The Sidewinders-S/T

Taking their name from the Byrds’ Roger McGuinn song, "Chestnut Mare,” the Sidewinders were neither country nor from the West.  However, the quintet were considered by many to possibly be the best live band in Boston during the dawn of the ‘70s. Their competition was fierce as the future mega-stars Aerosmith and the insurgent Modern Lovers were playing the same circuit.  In Boston, they opened for a variety of acts ranging from Big Star and the Grateful Dead to Del Shannon.They made the big time jump to New York and became quite the live sensation at Max’s Kansas City in Manhattan, where they became the house band and lead singer Andy Paley made it on the cover of Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. They also have the historical distinction of being the second band to play at Max’s Kansas City after the Velvet Underground. Despite all the complications, they made it happen and continued the Boston tradition of making people want to hit the dance floor and linking Barry & the Remains and the Real Kids in the process. Their eponymous debut is also notable for being the first Lenny Kaye production.

Lester Bangs Seal of Approval

In a 1972 Creem review of their debut album, Lester Bangs called them, “Perhaps the “Live Rock ‘n’ Roll” surprise of the year.” However, Bangs considered the recording thin for its lack of bottom.  A recent Ugly Things interview has Lenny Kaye describing his production as “dry” and that he was exercising restraint from embellishments because he was wary of overproducing. Like the similar crisp production of MC5’s Back in the USA, Kaye’s sparse treatment gives the Sidewinders’ sound a distinctive streamlined minimalism that matches the music. Presented with this spacious production, these compact and competently played songs still stand out 50 years later as examples of proto-power-pop. Further, the album offered a more mainstream take on what the Velvet Underground (Loaded-era) and the Modern Lovers were doing around the time. In some quarters, the record received criticism for sounding too commercial due to its catchiness. What do you expect for an album on RCA?  A 1972 Billboard review got directly to the point: “Probably more closely geared to the Top 40 phenomenon, than underground.” With its clean production lines, it definitely would have passed the Motown test of jumping out from the dashboard AM radio.

  

Surprisingly, there are no traces of any singles being released by RCA. While not really representative of their propelling sound, “Moonshine” goes down smoothly and probably would’ve been tapped as their first 45. I do prefer the original version of “Rendezvous” over the Paley Brothers’ version that is more commonly heard. It’s one of the few times where a slower tempo works better for me. The dashing “O Miss Mary” has the feel of the Real Kids picking up the pace on “Sweet Jane,” with the song being carried along by its sweeping chorus. The foreshadowing of the Real Kids continues with the snappy “Got You Down.” The brisk song uncoils with guitars galore, including that “NYC subway sound” as coined by Jonathan Richman to describe the Velvet Underground. “Reputation” traces the lines through the Rolling Stones and "Jump into the Fire" by their RCA labelmate Nilsson. Surprisingly, Billy Squire would later join the band after this album was released and before he joined Piper. The talented Andy Paley went on to the pure pop act of the Paley Brothers before extensive songwriting, production and musical support work with Brian Wilson, Jonathan Richman, April March and SpongeBob SquarePants. While not an exceptional album in its entirety, it does have its inspired and lasting moments. Overall, it’s remarkable this direct and tuneful album was released in the first place by RCA-especially considering how contrasting it was from the prevailing sounds & styles during rock ‘n’ roll’s mostly lost years of the early ‘70s.

Cashbox Feb. 19, 1972

Ko and The Knockouts-20 Years Later

This Detroit trio came and went like a flash of lightning. I still recall the excitement of hearing this blast out of the speakers for the first time.  At the time, they most reminded me of early Blondie. Hearing this 20 years later, Ko’s vocals recalled Lisa Marr of cub coupled with the rust belt resolve of Chrissie Hynde, while the band surges with the dynamic energy of the Embrooks.

This 2002 album released by SFTRI captures their early momentum of their brief short-lived heyday (2001-2003). They generated quite an initial stir as they quickly found their sound that has retained an enduring edge.  In fall 2003, I was fortunate to see them in Tucson at Solar Culture opening for Holly Golightly with Ko backed by an entirely different line-up than the musicians heard on this recording (Eddie from the Sights on guitar and Jeff Klein on drums, Jim Diamond on organ and some others from Rocket 455). While the show was good, there was a seemingly discontented mood of “I would rather be somewhere else” feeling in the air. Tucson is certainly a lovely place to be in November. Perhaps it was an off night like we all have.

Songs like “Cry No More” and “Go Getter” are instantly captivating with their dashing tempos and Ko’s harmonized vocals leading the way. “Set Me Free” breakouts like the incendiary freakbeat stormer “When the Night Falls” by the Eyes. Fittingly, a serrated cover of the (UK) Birds’ "You're on My Mind" follows.  They are able to slow things down with the smoldering “You Did It,” which displays their command of rhythm & blues and now emerges as a worthy candidate for sync licensing. Their inspired and charged-up cover of Nolan Stong’s "If I (Could Be With You Tonight)" is up there with the best of the Detroit Cobras as they make this Fortune Records group harmony classic entirely their own. This would have also fit perfectly on 2013’s Daddy Rockin' Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong and the Diablos. “I Wanna (See You Again)” is an indelible out-of-time pop song with a growling guitar expressing their inherent grittiness that was mislabeled as "Twistin Postman" (and never corrected on the 2007 Wicked Cool reissue).

They were quite the garage power trio and frequently took their propulsive rock ‘n’ roll sound out to the edges of glory, demonstrating that the roll is as important as the rock. Their memorable songs are still striking not only for their infectious hooks and catchy melodies, but also for their combination of straightforwardness with some deft lane changes within songs. All this should have made them contenders on the level somewhere between the subterranean Subsonics and the major label-era of the Muffs. Overall, they made their first foray into recording appear so easy to do. Their self-titled power-packed album added a new layer to the Motor City's monumental tradition of stripped-down rock ‘n’ roll. Consequently, has there ever been a Detroit group and/or singer more deserving of thunderous applause and opportunity for a second act?