NEW 7"
Mean Bean Records
Brian Jaye’s only released recording from 1981 can trace its roots back to Producer Terry Hughes’ NYC punk band THE THE, which was formed in 1977 (not to be confused with the English band of the same name formed in ’79). THE THE was very active in the NYC underground punk scene, frequently playing Max’s Kansas City, The Mud Club, Irving Plaza, The Ritz, The Bottom Line, and even “punk mecca” CBGB’s; always opening for the hottest label acts. The hard working and harder partying group soon caught notice of Jane Friedman’s famous management company The Wartoke Concern, whose roster included such luminaries as John Cale, Patti Smith, Television & Lester Bangs. The firm was also Frank Zappa’s USA promotor. Friedman was the eponymous “Sweet Jane” of Velvet Underground fame. Soon THE THE was opening for acts like The Police and John Cale at concerts across the United States and Canada. In 1980, Brian Osterhaut (soon taking on the stage name of Brian Jaye), who was a fan of THE THE, approached Terry to offer up a demo he had recorded. The title? “Sit Back Sally”. Terry instantly liked the tune and began to recraft it into the more power-pop sounding version, as it was immediately adopted into THE THE’s repertoire, along with “I’m Not That Cool”. During live sets Terry would consistently single out Brian as the song’s co-author. In 1981, under the Wartoke Concern banner, THE THE would record an album’s worth of material at the world renowned, gold record producing NYC studio The Hit Factory; “Sit Back Sally” and “I’m Not That Cool” among the tracks. Unfortunately, the band broke up during this period, and the master tapes confiscated by Friedman’s management company. To date it has never been released, and it is a mystery as to where those tapes now reside. All parties involved refute responsibility, much to the dismay of those who performed on the tracks, and eager listeners alike.Once the dust settled from THE THE’s implosion, Brian approached Terry to re-record the tracks, and release them as a straightforward single. A band was later formed called BRIAN JAYE’S CORRUPTION that would go on to play the Jersey nightclub scene for over a year. Impressed by his girlfriend Linda Flynn’s (née Hopkins) vocal range during their constant trips to New Brunswick in her baby blue Corvette, Jaye soon added in a female vocal section. And finally, the stage was set. The song was recorded in a few make-shift locations, and were mixed at Quality Sound, owned by the legendary Robert T. Speiden, in Plainfield, NJ, whose clients included such luminaries as The Smithereens, Les Paul, Max Weinberg and the Velvet Underground. The studio at the time, was equipped with an onboard vinyl record cutting lathe, so the lacquer was cut at the same time. The single was released via Terry Hughes own RUBBERBALL RECORDS, which would later evolve into RUBER BALL PRODUCTIONS Recording Studio. The studio would operate from 1984 – 2016 and has currently been converted into a full-time mastering lab.
Now, is this Power-Pop? Yes, and no. One thing we know for sure is it’s a special record that will please both KBD Punk collectors, as well as Power-Pop aficionados. It may not have the best production in the world, but it has a definitively honest sound. The A-Side stands tall as a genius piece of punky power-pop that reaches levels of perfection with Linda’s vocals blindsiding you with echoes of Josie Cotton or Jill Korgosis, singing: “Bye, bye, baby! Baby, bye, bye!” On the flip side, “I’m Not That Cool” has this sort of energy that might well please fans of the Nasty Facts with its punchy pop punk groove and screaming vocals. Meanbean is taking out this rare, fantastic platter out of the dustbin of history for you to rediscover. So, SIT BACK, BE COOL, and make sure to grab this freshly 300 limited reissue now, as we guarantee it won’t last!