60s inspired Power Pop/Jangle Pop/Pop Rock : The Sneetches - Obscureyears (1994 Rev-Ola)

 

The Sneetches were one of the handful of bands in the U.S. playing classic British Invasion-inspired, mid-'60s West Coast-sounding guitar pop in the late '80s. Their short run of albums and singles never had a large audience, and they never found the major-label success they desired, but the band remains a hidden pleasure for fans of witty, melodically rich pop music.

The band was formed in San Francisco by the duo of vocalist/bassist Mike Levy and guitarist Matt Carges, both of whom had previously spent time playing in punk bands and wanted to move in a softer direction. Beginning in 1985, the duo set about recording a demo tape that sounded like a lo-fi take on Herman's Hermits' tuneful nature mixed with the burnished soul of the Beau Brummels. The songs made their way to the U.K., where the Kaleidoscope Sounds label released an eight-song EP titled Lights Out with the Sneetches. By this time drummer Daniel Swan, formerly of the British punk band the Cortinas, had joined the lineup and the band began playing local clubs. They signed to new local label Alias and hit the recording studio. The resulting album, Sometimes That's All We Have, was released in 1989. After initially playing bass on-stage, Levy switched to guitar, which meant they often played live with no bassist. To fill the gap, another British expat, Alec Palao, joined up. (It was Palao who had gotten Kaleidoscope Sounds' boss Joe Foster interested in releasing the band's demos, and had also been instrumental in convincing Creation Records to release Sometimes That's All We Have in the U.K.)

Alejandro (Alex) Palao

The quartet's next trip to the studio resulted in 1989's Please Don't Break My Heart single, which contained a peppy take on the Monochrome Set's classic "He's Frank." That same year, the Sneetches launched a cross-country tour of the U.S. and hit the studio to record their second album, Slow, a more experimental and arranged record. It was released by Alias in 1990. That same year, they toured the U.S. again, collaborated with power pop heroes Shoes at their Illinois studio, and visited the U.K., where they played with John Cale and the Monochrome Set. Over the next couple years, they had the honor of backing ex-Flamin Groovies guitarist Cyril Jordan on a run of concerts, while also recording sporadically. The results of the sessions were released as singles on Bus Stop (1992's "And I'm Thinking," 1993's "A Good Thing"), Elefant (1993's "Sunnyside Down"), and Jellybean Sounds! (1993's "She May Call You Up Tonight") ...(excerpt from the Sneetches Bio by Tim Sendra, allmusic.com.

I found the album, a collection of singles by the band, on the web a few years ago (thanks to the original uploader). I had never heard of the band before, but was thrilled by their sound. And I was surprised that it was the band of Alex Palao (writer, musician, historian, archivist and music consultant), who of course was known to me as a collector of sixties music.

But long story short: I like the album very much and can only recommend it. I wish you as much fun with the music as I have. (Frank)

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