Tag: The Wind

The Wind and The Shivvers

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The Wind

The Wind “Re-Wind”

The Wind formed in 1982 and their debut LP was a criminally overlooked by most. It was a power pop classic that had influences from Beatles and Dylan to Motown. Now thirty years later Lane Steinberg is rejoined by his mates Steve Katz and Steve Burdick. Add to this pop maestro David Grahame, who co-produced and mixed this reunion. A mature sophisticated pop sense replaces the youthful energy, but they definitely recapture that old magic.

Keeping the production simple and clean similar to the Grahame Steinberg series, “Fight Like A Girl” has a catchy hook filled gem with hand claps and a fight bell to get the point across. Those harmonies of Lane and Steve work magic on the ballad “Let Me Show You How It’s Done.” The soul pop piano of “Think On Your Feet” is another great song with a low key chorus (think Todd Rundgren’s “Something/Anything”) and solid composition. Additional standouts include Steinberg’s piano melody “Weak Spot” and Katz does his best Motown in “Baby I Can Take A Punch.” Lane remains a superb songwriter on the breakup song “Which Part Of Goodbye?” and the hopeful gem “There’s A Clamoring.” “The 99th Percentile” is another rock blues riff about romance that sticks to your head. The reunion feels like a easy going session between friends, and while these men are no longer the youths that rocked out “Bad Eloise” from the debut LP thirty years ago, the themes of the music remain the same.

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The Shivvers

The Shivvers “The Shivvers (Remixed and Remastered 2014)”

Hard to believe, but this “lost” power pop classic belongs alongside the great albums of the early 1980’s era. If you love Blondie, The Scruffs, The Toms, and The Shoes then you should make it your business to listen to Milwaukee’s first real power pop band. The debut record LP finally saw the light of day this summer with terrific vocals from Jill Kossoris and backed up by Scott Krueger, Jim Eannelli, Jim Richardson, Mike Pyle and the late Breck Burns. Although the music was available in 2006, it has been newly remixed and remastered in 2014. Its being re-discovered today (thank you, internet) and well worth the listeners effort.

“Teenline” was bona-fide hit single that got attention from Raspberries’ frontman Eric Carmen who wished to produce the bands LP. “Please Stand By” is another fast paced song with bright angular guitar chords and hand claps in the chorus. “Hold On” is built very much like a Raspberries song, even the opening chords closely resemble “I Wanna Be With You.” The slower “Why Tell Lies” is song about heartbreak that echoes those fifties ballads with repeating vocals behind the chorus. Every song here resonates and impresses, from the heavy riffs of “When I Was Younger” to the piano melody on “Don’t Tell Me.” Krueger eventually joined The Wigs, and the group was disbanded. As a lush coda to the bands career, the 1989 reunion single “Remember Tonight” is included. Despite the simple production techniques, the music doesn’t sound dated due to the solid songwriting and energetic performances that carry each tune. When building a power pop collection, The Shivvers remains an essential LP to get.
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