Ric’s Quick Picks (replacing my original title – Ricki’s Quickies – which I deemed needlessly provocative and double entrendre-esque) will run as the SNS (or as midweek fillers) in Pencil Storm throughout April as I shake off my winter torpor. (Was it just me or did March last for SIX MONTHS this year?)
The idea of RQP will be specific topics with a lot of videos and VERY little of my normal over-the-top, verbose, what-is-this-guy-ON-about? verbal overload.
THE TOP FIVE SONGS (OTHER THAN THOSE BY THE NEIGHBORHOODS) OUT OF BOSTON, MA. 1976-1986 THAT YOU’VE NEVER HEARD
While I’m on the subject, let me say this, I consider the Boston indie/punk scene of the 1970’s & 80’s THE BEST local scene of ANYWHERE; and yeah, that includes London, New York City, L.A. and anywhere else you care to name. Also let me say; the tune that should lead off this list is “Mass Ave.” when it was the b-side of “Kerouac,” Willie Alexander’s first single (with the Boom Boom Band) on Garage Records in late 1975. (see attachment below) Problem is, I couldn’t find it anywhere on YouTube, so it’s sadly MIA. (The subsequent version - on Willie’s first MCA album - wasn’t, pardon the pun, “garage-y” enough.)
LORETTA / THE NERVOUS EATERS / 1976
THE REAL KIDS / ALL KINDSA GIRLS / 1977
THE MAPS / I’M TALKING TO YOU / 1979
INA’S SONG / LIMBO RACE / 1983
TIGER, TIGER / SCRUFFY THE CAT / 1986
honorable mentions
THE ROOM STARTS SPINNING / CLASSIC RUINS / 1986
I COULDN’T SAY NO / ROBERT ELLIS ORRALL / 1982
Paraphrasing Robert Ellis Orrall (because I’m too lazy to find the original quote in a Boston Rock article from my too-extensive magazine collection) on recording with Carlene Carter, “There’s two ways you can approach singing a duet with Carlene Carter; you can try to out-sing her and get embarrassed, or you can roll over and play dead.” / interviewer; “Which way did you choose? / Orrall; “Oh, I rolled over and played dead.”
A note I received from Willie Alexander when I sent away for his “Kerouac” b/w “Mass Ave.” single in 1975. I treasure it to this day. (Almost FIFTY years ago?)
Ricki C. is 72 years old; in his 20’s in the early 1980’s, he used to fly to Boston on weekends on People’s Airline (roundtrip cost - $36!) just to see bands. One Saturday the gorgeous young girl who rang up his Mission Of Burma record at Newbury Comics was Aimee Mann, then of a band called The Young Snakes, soon to be the bassist & lead singer of ‘Til Tuesday. She was one of the five most most beautiful women he’s ever seen close-up in person.