The Remains were one of a number of mid-60s bands that took a lead from the British Invasion, most noticeably in this case the Stones, and turned it into the first wave of garage rock. In a way very like the first wave of punk in the late 70s, very few of the bands were very proficient musically, but some of the songs they wrote were genuinely brilliant, little poppy tunes that were obviously from the 60s but that were infused with the energy of youth. Although they obviously took their cues from other, more mainstream bands, they can't really be accused of copyism in the same way that a lot of today's bands are - they were some of the very first bands producing this kind of thing.
Barry Tashian, lead guitarist and singer, had spent 1964 in London, soaking in the music of his heroes, before forming the band back in his native Boston. They had limited success - appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show and a slot opening for the Beatles' final US tour might imply they were a much bigger band than they really were, and they split up after the release of their first album. They have since developed a bit of a cult following though, with various critics describing them as 'America's greatest lost band', but are probably still best remembered for this song, one of the highlights of Lenny Kaye's seminal 'Nuggets', a compilation I suggest absolutely anyone should check out.
The Remains – Don't Look Back
No comments:
Post a Comment