A Spotless Single from the Cold
by Vincent Fumar
(8/22/80) Times-Picayune
YOU / THREE CHORD CITY
The Cold (Top Pop)
Though it seems longer, it has been little more than a year since the Cold originally formed, with a small but efficient repertoire, and a mere eight months since they re-formed with a somewhat drastic personnel change, striking original songs and a sense of style unprecedented for any local music group.
Whatever elements of luck and good timing that led to original members Kevin Radecker and Bert Smith being joined by Vance DeGeneres, Barbara Menendez and Chris Luckette are ones that have worked steadily in their favor this year, since the quintet has emanated no rumors of discord while constantly refining their approach. To them has fallen the task of reviving the Merseybeat sound, legitimizing a guitar format that recognizes no lead role and spearheading a big beat style whose elegance has rarely been portrayed with as much enthusiasm.
The group's entrance into the Knight Recording Studio this past March has finally yielded a single, "You" backed by "Three Chord City," which represents the band at its sternest, with a welcome lack of present-day studio trappings and a snap that puts 90 percent of today's radio fare to shame.
Both songs are Radecker/DeGeneres compositions and have enjoyed considerable popularity with their audiences for quite some time. "You" opens with a brisk Chris Luckette drumbeat that leads into Menendez, using her best girl-pop voice, singing the first verse with a clarity and verve that recalls the early Blondie (when that group was produced by Richard Gottehrer), but with an even more pronounced punch since that group never had the fortune of a Luckette-DeGeneres rhythm section to churn the beat at such an adventurous clip.
The song has the quality of sounding almost effortless melodic, as they shift early into an infectious chorus. The instrumental riff features DeGeneres relentlessly picking a fidgeting bass line whose tone suggests the style of John Entwistle, and Luckette providing a volley of tom-tom drum effects. The second chorus is bolstered by handclaps, which have the effect of making the song sound more ornate and faster than it actually is. Of course, handclaps are used gratuitously on every other record made today, but in the hands of the Cold, it becomes a classic, rather than a cheap, device.
There is another instrumental break (which is more of a revision of the riff than a break with solo voices) that has the sharp bass lines tracing an exuberant zigzag pattern with the drums, as Radecker and Smith's guitars measure the beats. The final chorus, which increases the drive by having the band chirping "oohs" wraps up the song exactingly.
The "B" side, "Three Chord City", is a celebration of harmonic austerity and a Cold standard. Radecker sings the lead on this one, which opens with an acoustic guitar interlude (a Cold first). It's a Beatles-ish touch, and judging by the recording level, an afterthought. Radecker uses his best adolescent-sounding tone, which is appropriately cartoon-like on all the right syllables, and Luckette furiously hammers one of his favorite surf-beats. The acoustic guitar is maintained handsomely throughout the tune, and even assumes a lead part.
In general, "You" / "Three Chord City" is a spotless single, the sort of thing that could be chanted by half the nation's teenagers, providing they had the opportunity to hear it. Therein lies the record's biggest problem. Given the currently miserable state of radio pop, the record isn't likely to find many friends among radio programmers, the majority of whom seem determined to keep their listeners asleep. Not having the imprimatur of a major label also doesn't help much.
That, plus the fact that the record has sharply defined rhythms, catchy melodies and memorable lyrics, will make wide exposure a problem. Perhaps its surest test is that, when heard on a small, tiny speaker at a distance of 20 feet or so, it sounds terrific.
by Vincent Fumar
(8/22/80) Times-Picayune
YOU / THREE CHORD CITY
The Cold (Top Pop)
Though it seems longer, it has been little more than a year since the Cold originally formed, with a small but efficient repertoire, and a mere eight months since they re-formed with a somewhat drastic personnel change, striking original songs and a sense of style unprecedented for any local music group.
Whatever elements of luck and good timing that led to original members Kevin Radecker and Bert Smith being joined by Vance DeGeneres, Barbara Menendez and Chris Luckette are ones that have worked steadily in their favor this year, since the quintet has emanated no rumors of discord while constantly refining their approach. To them has fallen the task of reviving the Merseybeat sound, legitimizing a guitar format that recognizes no lead role and spearheading a big beat style whose elegance has rarely been portrayed with as much enthusiasm.
The group's entrance into the Knight Recording Studio this past March has finally yielded a single, "You" backed by "Three Chord City," which represents the band at its sternest, with a welcome lack of present-day studio trappings and a snap that puts 90 percent of today's radio fare to shame.
Both songs are Radecker/DeGeneres compositions and have enjoyed considerable popularity with their audiences for quite some time. "You" opens with a brisk Chris Luckette drumbeat that leads into Menendez, using her best girl-pop voice, singing the first verse with a clarity and verve that recalls the early Blondie (when that group was produced by Richard Gottehrer), but with an even more pronounced punch since that group never had the fortune of a Luckette-DeGeneres rhythm section to churn the beat at such an adventurous clip.
The song has the quality of sounding almost effortless melodic, as they shift early into an infectious chorus. The instrumental riff features DeGeneres relentlessly picking a fidgeting bass line whose tone suggests the style of John Entwistle, and Luckette providing a volley of tom-tom drum effects. The second chorus is bolstered by handclaps, which have the effect of making the song sound more ornate and faster than it actually is. Of course, handclaps are used gratuitously on every other record made today, but in the hands of the Cold, it becomes a classic, rather than a cheap, device.
There is another instrumental break (which is more of a revision of the riff than a break with solo voices) that has the sharp bass lines tracing an exuberant zigzag pattern with the drums, as Radecker and Smith's guitars measure the beats. The final chorus, which increases the drive by having the band chirping "oohs" wraps up the song exactingly.
The "B" side, "Three Chord City", is a celebration of harmonic austerity and a Cold standard. Radecker sings the lead on this one, which opens with an acoustic guitar interlude (a Cold first). It's a Beatles-ish touch, and judging by the recording level, an afterthought. Radecker uses his best adolescent-sounding tone, which is appropriately cartoon-like on all the right syllables, and Luckette furiously hammers one of his favorite surf-beats. The acoustic guitar is maintained handsomely throughout the tune, and even assumes a lead part.
In general, "You" / "Three Chord City" is a spotless single, the sort of thing that could be chanted by half the nation's teenagers, providing they had the opportunity to hear it. Therein lies the record's biggest problem. Given the currently miserable state of radio pop, the record isn't likely to find many friends among radio programmers, the majority of whom seem determined to keep their listeners asleep. Not having the imprimatur of a major label also doesn't help much.
That, plus the fact that the record has sharply defined rhythms, catchy melodies and memorable lyrics, will make wide exposure a problem. Perhaps its surest test is that, when heard on a small, tiny speaker at a distance of 20 feet or so, it sounds terrific.
