- The Nails
-
The Nails were a six piece New Wave band that formed in Boulder, Colorado, during the mid 1970s. In Colorado, they were originally named The Ravers, and their roadie, Eric Boucher, later became known as Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys.
Contents
History
The Nails moved to New York and by the late 1970s had established themselves on the club circuit. Hotel for Women, an EP recorded in 1981, contained an early version of "88 Lines About 44 Women", a song that caught the attention of RCA. The Nails were signed to RCA By Bruce Harris, also known for bringing The Clash to America. In 1984 "88 Lines About 44 Women" was re-recorded for RCA and included on The Nails' full-length debut LP, Mood Swing. The song received regular airplay despite a number of double entendres and lyrical references to masturbation and sadomasochism.[1]
Two years later they released Dangerous Dreams, also on RCA. Both Mood Swing and Dangerous Dreams made the Billboard top 200 album chart and were critically acclaimed. But after the release of Dangerous Dreams The Nails left RCA. RCA did not release either LP on compact disc. "88 Lines About 44 Women" continued to appear on compilations 20 years after its release and was featured in a Mazda television commercial that aired in the late 1990s.
The Nails were composed of vocalist Marc Campbell, bassist George Kaufman, saxophonist Douglas Guthrie, drummer Mike Ratti (Dennis McDermott on Mood Swing), keyboardist Dave Kaufman, and guitarist Steve O'Rourke.
In 1988, the band reconvened (without Guthrie and Dave Kaufman) to record a third album, Corpus Christi, which wasn't released until 1993 and received little exposure. The Nails deny ever receiving any proceeds from this album, citing a rift with their former producer, claiming that he swindled them of their rights. They post re-recordings of these songs on the late George Kaufman's site along with the explanation of the dispute. They strongly discourage fans from purchasing the album, as they will never be compensated.[2]
In 2007, the band licensed Mood Swing and Dangerous Dreams from RCA parent company Sony-BMG Entertainment and released these albums on compact disc for the first time.
In March 2009, bassist George Kaufman died of complications following heart surgery. He was survived by his wife, Sharla, and his children, Isabel and Michael Kaufman.
Former lead singer Marc Campbell had an album, Tantric Machine, released in the Summer of 2010.
Discography
Albums
- Mood Swing - 1984
- Dangerous Dreams - 1986
- Corpus Christi - 1993
EP's
- Cops Are Punks/Big Star/Another Lesson - 1977
- Hotel For Women - 1982
Singles
- "Cops Are Punks / Big Star / Another Lesson" - 1977
- "Back Street Boys / Rock & Roll Show" - 1978
- "Young and Wild / Transcontinental Ska" - 1980
- "88 Lines About 44 Women" - 1982
- "Let It All Hang Out" - 1985
- "Things You Left Behind" - 1986
CD Reissues
- Mood Swing (remastered with bonus tracks) - 2007
- Dangerous Dreams (remastered with bonus tracks) - 2007
- Hotel for Women (remastered with bonus tracks) - 2009
References
- ^ Lyrics to "88 Lines" at http://www.the-nails.com/88lines.html on their official website
- ^ George Kaufman's site http://george.the-nails.com/corpus_main.htm
External links
Categories:- American New Wave musical groups
- Music of Denver, Colorado
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