
Besides the obvious sexual implications, the EP’s title refers to the fact that it features 3 tracks: “Cat On A Wall” adorns side A on its own, while “Night Ride” and “Backtrack” share the flip. For some reason, the label fails to mention “Night Ride,” but it’s listed on the sleeve, so nevermind. The disc is pressed on a red vinyl so dark it looks black; when held up to light it gives off a dark cherry glow. Nothing could be finer.
Side A’s “Cat On A Wall” is pure hard-driving power-pop, the kind I wish Squeeze still made. Granted, there’s lots of bands aping this sound today, but these cats are the MASTERS, let’s face it. The blistering guitar solos, the octave harmony vocals, the drum solo bordering on Peartgasm, descending into pure acid-fried dissonance and back again, the run-off groove that lasts forever if you let it…who the hell else could get away with this and live to tell about it? No one besides Squeeze, that’s who. And the only bad thing I can say about this track is it’s way too short. Ya gotta play it twice. (I found a video someone else made, playing the original pressing. It looks & sounds better than any vid I can make, so here it is.)
“Night Ride” opens the flip-side with a tinny, distorted guitar playing eighth-notes on the open strings from low to high, leading into a raucous hard-rocker. Then “Backtrack,” which basically sounds like Professor Longhair on steroids and speed, zips in and out of your ears before you can even realize what has hit them. Former Velvet Underground violist John Cale produced all 3 of these tracks, as well as their entire debut album. He’s even pictured with the band on the back of this EP’s sleeve. Now, from what I’ve read, Cale and the band absolutely hated each other and never worked together again, but who the fuck knows or cares? All I know is that Cale coaxed an amazing sound from these guys in this session, putting the levels up into the red, developing a thick, hard rock for Squeeze to build on. And build they did. But they never sounded quite like this again.
NEXT WEEK: What happens when a strangely-named English guitar virtuoso meets four mysterious masked-men from Shreveport in swinging 1970’s San Francisco?
Bon Jovi had five Top 40 hits in 1986 and 1987. Can you name them all? Livin’ On A Prayer, You Give Love A Bad Name, Wanted Dead Of Alive, Never Say Goodbye and Edge Of A Broken Heart. Of course!…. Wait a second. What is Edge Of A Broken Heart? Stumped you, huh? Don’t worry, even the most die-hard Bon Jovi fans don’t even know what I’m talking about when I refer to this magnificent tune. I wish I was making this up.
Edge Of A Broken Heart was Bon Jovi’s fifth Top 40 hit in the 1986/1987 period, peaking at #39 in 1987. It was never issued on Bon Jovi’s classic album Slippery When Wet. So how did it become a hit song?  It was surprisingly featured in the camp classic movie Disorderlies starring the Fat Boys. Which reminds me, why aren’t the Fat Boys given more credit for their influence on hip hop music. Oh yeah, that’s right, because they sucked!
The Disorderlies soundtrack has been out of print since 1995, and the song was tough to get my hands on until a fun little internet program called Napster. I don’t think you’ll find any music outlets carrying a copy of this soundtrack, although the album did feature songs by other noted artists like the Fat Boys, Gwen Guthrie, Bananarama, and Art Of Noise. This album could be a nice little find in a local record shop. Edge Of A Broken Heart was eventually was released in 2004 on Bon Jovi’s box set of B-sides, demos, and rarities, 100,000,000 Bon Jovi Fans Can’t Be Wrong.
I personally think it’s one of Bon Jovi’s best songs. Don’t mistake this song as a predecessor to Vixen’s hit song of the same name. Edge Of A Broken Heart has a great hook. and features the typical 80’s pop/rock sound. David Bryan’s keyboard work is outstanding on the track, and it makes me yearn for the days when Bon Jovi rocked. The country shit they have recently put out really bothers me. Enjoy!
