Genre: pop
Rating: 4 stars ****
Title: Vance or Towers
Company: A&M
Catalog: SP-4551
Year: 1975
Country/State: US
Grade (cover/record): VG / VG
Comments: small cut out hole top left corner; original inner sleeve
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5597
Price: $40.00
This short-lived mid-1970s quartet (drummer Dan Protheroe, singer/guitarist Michael Towers, drummer Jim Said, and singer/keyboard player Glen Vance) are pretty obscure. As far as I ca, tell there's absolutely no biographical information out there on The. In fact outside of power-pop collectors, the only folks who might even have a clue they exist are the 100 or so people who are obsessed with the horror flick "Carrie". Kind of strange, but their cameo role in the film playing the band that performs during the infamous prom scene seems to have provided them with their closest brush with popular success.
LP inner sleeve
Signed by A&M, the label apparently hoped to market Towers and Vance as teen fodder (if you were a hormonal 14 year old female you could pick your favorite band member). Unfortunately, A&M doesn't seem to have put a great deal of time or effort into the plan. That was a poor marketing decision since these guys had more than their share of talent. Produced by Tom Gamache, 1975's "Vance or Towers" showcased a sterling set of Brit-influenced power pop. Featuring eleven Vance-Towers penned originals these guys had a knack for writing and performing highly commercial, top-40 oriented material. Imagine The Raspberries with a more distinctive English influence, or 10c.c. without the quirkiness and you'd be close. Perhaps an even better comparison, on tracks like 'Do Whatever We Want' and 'City ' these guys actually recalled Supertramp stripped of their progressive pretense (think along their "Breakfast In America" output).
- Tapped as an instantly obscure single 'Do Whatever We Want' was a three minute slice of power pop bliss. Great melody; fantastic teen subject matter; great harmony vocals; killer hook and a great guitar solo from Towers.
- Spotlighting some of that UK sheen, 'City Boy' was even more commercial. Another fantastic slice of pop.
- 'Love Me Lady' started out sounding like one of those Vaudevillian inspired Paul McCartney songs, before breaking out into a great Badfinger-styled ballad.
- Still highly commercial, 'Education Blues' was an atypical new-wavish number. By the way, the album version was significantly different than the version featured in "Carrie".
- 'Sunday Sky' , 'The Presence of Her Absence' and 'It's Up To You' were pretty, but forgettable McCartney-styled ballads - teach would have made nice 'B' sides.
- The acoustic 'Over the Hill and Back' sported an unexpected, but nifty folk feel with some great harmony vocals.
- 'Don't It Getcha' found the band returning to prime power pop form. Another should've been a massive radio hit ...
- Complete with quirky lyric and a segmented structure, 'Scream Bloody Robbery' was the song that underscored the 10c.c comparison. Since I'm a big 10c.c. fan I loved the track, though others might find it too cute ...
Thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish the only real complaint was that there were too many ballads. The LP would have benefited from one of two more up tempo performances. A minor quibble at best which ultimately did nothing to diminish the set's overall quality. Even better, you can still find a copy relatively cheap.
A&M spun off a pair of singles, though neither did anything commercially:
- 1975's 'Do Whatever We Want' b/w 'Love Me Lady' (A&M catalog number 1717-S)
- 1975's 'Scream Bloody Robbery' b/w '' (A&M catalog number 1777-S)
There was one final non-LP single which may have only been released as a promotional item:
'Can't Smile Without You' (stereo) b/w 'Can't Smile Without You' (mono) (A&M catalog number 1804-S)
and that was all she wrote ... next stop was complete and total obscurity, though there's one website that says the band recorded some additional demo material that's never seen the light of day. Shame ...
"Vance or
Towers" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) Do Whatever We Want (Michael Towers - Glen Vance) -
2.) City Boy (Michael Towers - Glen Vance) -
3.) Love Me Lady (Michael Towers - Glen Vance) -
4.) Education Blues (Michael Towers - Glen Vance) -
5.) Sunday Sky (Michael Towers - Glen Vance) -
6.) The Presence of Her Absence (Michael Towers - Glen Vance) -
(side
2)
1.) It's Up To You (Michael Towers - Glen Vance) -
2.) Over the Hill and Back (Michael Towers - Glen Vance) -
3.) Don't It Getcha (Michael Towers - Glen Vance) -
4.) Drivin' To Drinkin' (Michael Towers - Glen Vance) -
5.) Scream Bloody Robbery (Michael Towers - Glen Vance) -