Rousers
1979 Sire Session
Left for Dead
In 1979, punk was defined more by what it didn’t sound like than what it did. If you weren’t trying to sound like the Doobie Brothers, Rush, or the Eagles, you were probably called punk. Down at CBGB’s, the incubator for New York punk, Blondie, the Talking Heads, and the Ramones shared the same bill. Punk was a wide-open game where everything from Pere Ubu’s Dadaist weirdness to Rockpile’s neo-rockabilly were embraced.
Rousers were part of that CBGB scene. They played the circuit of Max’s Kansas City, the Mud Club, Hurrah, etc., as equals. They even gave a young Madonna her first gig as an opening act. These days, Rousers are remembered (if at all) for the one single they put out on Jimboco Records. In their day, they were contenders. They scored a tryout with Sire Records and recorded a 13-song demo session with producer Ed Stasium (Talking Heads, Ramones). Sire passed on Rousers, and the band slowly sank into obscurity.
1979 Sire Session makes their commercial debut via Left For Dead Records, helmed by James Reynolds, the same man who ran Jimboco Records all those years ago. If Rousers were an up-and-coming band today, they’d be labeled Americana. Their sound is steeped in ’50s garage rock and Duane Eddy twang. In fact, they do two Eddy songs: “Ram Rod” and “Movin’ And Groovin’.” Their originals include the Rockabilly rumble of “Man, Oh Man” and the dragstrip riot of “Be My Girl.” “Party Boy” shows off their power pop hooks, while “Lonely Summer” shows off a more sensitive side of the band.
The CD version of the album includes a six-song bonus disc with a live track and a song from an RCA demo session. “Baby, It’s You” channels street corner doo wop with a bit of snarl. Other highlights include “Don’t Let The Band Stop Playing” and the hyperactive “Footsteps.”
These demo sessions show that Rousers were at the very least a contender. Why did Sire pass on them? Who knows. We will never know what might have been, but we at least have the evidence that Rousers were here and they came to rock.
