Night Music: The Records, “Starry Eyes”

I have the UK version of this just about perfect pop song, so perfect it reached No. 56 on the Billboard charts, down in the basement. It has the little hole, not the big one US 45s have, and a picture sleeve. A reminder that the first punk explosion was followed by a wave of jangly power pop. Or maybe they were happening at the same time. Starry Eyes landed in 1978. It was the Records’ only hit as a band. They did contribute a hit to the Searchers’ 1979 comeback.

5 thoughts on “Night Music: The Records, “Starry Eyes”

  1. Very Tommy Ramone time-keeping, I might add. And does anyone else think Feargal looks like Dee Dee Ramone (not Dee Dee Dum Dum)?

    Two very nice songs. Both of which I’d be very happy to hear on the classic rock stations they play at the gym instead of the crappy same songs they always play.

  2. I had the import album version of the Records disc, and really dug them. In fact I cut a backpacking trip to Big Sur short with my friend Jon Gresley because I had Old Waldorf tix to see the band. And, they were indeed good.

    Aside from that jingle jangle Rickenbacker Beatleesque sound (there is a Ricky logo there on the cover of the Starry Eyes link) they also had a lefty guitar player (like Elliot Easton of the Cars, too) which also gave that Beatles/nice symmetrical look to a band.

    The album was also one of those quiet disc where nothing was earth shattering, but every cut was really strong.

    I distinctly remember playing it a lot in early ’80 when I wound up moving out of the house I had lived in with a friend for five years (and I found the house, and paid all the deposits) because my roommate and friend had a girlfriend who moved in and she just wanted to live with him and not me.

    Got ugly, but I found this great little apartment Berkeley northside and this was just as punk was really happening and all this great music was smashing us so I didn’t mind too much.

    anyway, this song, “Up All Night,” closed the album and it is so nice and dreamy. Always loved it:

    http://youtu.be/cp5zXNpVqD0

  3. Always loved this track. I have it only on some various compilations…but as a testament to it’s timeless quality…my kids love this tune and ask me to play the CD I have it burned on in the car all the time. Doesn’t hurt that I have it sandwiched between “When You Find Out by the Nerves and “So It Goes by Nick Lowe.

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