Search - Quick :: Untold Rock Stories

Get this....QUICK!

Patrick W. Schubert | Santa Ana, California United States | 03/25/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Thankyou Rev-Ola! Thankyou for making available, at long last, these 22 tracks of pure powerpop perfection by one of rock and roll's most criminally neglected groups.Being from the LA area, and as a longtime fan of punk rock, I've always loved the early LA groups like The Plugz, Germs, Dils, Zeros, et al. One thing that many of these bands had in common was the Quick as a musical influence. Along with influencing such bands, The Quick would share the bill with some of them at clubs like the Starwood once the punk thing was in full swing. The Dickies were good friends with, and apparently, roadies for the Quick and eventually recorded an excellent cover of "Pretty Please". I'd read about the group in old Slash and Flipside articles and even heard a few of their tunes on my local 3-Watt college radio station (KUCI) as a kid. Yet, the Quick remained something of an enigma to me until I thankfully stumbled onto this CD.For years, I tried to obtain a copy of the Quick's extremely obscure Mercury LP "Mondo Deco". For years, I waited patiently for a compilation of demo's, live tracks; anything! Unfortunately, nothing surfaced. Nothing, that is, until now.Musically, The Quick bear more than a passing resemblance to early Sparks, whom they cite as an initial influence. I'd say, however, that the group sounds most like vintage Cheap Trick. Both bands specialized in quirky, Move-influenced powerpop. Both bands were blessed with humorous, intellegent and inventive songwriter/guitarists. Even Quick vocalist Danny Wilde (now a Rembrandt) could pass for Robin Zander's ever-so-slightly less gifted (vocally, that is) little brother. And, as big of a Cheap Trick fan that I am, I'd say that songs like "No No Girl", "My Purgatory Years", "Hillary" and "Pretty Please" are as good as, if not better than, anything C.T. ever recorded. HERESY! you say. Well, just listen to this CD and decide for yourself.These Demo recordings faithfully capture what The Quick must have sounded like live. No digital multitracking, Pro Tools plastic surgery here. Just "set up a few mikes and let the tape roll". I've always felt that this is the best way of capturing the raw excitement and immediacy of rock and roll. This collection's two live tracks do, in fact, sound as if they could have come from the demo sessions.If you love powerpop, punk, glam, 60's groups like The Move, Who, and Small Faces- Hell, if you like great music, period- pick up this CD and do it (ahem) Quick. You will not be dissapointed! Now, if only Rev-Ola would reissue "Mondo Deco" and any other goodies that might still be floating around out there."

I haven't heard this yet, but...

R. Cook | New York, NY USA | 03/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...I'm giving it 5 Stars because of my love for the Quick's one released album, MONDO DECO, which I bought back in college in 1977/78! As the other reviewer here points out, they are quite reminiscent of early Sparks, circa their L.A. band...and, in fact, Sparks' original guitar player Earle Mankey produced their Mercury album. I've heard short snippets of the versions recorded on this cd, and I couldn't figure out their origin, as they were definitely NOT the versions on their official album. These, being demos, have a more natural, "present in the room" feel, like a live recording. The Mankey-produced album is much more "produced," and there is no sign of a Cheap Trick similarity on that record: it's Sparks-influenced all the way. What saved it from being a mere copy, a second-rate imitation, were the fine musicianship and TERRIFIC songs the Quick wrote, (I think they were all the product of their guitar-player, whose name I forget at the moment).



I wonder how many fans of the Rembrandts' theme song for FRIENDS would go running from the room if they heard the Quick..."ooh, too weird! ooh, his voice is so high!" I have rarely met a Sparks fan in my time, and I've never met anyone else who had ever heard of the Quick, much less heard them. (I was in Florida when I got their record.)



Anyway, I am delighted this item of forgotten pop history has been released, and I regret that MONDO DECO itself has not itself been rereleased. I'll have to dig out my vinyl copy sometime."

QUICK Mondo Deco LP has been Reissued! CD to come soon!

wm72 | New York | 11/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Radio Heartbeat Records, the label that did that incredible Milk N' Cookies 2LP recently, just re-issued The Quick's Mondo Deco LP on vinyl. The original tapes from Earle Mankey were used and the new pressing sounds great. Original Cover artwork.



The Radio Heartbeat announced that a CD version of Mondo Deco is on the way this winter with some bonus unreleased alternate versions of the album tracks and video."