X-Teens - Say It Isn't So & Western Eyes - 1984from the Dolphin Records lp "Love and Politics"
Okay I am making a plea right here and now. Someone reissue the X-Teens catalog now!!!! Falling somewhere between XTC and the B52's, mixing power pop with ska and just plain quirkiness the X-Teens were in my estimation as good as it gets.
from CMJ.com
Part of the early-'80s explosion of Southern power pop, the X-Teens emulated the quirky wit and geeky tension of new wavers like Elvis Costello, XTC, and Talking Heads. The group was formed in Durham, North Carolina, and featured guitarist/vocalist Robert Bittle, keyboardist/vocalist Todd Jones, bassist/vocalist Kitty Moses, and drummer Ned Robie. Their debut release was the Don Dixon-produced EP Big Boy's Dream, issued on the local Moonlight label in 1980. Local legends Dixon and Mitch Easter both worked on the band's self-titled first album, which was released on Dolphin in 1983, several years after it was originally completed. The follow-up, 1984's Love and Politic, was the band's biggest seller, even scoring a little MTV airplay with the single "Change Gotta Come." However, that taste of success led to internal tensions, and the X-Teens split up in 1985. Jones and Robie formed 4 Who Dared, while Bittle and Moses embarked on their own project; neither achieved the respectable underground profile of their former vehicle.
note: anyone have any of the 4 Who Dared stuff or what Kitty and Robert after the X-Teens?
Band Members:
Kitty Moses - Bass
Robert Bittle - Guitars
Ned Robie - Drums
Todd Jones - Keyboards

5 Comments:
Hey, don't forget Alden Hart, who played computer synthesizer back at the sound board, going onstage only to sing The Heimlich Maneuver.
Alden Hart : X-Teens :: Martin Swope : Mission of Burma
I've some vinyl of the 4WD stuff. The whole record deal was a tough lesson, as it received no exposure.
I have some tunes (including "Urine Trouble" from the 4WD sessions) on my website at www.toddejones.com/jukebox.html
-Todd
I have several X-teen records on vinyl and saw them several times. They were great!
Todd,
We want more 4 Who Dared. Urine Trouble is a great song.
Michale,
I'd chip in my LP of 4 Who Dared's "Kids with Dynamite"... Any chance there's any recording out there of Kitty Moses' offshoot, Land of Giants?
Post a Comment
<< Home