The Pristeens - Scandal, Controversy and Romance

Yes, I went through the "P" section of my CDs and found a number of rockin' pop records that I

hadn't listened to in ages. The Pristeens were a NYC-based garage/punk/pop group led by three females (Tina Canellas and Leslie Day on guitars and vocals and bassist Lori Yorkman) and driven by ex-Devil Dogs drummer Joe Vincent, giving them a power-beat to layer their rock upon. Having producer Richard Gottehrer (Blondie/GoGos) sure didn't hurt, either!

Vincent shows how indispensable he was right from the start as he smashes'n'crashes through the garage rocker "The Hound", one of the wildest numbers on the record. They come off like a harder-rockin'/punkier Blondie on "I Don't Cry" with its superb vocals and harmonies as well as the 60's girl group stylings of "Run Back to You". They go back to the 60's for "Sorrow" and give it a different update than Bowie did on Pin Ups while maintaining its original coolness. The title track is a perfect blend of 60 girls groups and punk while "What's She Got" is a damn perfect garage riff-rocker and the finger-snappin' "I'm Devastated" could well be an updated Shangri-las number.

I've always dug early Wreckless Eric and this crew does a fine job on "(I'd Go The) Whole Wide World" and gives us more Shangri-la-isms (with a dose of Ramones) on "Beat You Up". High-speed antics appear in "Some Day" and then there's the slow-dance intensity of "Party Girl". Kind of a Runaways vibe to the bass'n'drum surf overtones of "Let Me Run Wild" before closing things out with the punk'n'roll bad-girl-garage of "Going Out Tonight"

I never heard anything from this combo after this (though I heard rumors that Vincent left, which would have taken the drive out of them, I'm sure) but this was a monster release. You should have this!