OK, ... I did. But I'm not sure many others have seen these, cuz they're hard to find.
I think they're worth reading.
Black and White
Composed by Peter Holsapple
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Review by Tom Maginnis, AllMusic.Com“Black and White,” the leadoff track to The dB’s debut album Stands for Decibels, is the kind of pure pop that when combined with the hyper-tension of new wave would immediately associate the band with several jangle pop groups of the period, such as the Records, the Plimsouls and the Bongos, though The dB’s would prove to have a longer-lasting influence than any of these skinny tie-wearing outfits. Commercially, the song suffered from being delegated to import status, as The dB’s were signed to the fledgling U.K. label Albion, which had trouble licensing the record for American distribution and subsequently went unpromoted at radio and only received sporadic play from adventurous college DJ’s who had managed to unearth the album from the import bin at their local record shop. Apart from the tracks super-kinetic pace, the most striking first impression is the extraordinarily high vocal of Peter Holsapple. As the rhythm section of Will Rigby (drums) and Gene Holder (bass) keep time with several jittery build-and-release sections, guitarist Chris Stamey supplies chiming melodic guitar licks while Holsapple keeps the genre identifying “jangle” from going on acoustic. But it’s Holsapple’s little boy shout that rings clear over the entire track as he gives an impassioned delivery, even while singing of innocent boy/girl squabbles that are the stuff of schoolyard crushes, “I, I never would hurt you / Even if I did you, you never would tell me / Oh, oh, we are finished / As of a long time ago, / As of a long time ago, / I’ve stopped.” As if on command, the band stops on a dime before shooting into the chorus, where the vocal is elongated by the band’s trademark use of slightly skewed harmonies as he proclaims, “I don’t enjoy you anymore / Well, I guess I just don’t enjoy you anymore” in a well-mannered kiss-off that was typical of the polite, self-deprecating form of rock that was a large part of the band’s charm, and the sort of sentiment that would offend the harder sensibilities of the punk rock crowd. Herein lies the inherent dilemma with much of the jangle pop genre of the early-‘80s era. The dB’s music was too bubbly to be considered rebellious, but too weird and wiry for mainstream ears and for the most part, would be considered by a small segment of the college rock audience as nothing more than R.E.M.’s strange little brother. “Black & White” and several other tracks from Stands for Decibels certainly deserved better than that.
Dynamite
Composed by Holder / Holsapple / Rigby / Stamey
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Review by Stewart Mason, AllMusic.Com
There is little or no middle ground on “Dynamite.” For many people, it’s their favorite dB’s song ever. It makes others quite literally run screaming from the room whenever it comes on, because of Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple’s deliberately discordant vocals, which are not quite in tune (by design) and mimic the strange properties of backwards vocals. Although the vocals are recorded just as they sound (they didn’t do that Twin Peaks thing of learning the lyrics backwards phonetically and then reversing the tape), they really do sound at first as if they’re backwards, and that keeps the entire song jumpy and unsettled, as does the deliberately choppy arrangement, featuring unexpected solo drum and bass fills. The 1993 rarities compilation Ride the Wild Tom-Tom features an even freakier early demo of “Dynamite” with even more out-of-tune vocals with a harsh nasal edge and a more prominent role for Holsapple’s organ fill at the end of the familiar studio version. The demo might actually be even better than the finished version.
There is little or no middle ground on “Dynamite.” For many people, it’s their favorite dB’s song ever. It makes others quite literally run screaming from the room whenever it comes on, because of Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple’s deliberately discordant vocals, which are not quite in tune (by design) and mimic the strange properties of backwards vocals. Although the vocals are recorded just as they sound (they didn’t do that Twin Peaks thing of learning the lyrics backwards phonetically and then reversing the tape), they really do sound at first as if they’re backwards, and that keeps the entire song jumpy and unsettled, as does the deliberately choppy arrangement, featuring unexpected solo drum and bass fills. The 1993 rarities compilation Ride the Wild Tom-Tom features an even freakier early demo of “Dynamite” with even more out-of-tune vocals with a harsh nasal edge and a more prominent role for Holsapple’s organ fill at the end of the familiar studio version. The demo might actually be even better than the finished version. The Fight
Composed by Peter Holsapple
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Review by Tom Maginnis, AllMusic.Com
“The Fight” is a clever bit of jangle pop that shows songwriter Peter Holsapple’s particular talent for melding biting humor to infectious three-minute melodies. The song has a novelty element much like the more countrified “Amplifier” found on Repercussion -- and also contains vindictive acts of retaliation in the form of light teen soap opera. Though not as materialistically obsessed as “Amplifier,” where the jilted lover absconds with all the narrator’s personal belongings except for his amplifier, “The Fight” is a he said/she said drama where the bickering resumes out of a sound sleep and continues on through the night. The music perfectly complements the inane, circular arguing with a childlike guitar riff set to a jouncing rhythm that lurches back and forth just as personal accusations are tossed to and fro as Holsapple sings with a kind of sneering rasp, “Oh well, I woke up in bed; it was the middle of the night / And we were still involved in a great big fight / She said, ‘I’ll give you five minutes to get out of here / I said, ‘I’ll give you five minutes to just to change your mind’ / She said, 'Don't hold your breath it won’t happen this time’ ”, his words reverberating with a good dollop of slap-back echo. The arrangement reverts to the more typically bubbling passage during the bridge section, with tight vocal harmonies that stretch out the words into an elongated question, “Did you see the way she looked at me / Did you see the way she looked right through me?” Holsapple’s vocal becomes shrill during the chorus as he strains to the point of yelping, “It was a fight! / We were involved in a fight! / Yeah!” as guitarist Chris Stamey makes his guitar talk, answering with some intentionally discordant string benders in a clever interpretation of a lover's scuffle. “The Fight” may be too cutesy for some tastes, but the track manages to capture the group’s sense of humor and a lighter approach to music that felt like a breath of fresh air coming after the bombastic heyday of arena rock and the over-serious prog rock of the '70's.
“The Fight” is a clever bit of jangle pop that shows songwriter Peter Holsapple’s particular talent for melding biting humor to infectious three-minute melodies. The song has a novelty element much like the more countrified “Amplifier” found on Repercussion -- and also contains vindictive acts of retaliation in the form of light teen soap opera. Though not as materialistically obsessed as “Amplifier,” where the jilted lover absconds with all the narrator’s personal belongings except for his amplifier, “The Fight” is a he said/she said drama where the bickering resumes out of a sound sleep and continues on through the night. The music perfectly complements the inane, circular arguing with a childlike guitar riff set to a jouncing rhythm that lurches back and forth just as personal accusations are tossed to and fro as Holsapple sings with a kind of sneering rasp, “Oh well, I woke up in bed; it was the middle of the night / And we were still involved in a great big fight / She said, ‘I’ll give you five minutes to get out of here / I said, ‘I’ll give you five minutes to just to change your mind’ / She said, 'Don't hold your breath it won’t happen this time’ ”, his words reverberating with a good dollop of slap-back echo. The arrangement reverts to the more typically bubbling passage during the bridge section, with tight vocal harmonies that stretch out the words into an elongated question, “Did you see the way she looked at me / Did you see the way she looked right through me?” Holsapple’s vocal becomes shrill during the chorus as he strains to the point of yelping, “It was a fight! / We were involved in a fight! / Yeah!” as guitarist Chris Stamey makes his guitar talk, answering with some intentionally discordant string benders in a clever interpretation of a lover's scuffle. “The Fight” may be too cutesy for some tastes, but the track manages to capture the group’s sense of humor and a lighter approach to music that felt like a breath of fresh air coming after the bombastic heyday of arena rock and the over-serious prog rock of the '70's.
Bad Reputation
Composed by Peter Holsapple
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Review by Tom Maginnis, AllMusic.Com
“Bad Reputation” is the sort of infectious pop that exposes The dB’s Southern pop influences, speeding up a Big Star-style take on a Beatles-esque melody and emitting the jarring, oddball element found in many of fellow bandmate Chris Stamey’s material. This is a pure Peter Holsapple vehicle, a tightly arranged confection with not a moment wasted in order to serve the piled up melodies that relentlessly fly at you for the duration of the track's three minutes and eleven seconds. The song focuses on one of the band's favorite topics, the backstabbing social order of high school and the swirl of conflicted emotions that it propagates. Holsapple’s baby-high voice also lends the track a distinctly juvenile quality as he coos in the opening verse, “New girl in school / She looks cool / Cool enough to cool you down like a summer vacation / She sleeps around, so they say / So do they, of course, but she’s got a bad reputation” as the band’s rhythm section buzzes with a quick propulsive rhythm while clean guitars add steady counter-rhythm and chiming riffs. The band rocks it up through the choruses, alternating sustained chords and syncopated jabs while the melody soars with the help of close harmonies as the boy can’t contain a lust-inspired urge to defend the seductive bad girl, “They say you get off on frustration, / But I know you’ve got an explanation / You’re an angel” and flat out admits his weakness in the next verse, “She’s got it bad, got it bad alright / But I’ve got it worse for her and a bad reputation”. The song’s hooks are abundant, melodic riffs coming fast and furious in every break possible, including a smart middle eight with jouncing, slightly off-key piano accents and an economical guitar solo tossed in for good measure. In hindsight, there seems little reason why “Bad Reputation” wasn't a hit right alongside songs like the Records’ “Starry Eyes” or the Plimsouls’ “Million Miles Away,” but the group was hampered by it’s weak British label Albion, who were unable to secure U.S. distribution for record. Unfortunately, the import-only Stands for Decibels was subsequently never promoted to American radio and went largely unnoticed.
“Bad Reputation” is the sort of infectious pop that exposes The dB’s Southern pop influences, speeding up a Big Star-style take on a Beatles-esque melody and emitting the jarring, oddball element found in many of fellow bandmate Chris Stamey’s material. This is a pure Peter Holsapple vehicle, a tightly arranged confection with not a moment wasted in order to serve the piled up melodies that relentlessly fly at you for the duration of the track's three minutes and eleven seconds. The song focuses on one of the band's favorite topics, the backstabbing social order of high school and the swirl of conflicted emotions that it propagates. Holsapple’s baby-high voice also lends the track a distinctly juvenile quality as he coos in the opening verse, “New girl in school / She looks cool / Cool enough to cool you down like a summer vacation / She sleeps around, so they say / So do they, of course, but she’s got a bad reputation” as the band’s rhythm section buzzes with a quick propulsive rhythm while clean guitars add steady counter-rhythm and chiming riffs. The band rocks it up through the choruses, alternating sustained chords and syncopated jabs while the melody soars with the help of close harmonies as the boy can’t contain a lust-inspired urge to defend the seductive bad girl, “They say you get off on frustration, / But I know you’ve got an explanation / You’re an angel” and flat out admits his weakness in the next verse, “She’s got it bad, got it bad alright / But I’ve got it worse for her and a bad reputation”. The song’s hooks are abundant, melodic riffs coming fast and furious in every break possible, including a smart middle eight with jouncing, slightly off-key piano accents and an economical guitar solo tossed in for good measure. In hindsight, there seems little reason why “Bad Reputation” wasn't a hit right alongside songs like the Records’ “Starry Eyes” or the Plimsouls’ “Million Miles Away,” but the group was hampered by it’s weak British label Albion, who were unable to secure U.S. distribution for record. Unfortunately, the import-only Stands for Decibels was subsequently never promoted to American radio and went largely unnoticed.
I’m in Love
Composed by Chris Stamey
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| A GREAT-LOOKING SETLIST from 9:30 Club show in Washington, DC June 14, 1980 |
Review by Stewart Mason, AllMusic.Com
The most urgent and plaintive song The dB’s ever recorded, “I’m in Love” is also just about the most anxious and unsettled song about said condition ever: “It could be good/It could be bad/It could be none of the above” pretty much sums up Chris Stamey’s lyrical viewpoint, and the jittery, slashing, repeated guitar riff on the chorus sounds like an evocation of Bernard Herrmann’s Psycho theme directly underneath the wailed “I’minloveI’minloveI’minloveI’minlove” hook, which itself follows a pair of yelping held notes (“I don’t un-der-staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand whyyyyyyyyyyyy”) that sound like Stamey’s just jumped out of a plane and then discovered that his parachute won’t open. Under all this, Will Rigby’s drums and Gene Holder’s bass are at their most jumpily new wave-oriented; Holder's bassline in particular recalls Bruce Thomas’ melodic lines on Elvis Costello & the Attractions’ best albums. Overall, though, “I’m in Love” suggests that The dB’s took the “jangle” in jangle pop to refer to emotional anxiety.
Ask for Jill
Composed by Chris Stamey
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Review by Stewart Mason, AllMusic.Com
Reissue liner notes are our friends. Until Chris Stamey wrote an explanation of this song in the notes of the IRS reissue of Repercussion in 1989, it was lyrically the most impenetrable song in the entire dB’s catalog. Even with Stamey’s notes, it’s impressionistic and vague, but, according to the man himself, “Ask for Jill” is more or less about the process of mastering a record. (Jill worked at Masterdisc, the premier cutting lab in New York City; the first lines of the song are, approximately, her phone number and address.) On the other hand, Stamey also claims that the real point of the song was to see how long he could make Peter Holsapple play the maddeningly repetitive two-note guitar riff that twangs, utterly unchanged, throughout the entire song. The guitar riff anchors the song so thoroughly that drummer Will Rigby and bassist Gene Holder are free to play around it, giving the song a rubbery springiness that's much different from the standard power pop rhythm section, and Stamey syncopates his vocal in the manner of an endlessly bouncing rubber ball. That rhythmic playfulness is accentuated in a wild dub-style remix Chris Stamey and Matthew Sweet did, as “Ask for Jill (3-D)” by the Jacks, on the 1986 Coyote Records compilation Luxury Condos Coming to Your Neighborhood Soon.
Amplifier
Composed by Peter Holsapple
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Review by Tom Maginnis, AllMusic.Com
“Amplifier” is perhaps the most commercially successful song in the band’s repertoire, which must be measured on a relatively narrow scale when discussing the hard luck career of The dB’s. This extremely wry example of writer Peter Holsapple’s self-deprecating humor first appeared on the group’s second album, Repercussion, while co-founder Chris Stamey was still in the group but the album was marred by a limited pressing by the small British label Albion and failed to be released domestically in the United States. But the track received a second life, oddly enough, courtesy of Walter Williams, the creator of the infamous Mr. Bill clay-animation shorts for “Saturday Night Live” of all people. It turns out Williams was a longtime friend of The dB’s road manager, Jim Ford, and offered to make a video for the song in 1983. For this reason, “Amplifier” was re-recorded and included on the band’s third album, Like This, and was included along with the lead single “A Spy in the House of Love” in a promotional package, both becoming minor college radio hits. The lyrics tongue-in-cheek suicide scenario would ultimately prove fatal to the video’s success, however, as the new MTV cable channel was being blamed for improperly influencing kids in the wake of a series of high-profile teenage suicides. Even a tagged-on disclaimer by Mr. Bill himself telling kids to not really take their own lives failed to persuade programmers at MTV to air the video on a regular basis. The track itself is instantly gratifying, exposing The dB’s Southern roots with a countrified rhythmic lope and Holsapple’s affected drawl. Bent guitar licks careen off jangling acoustic guitars while the band thumps to a bouncing bass line set to a mid-tempo gate. In the verses, Holsapple coolly un-spools his pithy yarn of a jilted musician, stripped of all worldly processions by a deceitful girlfriend who ultimately drives him to end it all, “Danny went home and killed himself last night / She’d taken everything / She’d taken everything” -- save his guitar amplifier, of course. The verses consist of a humorous laundry list of the missing items, from cash, checks, and soda pop to his car and bike and “what she couldn’t take she found a way to break”. A smart bridge drives home the metaphor with a straight-ahead rhythmic groove, while Holsapple unloads his vocal in a stream of clever word association, “An amplifier, just wood and wire / And wire and wood don’t do any good / When your heart is a’whoopin’ like a’wildfire / And all you've got to show for it’s an amplifier...amplifier.” More than any other track, “Amplifier” points to the folk-rock-influenced sound the band would gravitate toward once Stamey left the group following the initial recording of Repercussion, and would help extend the life of the band into the mid-‘80s.
“Amplifier” is perhaps the most commercially successful song in the band’s repertoire, which must be measured on a relatively narrow scale when discussing the hard luck career of The dB’s. This extremely wry example of writer Peter Holsapple’s self-deprecating humor first appeared on the group’s second album, Repercussion, while co-founder Chris Stamey was still in the group but the album was marred by a limited pressing by the small British label Albion and failed to be released domestically in the United States. But the track received a second life, oddly enough, courtesy of Walter Williams, the creator of the infamous Mr. Bill clay-animation shorts for “Saturday Night Live” of all people. It turns out Williams was a longtime friend of The dB’s road manager, Jim Ford, and offered to make a video for the song in 1983. For this reason, “Amplifier” was re-recorded and included on the band’s third album, Like This, and was included along with the lead single “A Spy in the House of Love” in a promotional package, both becoming minor college radio hits. The lyrics tongue-in-cheek suicide scenario would ultimately prove fatal to the video’s success, however, as the new MTV cable channel was being blamed for improperly influencing kids in the wake of a series of high-profile teenage suicides. Even a tagged-on disclaimer by Mr. Bill himself telling kids to not really take their own lives failed to persuade programmers at MTV to air the video on a regular basis. The track itself is instantly gratifying, exposing The dB’s Southern roots with a countrified rhythmic lope and Holsapple’s affected drawl. Bent guitar licks careen off jangling acoustic guitars while the band thumps to a bouncing bass line set to a mid-tempo gate. In the verses, Holsapple coolly un-spools his pithy yarn of a jilted musician, stripped of all worldly processions by a deceitful girlfriend who ultimately drives him to end it all, “Danny went home and killed himself last night / She’d taken everything / She’d taken everything” -- save his guitar amplifier, of course. The verses consist of a humorous laundry list of the missing items, from cash, checks, and soda pop to his car and bike and “what she couldn’t take she found a way to break”. A smart bridge drives home the metaphor with a straight-ahead rhythmic groove, while Holsapple unloads his vocal in a stream of clever word association, “An amplifier, just wood and wire / And wire and wood don’t do any good / When your heart is a’whoopin’ like a’wildfire / And all you've got to show for it’s an amplifier...amplifier.” More than any other track, “Amplifier” points to the folk-rock-influenced sound the band would gravitate toward once Stamey left the group following the initial recording of Repercussion, and would help extend the life of the band into the mid-‘80s.
Love Is for Lovers
Composed by Peter Holsapple
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| It really was a single ... sorta. |
Review by Mark Deming, AllMusic.Com
When The dB’s rose from the ashes of the Sneakers in 1978, Chris Stamey was the unquestioned leader of the group, and after Stamey left the band shortly before they began recording their major-label debut, Like This, in 1984, it was widely believed that the band's career was all but over. What few people expected was that Like This would be the album where former second fiddle Peter Holsapple came into his own as a songwriter; while he’d certainly contributed fine songs to the band’s first two albums, Like This proved he took a back seat to no one as a master of smart, heartfelt pop tunes. “Love Is for Lovers,” the album’s first track, is an ideal example of Holsapple’s craft firing on all cylinders. Structured around a guitar line just fancy enough to sound pretty and just gutsy enough to still rock out, Holsapple’s hymn to the hard work and occasional disappointments that are part and parcel of romance sounded like it should have been a hit single right out of the box (especially when Gene Holder leaned into some truly wonderful guitar leads in the final break). While Like This lacked a bit of the arch, ironic wit that was Chris Stamey’s strong suit, the humor, smarts, and humanity of Peter Holsapple at his best soon proved to be just as satisfying, and “Love Is for Lovers” offers all the evidence you'll need to prove this theory.