BOX OF 7"s: Episode 3

THE CHERRY VALANCE - "Two Headed Woman" b/w "(Let Me Do My) Business"
Fandango Recs., 2000, (pretty clear blue wax)

One of my favorite bands of the 00s also has one of the coolest names. In case you didn't know, they're named after a character in the SE Hinton book The Outsiders. You've probably seen the movie, which is also good.
Anyway, this record rocks and is good for consuming mass quantities of beer and fun. Both sides are great party jams filled with Southern boogie charms and a foxy lady who can play ripping leads. Her name is Cheetie. Both she and her bff, Paul, are in Birds of Avalon now. They are cool people in awesome bands. The Cherry Valance were great live, a dynamo of musical awesome. Make sure you check out their LP called Riffin', which is wall to wall hits.
Here's a video you may enjoy:




CHERUBS - "Pink Party Dessert" b/w "Downy Downer"
Trance Syndicate, 1992

"Pink Party Dessert" is a great song that opens with a bludgeoning riff and careens on from there. It's so awesome that I rarely listen to the other side, which has never grabbed me. If you ever see a copy of their Heroin Man LP, you should pick it up.
Once, I was at a Stereolab show at Liberty Lunch. I am old. The show was in full swing and I lit a joint and noticed I was standing next to Kevin Whitley, a Cherub. He looked at me funny and I offered him a hit, but was waved off. I found out the next day, he's as sober as the sun. A faux pas?





THE DONNAS - "Da Doo Ron Ron" & "I Don't Wanna Go To School" b/w "I Don't Wanna Rock 'n' Roll Tonight"
Super*Teem Recs., 1996

"Gimme that chiba!" Another assist from Darin Raffaelli leads to another piece of bubblegum punk girl greatness. Each song is better than the previous one. I wish I had the talent to have written "I Don't Wanna Rock 'n' Roll Tonight". The genius lies in the simplicity. Three chords and the teenaged truth, right? Do you think Raffaelli wrote the last one after one the teenaged Donnas turned down his old man advances?


THE DONNAS - High School Yum Yum ep
Radio X, 1995 (I think mine's a re-press, though.)

The debut of our teenaged darlings. The gem on this one is "Let's Rab!" which plots the course for the next few years to come.
Once I gave Donna R., the guitar player, a joint. I hope they enjoyed it. As for the Donnas, we've grown apart. When they started down the arena rock path, I went along. I got off at the first stop, though. They continue to rock on.