As somebody whos listened to a lot of music in his time, its always sad when something that stands out from the pack sinks into the cracks without a lot of recognition. Holly Beth Vincent had grown up in California, lived in England where she had a relationship with Dire Straits Mark Knopfler (he in turn would write tunes like Romeo and Juliet and Love Over Gold inspired by her), formed a band called Holly & The Italians that landed a solid blow in the New Wave music category with a song called Tell That Girl to Shut Up, followed by the album The Right to Be Italian, an excellent slice of Power Pop magic. But the next album was titled Holly & The Italians, and she used her given name on the cover, indicating it was a solo move, and it moved beyond the first albums raucous roll. Trumpets, violins, all manner of keyboards, complicated arrangements, a not-so simple drum pattern pulse (and intelligent words--the original vinyl album had a lyric sheet that helped a lot), and smart little production moves to give it an overall sheen that was a little dark in nature, but not depressive dark, and most definitely not New Wave or Alternative or any pigeonholing term that would limit it to any one camp. Theres a cover of Buffalo Springfields For What Its Worth that doesnt predictably cover the original note for note in a dull way--its rearranged into a cacophonous fever with marimbas, aggressive guitars and oddly arranged background vocals, And all the other tunes, from the trumpet-flavored Honalu to the violin-saurated Uptown really grab and hold. Its not an easy listening album--you have to work with it--but its underrated, and deserving of being salvaged for posterity. Holly Beth Vincent--Holly & The Italians (Epic Records 1982).
Posted on: Sat, 29 Mar 2014 11:05:51 +0000
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