The Paley Brothers were an American

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and c ...

duo formed in 1976 by brothers

Andy Andy may refer to: People * Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...

and Jonathan Paley. After releasing one studio album and EP, they disbanded in 1979, although the brothers continued to collaborate on other projects. They are characterized by their more straightforward AM radio pop style which contrasted the ironic or aggressive attitudes projected by other power pop groups of the era. Despite a lack of commercial success, the Paley Brothers achieved an underground cult following through their performances at

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kr ...

while also touring extensively, opening for acts ranging from

Shaun Cassidy Shaun Paul Cassidy (born September 27, 1958) is an American singer, actor, writer, and producer. He has created and/or produced a number of television series including ''American Gothic'', '' Roar'' and ''Invasion''. Cassidy currently serves as ...

to the

Patti Smith Group Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''. Called the "punk poet ...

. Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine described them as "perhaps the greatest example of a band that, by nearly every measure, should've been stars."

Formation

Andy Paley Andrew Douglas Paley (born November 2, 1952) is an American songwriter, record producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist who formed the Paley Brothers, a 1970s power pop duo, with his brother Jonathan Paley. Following their disbandment, And ...

formed the Paley Brothers with his younger brother Jonathan, a guitar/bass player and singer who also was part of the early Boston punk scene and had played with Boston and NYC bands such as Mong. They first started appearing as the Paley Brothers while Jonathan was still in Mong in 1976. The Paley Brothers signed to

Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gottehre ...

. For Sire, they released a four-song EP, produced by

Jimmy Iovine James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces ...

and recorded in 1976, and a self-titled ten-song album, produced by

Earle Mankey Earle Mankey (sometimes misspelled "Earl" in credits) (born March 8, 1947, in Washington, United States) is an American musician, record producer and audio engineer. He was a founding member and guitarist for the band Halfnelson, later called Sp ...

and recorded in 1977 (except for one track from the EP, "Come Out and Play"). The album was then reissued in a 12-song version, deleting one song from the original album and adding two more from the EP plus a single recorded by the Paley Brothers and the Ramones, another Sire Records group—a cover of the

Ritchie Valens Richard Steven Valenzuela (May 13, 1941 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Ritchie Valens, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. A rock and roll pioneer and a forefather of the Chicano rock movement, Valens was killed ...

song "Come On Let's Go", which was also included on the Ramones' ''

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'' soundtrack. The single was recorded while Ramones lead singer

Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...

was ill (and so he does not appear), and before drummer Tommy Ramone left the Ramones. The Paley Brothers album is referred to as

, with the punk and straight rock roots of the brothers mixed in. Although the album did not chart, in 1978 Sire had

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

produce a new track, "Baby, Let's Stick Together", for their second album. According to the Sire Records head

Seymour Stein Seymour Stein (born April 18, 1942) is an American entrepreneur and music executive. He co-founded Sire Records and was Vice President of Warner Bros. Records. With Sire, Stein signed bands that became central to the new wave era of the 1970s ...

, the recording was one of the last sessions done at Gold Star Recording Studios by the Wrecking Crew before the studio burned down. The brothers also appeared in the movies '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' in 1978 and ''

'' in 1979.Paley Brothers

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

filmography

Breakup

Recording with Phil Spector caused problems among the brothers; as Jonathan Paley later said, "Working with Phil Spector was fantastic but also very exhausting and ultimately contributed to me wanting to try something other than being a Paley Brother." They disintegrated as an act in 1979 when Jonathan joined the Nervous Eaters. As a result, neither the second album nor the Phil Spector-produced single were released; instead, their last released product was a 1980 novelty single entitled "Jacques Cousteau" that was credited to The Young Jacques. Although the Nervous Eaters collapsed after

Ric Ocasek Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock ...

, who had produced their demo, was not permitted to produce their second album, The Paley Brothers did not reform. Said Jonathan, "It was more of an evolution. Andy went on the road with

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author who became an influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album ''Horses''. Called the "punk poet ...

's band and got into production work; I went and sailed around the world."Quoted by Gene Sculatti in liner notes for "The Paley Brothers: The Complete Recordings"

Post-breakup

Although the Paley Brothers never reformed, Jonathan and Andy Paley continued to do occasional projects together, such as co-composing the

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as " rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis ma ...

hit "It Was the Whiskey Talkin' (Not Me)" and two other songs for the 1990

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...

to the movie '' Dick Tracy''. In late 2013, The Paley Brothers released a compilation album entitled ''The Paley Brothers: The Complete Recordings''. The album includes 11 tracks of previously unreleased songs recorded in 1978 and 1979 that would probably have appeared on the second album (including "Baby, Let's Stick Together"), along with the fifteen previously-released tracks from the 1977 Paley Brothers EP (four songs), the 1978 Paley Brothers album (ten songs), and the Young Jacques single.

Discography

;Studio album ;Compilation

References

External links

Jonathan Paley and the Paley Brothers
��fan site with pictures
Popdose 2013 interview with the Paley Brothers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paley Brothers American power pop groups Musical groups established in 1976 Musical groups disestablished in 1979 Sibling musical duos Sire Records artists