Search - The Paley Brothers :: The Complete Recordings

For power pop fans and aficionados of the mid-to-late-'70s Boston and downtown New York scenes, news that at last a CD is coming out containing ALL of the sides the Paley Brothers released on the Sire label would be reason enough for rejoicing. But news that said CD also contains 11 unreleased bonus tracks drawn straight from the band's archives?well, that's cause for a national holiday among certain quarters of rock 'n' roll fandom! Andy Paley was the lead singer and songwriter for the legendary Boston band the Sidewinders and played with the Modern Lovers, while Jonathan was a member of CBGB's fixture Mong before the siblings formed the Paley Brothers in 1975, and were signed to Sire Records soon thereafter. However, while the band was a favorite of Sire label owner Seymour Stein, and their good looks put them on the covers of teeny bopper magazines, the Paley Brothers only recorded one LP and several singles of sweetly harmonious power pop for Sire that have since become serious cult classics. The brothers then went their separate ways: Andy went on to produce and/or write for such acts as Madonna, k.d. lang, Brian Wilson, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elton John, Brenda Lee, Little Richard, and SpongeBob SquarePants, and Jonathan played with and/or produced such bands as the Nervous Eaters, the Dogmatics, Band 19, Skirt, Shrapnel, Classic Ruins, and the Reflectors as well as composing for soundtracks. Now, 35 years after the release of their lone album, the Paley Brothers are back with a collection of 26 tracks they compiled and polished in the studio, their complete recordings including the entire 1978 self-titled release on Sire produced by Earl Mankey and the singles they recorded for the label produced by Jimmy Iovine, plus the version of "Come On Let's Go" they recorded with the Ramones that was on the Rock and Roll High School soundtrack; the song "Jacques Cousteau" they recorded under the name The Young Jacques; and 11 unreleased tracks, highlighted by two from their 1978 Madison Square Garden gig opening for Shaun Cassidy and a track they recorded for Sire, "Baby, Let's Stick Together," that was produced by none other than Phil Spector. Gene Sculatti's liner notes include copious quotes from the Paley Brothers, testimonials from such luminaries as Seymour Stein, and photos from their private archive. The power pop release of the year, decade or even century!