With that, it all made sense to me.
Back in the late 80's I was a DJ at a large college radio station. I had a rock show in the mid-afternoon and I was fortunate to have gained incredible exposure to music of all eras, genres, and geographies.
If you take a look at my record (as in VINYL) collection at home, you'd note a preponderance of so-called garage-punk - from the 60's mod stuff to more contemporary bands like The Cynics, The Pandoras, The Miracle Workers, etc.
Back in my radio days, I peppered my shows with oldies and modern garage bands, somehow interspersed with other genres from 50's country to Northwest grunge, to electronica and industrial.
Back in my radio days, I peppered my shows with oldies and modern garage bands, somehow interspersed with other genres from 50's country to Northwest grunge, to electronica and industrial.
At that time, there was an up-and-coming "power pop" trio in town who played endless shows and put out independently produced singles, striving for their big break. The lead singer and guitarist of this band, Jim, used to faithfully call up my radio show each week, first, to request that I play his band (he was a shameless self-promoter!) and then to talk about music. Jim also enjoyed the garage sound, and he and I shared a love of some lesser-known pop hits of the 60's. I distinctly remember him requesting the aforemetioned track from one-hit-wonders, The Left Banke, and then discussing it and other tunes after "listening" to it over the phone.
Eventually, Jim and his bandmates did get a major label record deal. Numerous billboard hits and MTV exposure followed. I was genuinely happy for them, as they had worked so hard for it, plus their fresh, poppy sound infused vigor into a rock scene that had previously been dominated by more vapid "hair" bands. One of their hits even included a character named "Renee" - and I have to wonder if that Left Banke tune played a part influencing its composition.
Sadly, as their band's shelf life began to wane, Jim took his own life, which was a tragic loss for this city and the music scene in general.
So, when I hear songs with tight pop hooks and the obvious 50's 60's and 70's influences, like "Rollover Deejay", I have to wonder if Jim provided some divine inspriation to JET as they put it all together.
Eventually, Jim and his bandmates did get a major label record deal. Numerous billboard hits and MTV exposure followed. I was genuinely happy for them, as they had worked so hard for it, plus their fresh, poppy sound infused vigor into a rock scene that had previously been dominated by more vapid "hair" bands. One of their hits even included a character named "Renee" - and I have to wonder if that Left Banke tune played a part influencing its composition.
Sadly, as their band's shelf life began to wane, Jim took his own life, which was a tragic loss for this city and the music scene in general.
So, when I hear songs with tight pop hooks and the obvious 50's 60's and 70's influences, like "Rollover Deejay", I have to wonder if Jim provided some divine inspriation to JET as they put it all together.
