Miscellaneous Articles #2

If you make the mistake of dismissing the decade-old Gene Loves Jezebel as a dance/alternative band based solely on your prior knowledge of the group, you will be forfeiting your opportunity to hear a truly infectious rock song. With just a hint of the UK-ness they cannot deny, the atmospheric and powerfully hypnotic "Josephina" sings of a "dream girl," who grows from youth to old age in the course of the song's video. "Josephina" is available now on an EP of the same name, and will also be included on Gene Loves Jezebel's seventh album, Heavenly Bodies, in January. This new single from Gene Loves Jezebel should easily be one of the first tracks to cross over from Expand-O in 93. 

Gene Loves Jezebel fans won’t have to wait until their new album, Heavenly Bodies, is released in January. They release a four song EP Josephina on November 2nd. It will contain two mixes of the title track and two songs not on the upcoming album, recorded in Europe with producer Peter Walsh of Simple Minds fame. 

STARK RAVING Modern Modern rock fest ’92 is a smash WDRE, Long Island’s recent ‘Modern Rock Fest ’92 performed above and beyond the expected fundraising attempt of between $40 and 70,000, netting $107,000 that will benefit the LIAAC, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Child Abuse Prevention Services. Many a band participated in the sold out three night music festival, including 10,000 MANIACS, TOM TOM CLUB, MICHAEL PENN, KITCHENS OF DISTINCTION, CARTER USM, GENE LOVES JEZEBEL and KINGMAKER. Pictures have been pouring into the office, these featuring 10,000 Maniacs, Michael Penn and Gene Loves Jezebel. If you notice, the smiles on TOM CALDERONE’s face are well deserved, considering the smashing success of the event. The station is currently in the midst of setting up their ‘Holiday For The Homeless benefit on November 29th, with SOUL ASYLUM just confirmed to appear. Anyone interested in lending a hand or a band can contact Promotions Director THERESA BEYER at the station. 

It’s been a while since we last heard from Gene Loves Jezebel, and if their new single is anything to go by, the band has matured musically during their time away from the spotlight. In fact, “Josephina” doesn’t even sound like GLJ until those familiar banshee-like vocals kick in. Already added at LIVE 105, KTCL, KFMA, X-96, and KKDJ, among others, “Josephina” looks like it’s going to be a Commercial radio winner. Look for the entire album, Heavenly Bodies, out in January 

Winston Matthews and Lloyd McDonald, the Wailing Souls, began the bill with songs from their debut album, ‘All Over The World’ Reggie appreciation is just to ……. 

The Rembrandts – the duo – melodic sounds – the duo’s second album. Their second Live 105 show. 

Gene Loves Jezebel got the best welcoming roar from the appreciators. Their performance is polished and their fans are very loyal. Their latest hit ‘Josephina’ from “Heavenly Bodies” is so good I actually used it for my feature of the week on my answering machine. What a tribute! 

The Tom Tom Club are one of my favorite of all time. Their latest album, “Dark Sneak Love Action,” is right there. Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and the rest of the band and back up singers just kept the party going the whole time. They were then joined by Flea for ‘Psycho Killer’ and the appreciators let really loose. 

The Soup Dragons… I love ‘Pleasure,’ the song, on this Scottish bands latest album “Hot….” When they played their ‘international hit anthem’ ‘I’m Free’ the appreciation level ran high. It was a moment! 

The Cult… have always been known for their progressiveness. I guess you can get so progressive you regress. Please spare us the grunge, and why is Ian dressed so weirdly? It was good to hear some of their “Sonic Tempre” things; can the Cult’s cult cope? It’ll mean a whole new wardrobe! 

The night ended with the usual four or five people getting carried out by security. All in all, not a bad time, if you won tickets you certainly got a good deal, no moaning about the quality of entertainment, what was it, nine bands, now on the next one, …Listener Appreciation Party again… why not? I’m free to do what I want! LIVE LIVE LIVE 

GENE LOVES JEZEBEL, “Josephina,” Savage Gene Loves Jezebel have been together for over a decade and have enjoyed a fair amount of success on the alternative side of the fence. They’ve been around so long; it’s a wonder they haven’t changed the name of the band to Gene Tolerates Jezebel (Rimshot). Thank you, good night!! But seriously folks, GLJ have also penetrated the mainstream before with tunes like “Motion Of Love.” So it’s not like a bunch of little green men just walked off a friggin’ UFO and asked you to play their song. Don’t be afraid, dig in! “Josephina” is trademark Jezebel. You’ve got them killer guitars and Jay Aston’s awesome vocals. It’s got a groove that would have made Mr. Dick Clark’s wig spin if American Bandstand was still on the air. Hey, new punk, old junk, it’s still rock and roll to us as that great poet Billy Joel once said. Even though we’re die-hard pacifists, we’d say the guns are loaded on this track and we see a good healthy run about to begin for it. Hey, it’s December, go a little crazy and add something cool. 

12. GENE LOVES JEZEBEL Josephina (SAVAGE) On Heavenly Bodies, the first release on their new label, SAVAGE Records, GENE LOVES JEZEBEL returns and showcases the bands growth as a musical entity. The songs on the record paint a musical tapestry inspired by the physical, the seductive and mystical. Josephina, the moody title track, is a tune written by Aston about unrequited love and loss. This song is doing very well Alternative-wise and is perfect for all formats. 

Fans come and go, but this Welsh/English quartet has a true cult sensibility. One of the workers at Tower Records asked me if I knew the band because I was wearing a Savage cap. She’s followed the band devoutly since its 80s glam slammin’ days. 

The single “Josephina” mixes the somber bass of Pete Rizzo with the distinctive solos of guitarist James Stevenson. Singer Jay Aston’s silky raw voice is very personal and hypnotic. These three original members are joined by drum-meister Robert Adams.

A bittersweet nostalgia blows through these tunes like a nightride in a convertible. Echoes of the Yardbirds, Velvet Underground are made deliciously futuristic by this tight quartet. “Give me the power to push on… I saw you shining like a heavenly body.” 
 
 

An album full of old goths still at it, wailing away in pale grey voices, singing songs of disembodied corpses, is not my idea of heaven. Thankfully, however, this is not entirely the way ‘Discover’ turned out. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find myself humming along with ‘Sweetest Thing’ and almost caught my toe tapping to ‘Heartache.’ Surely some mistake? Nope, GLJ have not quite turned out an entire record’s worth of songs to lurk around churchyards to, which may or may not be good news to you. 

Somewhere along the line, they’ve drummed up a nifty sense of pop, although they’re still rather shy of it as a concept. 

Curiously enough, my main criticism of the Woodentops album also applies here. If I shut my eyes (and God forbid that I’m actually admitting to this) and listen hard, it could almost be an album from a mid-Seventies progressive rock group. 

Does anybody have any original ideas any more? What I label as hopelessly morose, some other soul may well say was heartfelt and spine-tingling, and what I’d turn the sound off for, another would pump up full blast. 

I think it’s that GLJ are not my cup of tea (Andy Strickland 1982), but taking my not inconsiderable prejudices into consideration, ‘Discover’ wasn’t quite the onerous torture I’d anticipated. 

Now I don’t know if Gene Loves Jezebel ever were a goth band but they’re sure as hell not one now. Perhaps a mix of Flesh For Lulu and Thrashing Doves groomed for the States is more apt – though that’ll hardly make the majority any wiser. And they, the public, could well have to wait even if ‘The House Of Dolls’ does find GLJ salivating at the thought of eighteen month tours, doing Britain in six dates and Europe in sixty. It would be unwise to book the arenas just yet. 

At best ‘Dolls’ is a confused record. The Jimmy Iovine produced single ‘The Motion Of Love’ and ‘Set Me Free’ shape up like contenders – both modestly rousing, moderately memorable and eminently durable. But ‘Drowning Crazy,’ for instance, squanders stretches of crystal clear guitar on – and there’s no other word for it – awful vocals. And it happens again and again on this album, ‘Gorgeous,’ ‘Twenty Killer Hurts’ and ‘Treasure’ all cruise in, wink knowingly (the last for example being Clapton’s ‘Cocaine’ on something stronger) and totally blow it when they open their mouth. 

Success seems so simple – a few hours with Tona De Brett, a proper pretty picture of the best looking on the cover, solo yourselves stupid and next time aim to go over, rather than under, the top. 

 

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