To get a sense of just how shocking
the Bobs
' first album was, one has to consider when it was released. In 1983 the sound on the radio was slick
new wave
music with a high technical sheen and not a whole lot of
soul
. Vocal music was stuff one heard out the doors of churches, as relevant to everyday life as madrigals and
barbershop quartets
. And then out of San Francisco came four powerful voices making wild music, a mix of wacky stuff and stories from everyday life about a roommate who never takes out the trash, about hearing the neighbors through the wall, about whatever the heck
"Cowboy Lips"
are, and one had to listen. The opening cut,
"Art for Art's Sake,"
grabbed listeners and wouldn't let go, and it grabbed so many radio programmers that it actually got some airplay despite being an
a cappella
piece. Likewise their frantic version of
"Helter Skelter,"
which managed the feat of winning a Grammy for an unknown act on a minor label.
The Bobs
had arrived in style. Fast-forward and the album has held up remarkably well. The songwriting team of
Richard Greene
and
Gunnar Madsen
was in strong form right from the beginning, and tunes like
"Trash"
"Art for Art's Sake"
remain fresh and exhilarating. Those who prefer
' original material to their cover pieces may just decide that this is their best album, and by any standard it ranks high in their catalog. [
Collectables
issued their 11-track edition in 2008.] ~ Richard Foss