Aug. 8, 1980 Gusto review: The Records and Quincy at Uncle Sam's



Two more power pop hopefuls that popped for an instant and then fizzled.

Aug. 8, 1980 Gusto review
The Records and Quincy at Uncle Sam's
"Too bad they aren't still backing Rachel Sweet," Dave Meinzer of the former Davy and the Crocketts remarked as the Records dashed offstage in Uncle Sam's in Cheektowaga Thursday night.
The Records provided eminently superb support for the teenage belter from Akron, Ohio, on the Stiff Records roadshow tour in 1978. They're miles ahead of Sweet's current band, but even though they're seizing the spotlight for themselves now, they're still struggling to shed their chameleon-like anonymity.
Their current set restated the problem. Despite the solid quality of their harmonies. the power of their arrangements and two albums worth of creditable material, the quartet suffered from a certain sameness of delivery. Every song had a way of sounding pretty much like the last.
It was in their encores that they gave hints of a breakthrough. Their 1979 radio hit, "Starry Eyes," had both punch and familiarity going for it. It was what everyone had been waiting for. Then they topped it with forthright versions of David Bowie's "Rebel Rebel" and the Bay City Rollers hit, "Rock 'n Roll Letter." After last year's rather tepid appearance in Stage One, this amounted to a minor revelation.
Other flashes of intensity could be seen in new lead guitarist Jude Cole's ringing octave runs and in the more forceful delivery of the English quartet's trademarks -- smooth three-part harmony and broad splashes of rhythm guitar. All they needed, it seemed, were a few more stunning songs.
The crowd of around 200 responded almost as well to a totally unknown quintet from New Jersey called Quincy. Quincy snagged a record contract by becoming a regular attraction in New York City's famed punk mecca, CBGB, though they're far from being punk-rockers. Like the Records, they're pop-oriented nice guys. Running through songs from their freshly released debut album, they succeeded in summoning up a fair head of steam and a few dancers too.
Quincy cinched its references to the '60s with a well-chosen oldie, "Do You Love Me." In their jackets, they looked as British as the Records, but they projected far more personality. Singer Brian Butler and bassist Gerald Emerick harmonized and vamped off one another continually. And then there was the oddball delight of gangly Metro (Wally Smith), bouncing about at his keyboards, attacking his synthesizer with forearms and elbows. While the Records were cool and aloof, Quincy seemed like a band one could warm up to.
The evening started with a quick 30-minute set by Buffalo's the Toys. Despite the brevity of their stay, it was enough to inspire seasoned observers to remark that the band is improving.
* * * * *
IN THE PHOTO: The Records in 1980.
* * * * *
FOOTNOTE: By this point, the Records had already peaked with their single, "Starry Eyes," which pushed their debut album to No. 41 on the Billboard charts. Their just-released second album, "Crashes," crashed and burned and 19-year-old Jude Cole, an American guitarist who had joined them for this stretch, didn't go back to England with them. After a third album, also a flop, they broke up.
Jude Cole put out three solo albums, wrote songs for movie soundtracks and, in the early 2000s, became a business partner with actor Kiefer Sutherland in a studio and record label. He's married to actress Michelle Pfeiffer's younger sister Lori.
Quincy has an even sadder hard luck story. After their debut album appeared on Columbia, Quincy Jones sued them for using his name. Needless to say, they lost. When their second album appeared under their new name, Lulu Temple, nobody knew who they were.
Brian Butler and his brother Stephen, the lead guitarist, went on to form a new band, Smash Palace, which succumbed to record company complications after one album. They've had better luck since they reunited in 1999, releasing 11 records and continuing to tour the East Coast and England. Since Brian left in the early 2000s, Stephen has led the group.

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