Search - Deal :: Goodbye September

Lost in the shuffle - great rare power pop

Perry M. Koons | Crownsville, MD United States | 02/14/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"A never ending streak of bad luck kept the Deal out of the limelight, and only now are they getting a shred of the recognition they deserve. You can read the story in the liners, but it is almost ridiculous how many label troubles and crazy circumstances kept them from getting the music to the masses. Suffice to say, it was through no fault of the quality of the music, as these demos make up a 4-star album (I would LOVE to hear their official release, Brave new World). Recently, Not Lame records released this necessary gem, including a Billboard songwriting contest runner-up ("5:45") featuring a Todd Rundgren guitar solo. Essential for fans of Shoes, Hawks, Flashcubes, and early Posies.



Best Tracks:

"DC-10's" - The first of many outstanding solos from guitarist Haines Fullerton. This track runs on a bit long but is quite catchy.

"Hopi" - Jangle pop that stands up to the best of the best.

"Pass Away" - Similar to "Hopi" in execution but with a bit more energy and an unbelievably good guitar solo.

"Picture A Lady" - This is the stuff Shoes fans would love to hear more of, it would have fit right in on Present Tense or any of that group's albums.

"5:45" - A blatant crossover attempt that maintains sincerity and unbelievable catchiness. A great song with the usual great vocals.

"Cinnamon Square" - Another catchy song with a bit more atmospheric quality than any of the aforementioned janglers. Simple in execution and loaded with perfect harmonies."

Review that appeared at Fufkin.com, August 2003 issue

T. R. Bickel | 10/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

""The Deal -- Goodbye September (Not Lame Archive): Not Lame unearths unreleased tracks from powerpop wannabes, who, due to a variety of reasons, were sort of never wases. Though the sonic quality on here is not the best, preserving songs like "DC-10s", which sounds like a collision between 1978-era Shoes (down to the stiff drum rolls) and Bram Tchaikovsky isn't just a nice gesture; it seems obligatory. Though neither reference would include this fatalist bon mot: "if this is all I have to live for/I want to die." Troy Elliot's liner notes provide plenty of background on a band that was conversant in various pop-rock styles. Their primary weapons were their low key harmony vocals that were smooth and sweet, without being too much of either, and Haines Fullerton, who dashes off an assortment of memorable lead guitar figures that provide little extra bits of catchiness throughout. While the recordings here (two of the sessions at the Bearsville studio) aren't lo-fi, since this stuff was never prepped for release, it was not subjected to the gloss that was glopped on to records of the time. Which means that this stuff actually sounds better having avoided that treatment -- it allows the music to retain its sense of proportion. Whether it's nifty wimp pop like "Hopi" (imagine a twee Mental As Anything) or the intent "Marianne", which has a chord structure reminiscent of Husker Du's "Never Talking to You Again" before heading into sunnier territory, and "Maybe I'll Just Keep Hanging On", which merits further positive Bram Tchaikovsky/Shoes comparisons, the band had the right hooks at the right time. A couple tunes on the latter half of the disc are kinda dull, but songs like "Cinnamon Square" and "5:45" (the track starts like a soulless hit single, but the band's sincerity and heartfelt hook won out) show that songwriter Mark Roebuck never ran out of good ideas. This was definitely worth compiling and preserving. notlame.com""

Review that appeared in Amplifier Magazine

T. R. Bickel | 10/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

""For every episode of VH-1's Behind The Music that makes it to the air, there must be thousands of hard luck stories equally heartbreaking, yet lacking only one key piece: the band never got the requisite breaks to make it big in the first place. Place Charlottesville, Virginia's the Deal in that category. Signed in the early '80s to Bearsville Records (home to, among others, Todd Rundgren and NRBQ), the band recorded an album that fell victim to the label's blood feud with parent Warner Bros. and was subsequently shelved for 20 years. Thanks to the efforts of long-time Deal fan Troy Elliott and all-around pop good guy Bruce Brodeen of Not Lame Records, the album (plus a number of demos and subsequent efforts) is finally available for mass consumption. And the wait was well worth it - the Deal's sound is classic power pop, virtually unscathed by the decade in which it was recorded. Driven by the vocal and songwriting talents of Mark Roebuck and the blazing guitar artistry of Haines fullerton, Goodbye September is intelligent, quirky pop with a heart. And though it may be a case of revisionist listening, it seems the Deal's music becomes increasingly world weary and cynical as time progresses (not unlike Badfinger, as they too, saw their shot at stardom slipping away). Although the band's story of heartbreak and even suicide (read the liner notes, folks, it's heavy stuff) is truly sobering, in the end it's the music that remains the lasting legacy. Keeping that hidden any longer would have been truly criminal." -Rick Schadelbauer for Amplifier Magazine
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