Ruby

If cartoon think bubbles had appeared above my head on today's amble through the park, they would mostly have contained randomly ordered lines from "Ruby" by Sneakers: "Talk is cheap!", "It's funny, you don't look like a character assassin", "Slander me, I'll libel you" and so on.

When I wrote previously about one of Chris Stamey's pop masterpieces I knew then that I didn't know enough about his other work.  Ominvore Recordings have filled-in some of the gaps in my knowledge with their CD release* of his 70s work (and that of Big Quiet and R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter) with Sneakers.  Coming on a like a tougher Big Star, they made the kind of melody riddled power pop that zines like Bucketful of Brains brought to suburban bedrooms the nation over in the wake of R.E.M..  Their take on The Grass Roots'"Let's Live For Today" is a real highlight.  It bursts from the speakers with such verve that it's impossible not to belt out "Sha la la live for today!" at the top of your lungs; neighbours be damned!

* - There was a US 10" for Black Friday 2014 but, if the location of the sellers on discogs is any guide, not many copies made it to Europe.