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