Disconnected (Stiv Bators album)

Last updated
Disconnected
Disconnected (Stiv Bators album).jpeg
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 1980 (December 1980) [1]
RecordedAugust–September 1980 [1]
StudioPerspective Studios, Sun Valley, Los Angeles
Genre Power pop [2]
Label Bomp!
Producer
Stiv Bators chronology
Disconnected
(1980)
Live at the Limelight
(1988)
Singles from Disconnected
  1. "Too Much to Dream"
    Released: 1980
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Christgau's Record Guide B [3]
PopMatters favourable [4]
Trouser Press favourable [5]

Disconnected is the debut solo album by Stiv Bators, released in December 1980 on Bomp!. The album is a radical departure from the punk rock sound of his previous band the Dead Boys, [6] and sees Bators venturing into 1960s-inspired power pop. [2] [4]

Contents

Describing the album, Mike Stax of music magazine Ugly Things wrote that the album was "a surprisingly melodic power-pop effort" and that it showed the affinity Bators had for British Invasion-inspired 1960s garage rock and pop music, "favouring ringing Rickenbacker power chords and tough but harmonious backing vocals." [7]

Background

After the disbandment of the Dead Boys in 1979, Stiv Bators had begun to look for other projects, wanting to do something different musically. [8] He decided to move from the East to the West Coast and settled in Los Angeles. [6] He contacted his old friend bassist Frank Secich, formerly of Blue Ash, and the two started writing songs together and recording demos during early 1979. [8] The songwriting showed a strong 1960s influence, as Secich explained: "Stiv was a huge fan of American garage and power pop. He loved it." [8]

Bators then went to Los Angeles with his girlfriend Cynthia Ross, whose band the B-Girls was signed to Bomp! Records, and played the demos for Bomp! founder Greg Shaw. [8] Liking what he heard, Shaw offered Bators a contract in spring 1979. Bators and Secich (working under the alias Jeff Jones) had now assembled a band including guitarist Eddy Best and drummer Rick Bremmer. Their first Stiv Bators solo single release, a cover version of the Choir's "It's Cold Outside", was backed by the selfwritten B-side "The Last Year" and released in May. A few months later, with new drummer David Quinton, they recorded the follow-up single "Not That Way Anymore" b/w "Circumstantial Evidence", [1] which was released in January 1980. Both singles were produced by Bators and Secich as the Gutter Twins. [9]

In October 1979, [10] the Dead Boys was set to go on tour again with their original line-up, including Bators. When Dead Boys bassist Jeff Magnum reconsidered at the last moment, Secich was called to replace him for the tour. It lasted until December, when guitarist Cheetah Chrome broke his wrist and was replaced by George Cabaniss. This line-up of the Dead Boys toured North America for the next six months, all the while promoting Stiv Bator's solo singles. Drummer Johnny Blitz left the band in May 1980 to be replaced by David Quinton, followed by guitarist Jimmy Zero's departure in the summer. With a recording date set in August at Perspective Studios in Sun Valley, California, the personnel for what would become Disconnected consisted of the last touring line-up of the Dead Boys: Stiv Bators, Frank Secich, George Cabaniss and David Quinton. [1]

Most of the basic tracks for the album were recorded on a basketball court next to the studio, due to its wooden floor having an "extremely "live" sound", according to Secich. [1] "We generally slept through the days and worked through the night", said David Quinton. "The whole process took about 2 weeks. There wasn’t a lot of planning or pre-production. Decisions on arrangements and overdubs were made quickly on the spot and the mood was usually upbeat." [11] Co-produced by Thom Wilson and Stiv Bators, the album marked Wilson's first time as a producer. [1] [12] All band members contributed material for Disconnected, with Bators only co-writing three of the album's nine tracks. One track, "Evil Boy", had been co-written by Secich and Jimmy Zero during the Dead Boys tour that summer. The album also included the single "Too Much to Dream", originally recorded by the Electric Prunes in 1966. Disconnected was released by Bomp! in December 1980. [1]

When the album was released in December, Bators did a three-week tour of the Northeastern United States with former Damned guitarist Brian James in the band. Quinton: "We actually toured quite a bit in 1980/1981. ... We always did a combination of Dead Boys songs with the Disconnected stuff and other Stiv solo material, like "Circumstantial Evidence" and "Not that Way Anymore"." [11]

Secich: "Just before we released Disconnected Stiv went to England to record with the Wanderers. He wanted to have both groups going at the same time, but the rest of us didn't…so that's how it wound down. It was just impossible to do both." [8] The Disconnected band ended in early 1981. [11]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Evil Boy" Frank Secich, Jimmy Zero 3:18
2."Bad Luck Charm" David Quinton, George Cabaniss 3:36
3."A Million Miles Away"Secich4:26
4."Make Up Your Mind"Quinton2:22
5."Swingin' a Go-Go"Cabaniss2:27
6."Too Much to Dream" Annette Tucker, Nancy Mantz2:47
7."Ready Any Time" Stiv Bators, Secich3:00
8."The Last Year"Bators, Secich3:27
9."I Wanna Forget You (Just the Way You Are)"Bators, Secich4:27
1987 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Circumstantial Evidence" (Single, 1980)Bators, Jeff Jones  
11."It's Cold Outside" (Single, 1979)Dan Klawon 
1993 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Sonic Reducer" (Live at Berkeley Square, May 15, 1980) Cheetah Chrome, David Thomas  
11."It's Cold Outside" (Live at Berkeley Square, May 15, 1980)Klawon 
12."I Stand Accused" (Live at Berkeley Square, May 15, 1980)Warren Levine 
13."Tell Me" (Live at Berkeley Square, May 15, 1980) Mick Jagger, Keith Richards  
14."Little Girl" (Live at Berkeley Square, May 15, 1980)Don Baskin, Bob Gonzalez 
15."Won't Look Back" (Live at Berkeley Square, May 15, 1980)Zero 
16."Evil Boy" (Live at Berkeley Square, May 15, 1980)Secich, Zero 
17."I Need Lunch" (Live at Berkeley Square, May 15, 1980)Bators, Chrome, Zero 
2004 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Evil Boy" (Alternate take)Secich, Zero 
11."Swingin' a Go-Go" (Alternate take)Cabaniss 
12."Crime in the Streets" (Instrumental)Secich, Cabaniss, Quinton 
13."Little Girl" (Live at the Agora Ballroom, May 24, 1980)Baskin, Gonzalez 
14."Junebug Skillet (Barbecued Yardbird)" (Prank telephone call)  

[13]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [1]

Technical

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Modern Lovers</span> American rock group

The Modern Lovers were an American rock band led by Jonathan Richman in the 1970s and 1980s. The original band existed from 1970 to 1974 but their recordings were not released until 1976 or later. It featured Richman and bassist Ernie Brooks with drummer David Robinson and keyboardist Jerry Harrison. The sound of the band owed a great deal to the influence of the Velvet Underground and the Stooges, and is now sometimes classified as "proto-punk". It pointed the way towards much of the punk rock, new wave, alternative and indie rock music of later decades. Their only album, the eponymous The Modern Lovers, contained idiosyncratic songs about dating awkwardness, growing up in Massachusetts, love of life, and the USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dead Boys</span> American punk rock band

The Dead Boys are an American punk rock band from Cleveland, Ohio. The band was among the first wave of punk, and regarded by many as one of the rowdiest and most violent groups of the era. They were formed by vocalist Stiv Bators, rhythm guitarist Jimmy Zero, bassist Jeff Magnum, lead guitarist Cheetah Chrome, and drummer Johnny Blitz in 1975, with the later two having splintered from the band Rocket From The Tombs. The original Dead Boys released two studio albums, Young Loud and Snotty, and We Have Come for Your Children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stiv Bators</span> American singer and guitarist (1949–1990)

Steven John Bator, known professionally as Stiv Bator and later as Stiv Bators, was an American punk rock vocalist and guitarist from Girard, Ohio. He is best remembered for his bands Dead Boys and The Lords of the New Church.

Brian James is an English punk rock guitarist, who is best known for being a founding member of The Damned as well as of The Lords of the New Church.

Frank Secich is an American rock musician, songwriter, author and record producer. He was the bass player and founding member of the group Blue Ash from 1969 to 1979 and guitarist and bassist for the Stiv Bators band from 1979 until 1981. He played in the Cleveland-based group Club Wow with Jimmy Zero of the Dead Boys from 1982 to 1985 and produced the Ohio band the Infidels from 1985 to 1990. He is currently the rhythm guitarist for the Deadbeat Poets who were formed in 2006 in Youngstown, Ohio. Frank Secich's autobiography "Circumstantial Evidence" was published by High Voltage Publishing of Australia in 2015. His second book "Not That Way Anymore" was published in November of 2023 by High Voltage Publishing. His current band, The Deadbeat Poets are on Pop Detective Records, which is owned by Mark Hershberger.

The Lords of the New Church were a British-American rock band. A supergroup, the line-up originally consisted of four musicians from 1970s punk bands. This line-up comprised vocalist Stiv Bators, guitarist Brian James, bassist Dave Tregunna and drummer Nick Turner. Launched in 1981, the band released three studio albums prior to their dissolution in 1989. During this time, they underwent several line-up changes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inner Circle (band)</span> Jamaican reggae band

Inner Circle, also known as The Inner Circle Band or The Bad Boys of Reggae, are a Jamaican reggae band formed in Kingston in 1968. The band first backed The Chosen Few in the early 1970s before joining with successful solo artist Jacob Miller and releasing a string of records. This era of the band ended with Miller's death in a car crash in 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nigel Olsson</span> British drummer

Nigel Olsson is an English rock drummer best known for his long-time affiliation with Elton John. A dynamic drummer and backing vocalist, Olsson helped establish the Elton John sound as a member of the Elton John Band alongside bassist Dee Murray.

<i>We Have Come for Your Children</i> 1978 studio album by Dead Boys

We Have Come for Your Children is the second and final studio album by the American punk rock band Dead Boys. It was recorded and released in 1978, on Sire Records. The recording of the album was problematic for the group and sessions were halted when the band became convinced that producer Felix Pappalardi did not understand their music. The band subsequently tried but were unable to get James Williamson of The Stooges to salvage the sessions; they broke up a short time later.

Bomp! Records is a Los Angeles-based record label formed in 1974 by fanzine publisher and music historian Greg Shaw, and Suzy Shaw.

<i>L.A. L.A.</i> (album) 1994 compilation album by Stiv Bators

L.A. L.A. is a compilation album of the best of the music recorded by Stiv Bators at the Bomp! Records studios before and after his involvement with the Lords of the New Church when he was attempting to reinvent himself as a pop singer. The title track about Los Angeles was a 10" single.

M.I.A. is an American 1980s punk rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. The band's sound is generally hardcore and thrasher, though they produced more melodic and progressive sounds in their later albums. AllMusic called the band "one of the 50 best So-Cal punk bands of the great early-'80s second wave explosion."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Story in Your Eyes</span> 1971 single by The Moody Blues

"The Story in Your Eyes" is a 1971 hit single by the English rock band the Moody Blues. Written by the band's guitarist Justin Hayward, it was first released as a single with "My Song" on the B-side, and then on the 1971 album Every Good Boy Deserves Favour shortly after.

"Poison Heart" is a song by the punk rock band Ramones. Written by Dee Dee Ramone, who had retired as their longtime bassist in 1989 but still wrote songs for the band, "Poison Heart" was included on the 1992 album Mondo Bizarro and was also released as a single. The song was given to the band by Dee Dee in exchange for bailing him out of jail and has a slower tempo than typical Ramones songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheetah Chrome</span> American musician (born 1955)

Eugene Richard O'Connor, better known by his stage name Cheetah Chrome, is an American musician who achieved fame as a guitarist for Rocket from the Tombs and the punk rock band Dead Boys.

The Mods were a punk rock band from Toronto during the first wave of late 1970s punk. They formed in 1978 with members Greg Triner (vocals), Scott Marks (guitar), Mark Dixon (bass) and David Quinton Steinberg (drums). The Mods were obviously influenced by The Jam and had a similar look and sound. Where other bands were wearing black leather, T-shirts and tight jeans, The Mods chose to wear suits and ties. Unlike many of the rowdier Toronto bands of the era, the Mods were known for being tight and professional.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The 'B' Girls</span> Canadian punk rock band

The 'B' Girls were a Toronto punk rock band from the first wave of punk rock in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Where Toronto band The Curse was North America's first all-female punk band, the B-Girls were the second such band in Toronto.

The Wanderers were a short-lived British punk rock band consisting of Stiv Bators and members of Sham 69, and active between 1980 and 1981. They recorded one album before splitting up.

<i>The Lords of the New Church</i> (album) 1982 album by the Lords of the New Church

The Lords of the New Church is the debut studio album by the British-American rock band the Lords of the New Church. It was released in 1982 by Illegal Records in the United Kingdom and by I.R.S. Records in the United States.

<i>Killer Lords</i> 1985 album by the Lords of the New Church

Killer Lords is a compilation album by the British-American rock band the Lords of the New Church, released in 1985 by Illegal/I.R.S. It features material from their three studio albums, two previously unreleased songs and a non-album single. The album peaked at #22 on the UK Indie Chart.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Disconnected (CD reissue liner notes by Frank Secich). Stiv Bators. Bomp!. 2004.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. 1 2 3 Prato, Greg. "Disconnected – Stiv Bators | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  3. Christgau, Robert (1990). "B". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s . Pantheon Books. ISBN   0-679-73015-X . Retrieved August 16, 2020 via robertchristgau.com.
  4. 1 2 Goff, Jon (November 28, 2016). "Stiv Bators: Disconnected (Reissue) | PopMatters". PopMatters . Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  5. Robbins, Ira. "TrouserPress.com: Stiv Bators". TrouserPress.com . Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Down in Flames – The Life of Stiv Bators". love-it-loud.co.uk. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  7. Stax, Mike. "Disconnected". PopDiggers. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Parisien, Roch. "Facebook Interview #29: Frank Secich of Blue Ash, Stiv Bators Band, and Deadbeat Poets (November, 2010)". Roch Parisien's Rocon Communications on Facebook . Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  9. Haag, Stephen (May 17, 2005). "Stiv Bators: L.A. Confidential". PopMatters . Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  10. "Dead Boys on RockTourDatabase.com". rocktourdatabase.com. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  11. 1 2 3 Duda, Christopher. "On the record with... Frank Secich, David Steinberg-Quinton, Stiv Bators Band". SugarBuzz Magazine. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  12. "Thom Wilson - Production on Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  13. "Disconnected (All versions)". Discogs.com . Retrieved 2019-05-08.