CUT-OUT CONTENDERS

Do you know what a cut-out is? When an album doesn't sell and is sent back to the record company, they cut a chunk out of the corner, or a slit, and send it back out, bundled with others destined for cut-out bins to be sold at heavily discounted prices. (At least that's what they used to do. I've no idea whether or not cut-outs still exist. I haven't seen one in a long while.) As you'd imagine, if a record doesn't sell, that really doesn't mean anything. It just means that the public at large didn't buy it in droves. So, big deal, it's not a hit record, so what? If you're a record fiend you know that doesn't matter. The second New York Dolls album was a cut-out, as was the sole LP by Spring, the group that included Brian Wilson's wife (the LP was produced by him). Bob and Earl's LP with "Harlem Shuffle" was a cut-out. I think I remember the third Big Star LP being a cut-out. You see where I'm going? A lot of cut-outs later became hot shit, and collectable, not because they were cut-outs, but because if a record does so poorly that it becomes a cut-out, chances are that there won't be many on the secondary market later on. If you bought a cut-out and happened to like it, chances were you wouldn't part with it anytime soon.

So, there you are, a gazillion years ago, at the cut-out bin. you see a record with a band that looks sort of interesting. Not really punk rock looking, because there was a guy with long frizzy hair. That ruled out new wave too. And the clothes weren't flashy, so presumably they didn't have any illusions about being rock stars. The cover was in black and white with a tiny red star, and looked a little low budget. You flip it over and see the that it is in fact on Red Star, the same label that put out the first Suicide LP. Then you see one of the songs is a cover of "Rave On", another "My Way" (which could have been either Sinatra's or Eddie Cochran's). You take a chance. When you get it home and hear it, you rack your brain. What is this? It's not punk rock, it's not new wave, it's not arena rock, and it's certainly not disco. Oh, well hell yeah. It's good old fashioned on the cheap rock 'n' roll, circa 1978.

I'm yapped out, without even starting in about the Real Kids. Real quick: the band leader was John Felice who, as mentioned a few days ago, had been an intermittent member of the early Modern Lovers. He was in other bands too, and was a roadie for the Ramones for a time. You should just check the band profile at Rock In Boston.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
The Real Kids - All Kindsa Girls mp3 at 8106
The Real Kids - Reggae, Reggae mp3 at Nevver Unlikely title
The Real Kids - Do the Boob mp3 at Whiskey Fun
The Real Kids - All Kindsa Girls (live) mp3 at Rock In Boston 2006 (Pretty much blows)
Visit:
The Real Kids - Profile at Rock In Boston
Cut-outs - Entry at Wikipedia