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January 2017




  

Vince Conrad And The Smart Pills
CD Review By: Jimi LaLumia


As the 70's punk/new wave scene remains an object of fascination for legions of new fans, more of the bands that didn't get major publicity in their active period are re-emerging with great material that didn't reach as many ears as Blondie, Jayne County, Patti Smith or Johnny Thunders. Vince Conrad , a veteran of the late 70's scene on both coasts, has released some great material that reflects his career, which began with a band called The Aliens.

The Aliens did the Max's Kansas City/ CBGB circuit, and were supposed to have tracks included on,the second CBGB album but the band broke up and the recordings went unreleased. That event led to the formation of The Smart Pills in 1978. The Pills kick started in NYC and then made their way to L.A., where they gigged alongside Fear, The Weirdos, The Gears The Plugs, ,etc. The Smart Pills are captured 'live'on a double CD "Smart Pills Live In Kansas 1979" which features tunes like "Yankee Doodle Boy" and "What Did You Expect" as well as rave up 50's rockers like "The Girl Can't Help It", "Lucille", and "Something Else"; it's a great sounding well recorded rocknroll party.

The third incarnation of Vince Conrad came with American Bad Taste; the band was created in late 1979 in Hollywood;and cranked out great material refelective of that moment in time;"Kill Daddy", "Slut Babies", "Throw Up On Me" and "Steal A Car", to name but a few, with "Me And Mrs. Jones" thrown into the mix. It just goes to show that just when you're sure that you've heard it all, you find out that you haven't.

"The Vince Conrad E.P." is a 6 song release that features song Conrad wrote at the dawn of the 80's, but never recorded or released ;"Bimbo", "Kick The Dog", "Sticky People"; great rock and roll, and great find for those who are so fixated on the punk into new wave era and can never get enough. Visit Vince Conrad Productions (VCP) at http://www.vinceconrad.com to find all this great stuff and more.The double CD "The Smart Pills-Lost Studio Recordings EP-1979" is newly released and worth your time and money.