#142
January 20 1980
Pearl Harbor & the Explosions
Pearl Harbor & the Explosions
Genre: Pearl is no Pam Windo
2.25 out of 5
Highlights:
Shut Up and Dance
“Drivin’”, the opener and the single that got them a record deal is what you get if you are listening to underground radio, heard Wire and thought, “Yep! THAT is gonna be the next big sound! We GOTTA get in on that!”
It must have been just after this release that Pearl jetted from the band, went to the UK and tried to grab hold of the retro explosion. I know this isn’t fair but I am of the believe that Pearl E. Gates wanted to be a rock star and these were the pathways she thought would make it work for her.
Didja know that Pearl was a backup singer and dancer for The Tubes?
Or that she and The Explosions would open for The Clash?
Or that Pearl would go on to Marry Paul Simonon? Of said Clash?
Ultimately, this is tepid, by-the-numbers standard issue “New Wave”.
I wanted to include “Up and Over” in the highlights but it’s a 2.5 minute song that is almost 6 minutes long and there’s no need for that.
From an interview with Pearl:
“In 1980, after doing this huge world tour across America, Canada and Europe with The Talking Heads, that was the end of "Pearl Hahrbor and The Explosions" because those guys, they were wonderful but they became twisted that in every place we went everybody wanted to talk to me. It was a bit like "No Doubt" in that every one wants to talk to Gwenn and the band gets pissed off.. It's not her fault, it wasn't my fault, it's just typical of who ever is the lead singer is the person the press wants to talk to.And so all these fights happenend because of that. Then it was time to make album number 2 and the guys wanted to go more into this Jazz/Funk thing and I was into singing Rockabilly. So I decided that I didn't want to do Jazz/Funk and so we broke up the band. Warner Brothers got extrememly upset and they said that they would stick with me for one more record and that was my solo album "Pearl Harbour" (Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too) spelled with a U. That's because I had moved to England and they spelled it with a U it wasn't my doing. I accepted it, I said "OK if that's the way you guys spell it and that's the way you're always gonna do it, then fuck me, I'm Pearl Harbour" and I thought it sounded kind of nice anyway and not so quite hard core.”
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