It's only fitting that
Holly Beth Vincent
of
Holly & the Italians
would eventually make a record with
Joey Ramone
(the pair revisiting
"I Got You Babe"
on a 1982 single). In many ways,
Vincent
could have passed for
Ramone
's younger sister (or maybe a kissing cousin).
The Right to Be Italian
providing the kind of three-chord
punk-pop
cheap thrills that
Joey
created with
the Ramones
.
reinvents the '60s
girl-group
aesthetic with a snotty attitude and smoldering sexuality, her voice perfect for this sort of material, deep and throaty and uniquely endearing (much like
's).
's lyrics are a whip-smart mix of goofy
punk
nihilism, high-school romance, and pop-culture references, delivered with all the subtlety of a scorned girlfriend. Written during the band's lengthy tour of the U.K.,
"I Wanna Go Home"
is an ode to the fast-food joints and all-night stores of America, a big drumbeat and great harmonies supporting fond memories of the "land of opportunity."
's
hard rock
riffs drive
"Youth Coup,"
her lyrics mixing
John Lennon
's "you say you want a revolution?" with
the Stones
'
"Satisfaction"
in a play on teenage angst, frustration, and boredom. The album's first single, the
Brill Building
-styled
ballad
"Miles Away,"
was written by bassist
Mark Sidgwick
and offers some of
's most compelling vocals, the song's subtle construction requiring a greater range of emotion on the part of the singer. A remake of
the Chiffons
"Just for Tonight"
is spot-on with swelling musical crescendos and soulful vocals while
"Means to a Den"
is an edgy '60s-styled rocker with psychedelic studio gimmickry and a
garage rock
vibe.
"Tell That Girl to Shut Up"
is
's shining moment of glory, however. It's the song that got the band signed, a three-minute slice of
pop/rock
perfection that should have been a hit (and did hit later for
Transvision Vamp
,
Wendy James
a pale copy of the vibrant
Ms. Vincent
). With just the perfect balance of vulnerability and self-righteous anger, an ultracool chorus, and a timeless, time-tested beat behind the lyrics,
is one of the great lost singles of
rock
music. The 2002 CD reissue of
includes a handful of bonus tracks. A spare radio edit of
"Miles Away"
was released as an early single, backed by the feedback-drenched, melodic
"It's Only Me."
"Fanzine"
opens with the tinkling of a music box before crashing into a muscular reply to amateur
criticism that could have been a monster college radio hit.
"Poster Boy,"
a
Trouser Press
magazine giveaway, is a funny throwaway rocker with tongue-in-check lyrics, a cheese-grater riff, and
Ronnie Spector
-styled vocals. A spiritual godmother to distaff rockers like
the Donnas
or
the Eyeliners
would never again make music as innocent, stylized and outright fun as she did on
. ~ Rev. Keith A. Gordon