''10-5-60'' is an
EP and the first release by American band
the Long Ryders
The Long Ryders are an American alternative country and Paisley Underground band, principally active between 1982 and 1987, who have periodically regrouped for brief reunions (2004, 2009, 2014, 2016). In 2019 they released a new studio album � ...
. It was released in September 1983 by
PVC Records and preceded the bands full-length debut album ''
Native Sons''.
Background and musical style
The Long Ryders had funded the recording sessions for ''10-5-60'' themselves
and managed to secure a deal with the import and distribution label
Jem Records
Jem Records (also known as JEM Records) was a United States record label that originally existed from 1970 to 1988, at the time principally known as the parent company of Passport Records. The label was resurrected in 2013 as Jem Recordings.
His ...
.
Jem agreed to take on distribution and release the EP on their sublabel
PVC
Polyvinyl chloride (alternatively: poly(vinyl chloride), colloquial: vinyl or polyvinyl; abbreviated: PVC) is the world's third-most widely produced synthetic polymer of plastic (after polyethylene and polypropylene). About 40 million tons o ...
in late 1983.
Long Ryder guitarist
Sid Griffin
Albert Sidney "Sid" Griffin (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist-mandolinist, bandleader, and author who lives in London, England. He led the Long Ryders band in the 1980s, founded the Coal Porters group in ...
: "I was working there so I got us on the in-house label, and they did it as a favour. ... it did really well, and they couldn't believe it – they did it as a sop to me."
''10-5-60'' was produced by former
Sparks guitarist
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 ...
with the Long Ryders at Mankey's home based studio Earle's Garage in
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. The EP brought the Long Ryders immediate notice and was a success on US
college radio
Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...
.
"The people in ''
the Gavin Report
The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco, California, San Francisco-based radio industry Trade journal, trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by Radio p ...
'' in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, a national radio
tip sheet
A tip sheet is a publication containing the latest information, tips or predictions for a particular industry. Tip sheets are commonly published to impart business or stock market information, music industry songwriter leads, and tips on horse r ...
, really liked it", Griffin said. "This was a national professional tip sheet which was normally worried about people like
Donna Summer
Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...
and
Billy Joel
William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...
and
Survivor
Survivor(s) may refer to:
* one who survives
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series
* ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...
and all those kind of acts that were mega popular in the 1980s. I had no idea of the impact that ''the Gavin Report'' writing about ''10-5-60'' had."
The Long Ryders were initially linked with the
neo-psychedelia
Neo-psychedelia is a genre of psychedelic music that draws inspiration from the music production approaches and songwriting of 1960s psychedelia, either exploring emulations of the sounds of the era or applying its ethos to new styles of music ...
of the
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
Paisley Underground
Paisley Underground is a musical genre that originated in California. It was particularly popular in Los Angeles, reaching a peak in the mid-1980s. Paisley Underground bands incorporated psychedelia, rich vocal harmonies and guitar interplay, owi ...
scene,
and ''10-5-60'' shows influences ranging from
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
and
psychedelia
Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...
to
Byrdsian folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk horror
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Fo ...
and
country rock
Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...
.
In 2016, ''
the Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
's'' Michael Hann described the EP as "deeply indebted to the 60s".
In his book ''Country Roads: How Country Came to Nashville'',
musicologist
Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...
Brian Hinton
Brian Hinton, MBE (born 21 September 1950) is an English poet and musicologist. In June 2006 he was honoured in H. M. the Queen's Birthday Honours List with an MBE for services to the Arts.
Education
Born in Southampton, Hinton studied Eng ...
writes, "the band's
punkish roots are sweetened by
banjo
The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin.
...
,
steel guitar
A steel guitar () is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conventional guitar i ...
and
autoharp
An autoharp or chord zither is a string instrument belonging to the zither family. It uses a series of bars individually configured to mute all strings other than those needed for the intended chord. The term ''autoharp'' was once a trademark of t ...
, and that Byrdsian propulsion is firmly on the launch pad. They are not played gently, though, and the vocals are the very antithesis of
Nashville
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
cool. If
Gram Parsons
Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Bu ...
approached
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
with respect, this is a full-tilt drunken assault."
The cover, with its 1960s look echoing old Byrds
promo
PROMO (Promoting Missouri) is a Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territ ...
shots,
was shot by noted punk rock photographer
Ed Colver. "The stark front cover caused heads to turn at ''the Gavin Report'' and ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'', as the Long Ryders looked so unlike the
synth-pop
Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
acts of the era," Griffin said.
The idea behind the cover, according to Griffin, "was me and photographer Ed Colver deciding to send a signal ... I always bought anything I saw if it looked '66."
Colver also subsequently shot the cover for the band's ''Native Sons'' album.
Reception
''10-5-60'' was well received by critics in both the US and the UK.
At the time of release, critic
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
gave it a B rating, stating: "What
Jason & the Scorchers
Jason & the Scorchers, originally Jason & the Nashville Scorchers, are a cowpunk band that formed in 1981 and are led by singer-songwriter Jason Ringenberg.
With a sound that combines punk rock and country music, Jason and the Scorchers are not ...
are to
punk
Punk or punks may refer to:
Genres, subculture, and related aspects
* Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres
* Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
these guys are to
new wave, with a soul
Gram Parsons
Ingram Cecil Connor III (November 5, 1946 – September 19, 1973), known professionally as Gram Parsons, was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist. He recorded with the International Submarine Band, the Byrds, and the Flying Bu ...
fans will recognize."
In a retrospective review,
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
's Mark Deming rated it three stars out of five, noting the Long Ryders' obvious affection for
the Byrds
The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...
, but adding that "they sound less like a throwback than some vintage band who somehow passed through a wrinkle in time and ended up in 1983." He also called the title track one of "the most exciting performances to come out of the '80s
garage revival
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock music that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The style is ...
."
Track listing
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the EP liner notes.
;The Long Ryders
*
Sid Griffin
Albert Sidney "Sid" Griffin (born September 18, 1955) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist-mandolinist, bandleader, and author who lives in London, England. He led the Long Ryders band in the 1980s, founded the Coal Porters group in ...
– guitar, autoharp, harmonica, vocals
*Steve McCarthy – guitar, steel guitar, banjo, mandolin, keyboards, vocals
*Des Brewer – bass, vocals
*
Greg Sowders
Gregory Michael Sowders (born March 17, 1960) is an American drummer and music publisher. He is a founding member of alternative country and Paisley Underground band the Long Ryders, and Senior Vice President and Head of A&R at Warner Chappell Mu ...
– drums, percussion
;Production
*
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 ...
– producer, engineer
*
The Long Ryders
The Long Ryders are an American alternative country and Paisley Underground band, principally active between 1982 and 1987, who have periodically regrouped for brief reunions (2004, 2009, 2014, 2016). In 2019 they released a new studio album � ...
– producer
*
Ed Colver – cover photography
*Heather Harris – art direction
*
Bill Inglot
Bill Inglot is an American music engineer and producer, best known for remastering older recordings to high quality digital standards.
Inglot worked for Rhino Entertainment and other Warner Music Group labels from 1982 to 2007. He was largely res ...
– digital remastering (1987 reissue)
;Note
*"The Trip" was recorded in February 1985 at
A&M Studios
The Jim Henson Company Lot, formerly A&M Studios, is a studio property located just south of the southeast corner of La Brea Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Originally established by film star Charlie Chaplin, the property served as C ...
in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...
with
Tom Stevens on bass, having replaced Des Brewer in late 1983.
Rerelease
''10-5-60'' was reissued on
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
in 1987 by the British
Zippo
A Zippo lighter is a reusable metal lighter produced by Zippo Manufacturing Company of Bradford, Pennsylvania, Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States. Thousands of different styles and designs have been made since their introduction in 1933, incl ...
label, adding the bonus track, "The Trip". The ''10-5-60'' tracks (including "The Trip") were later added as bonus tracks on
CD reissues of the album ''
Native Sons''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:10-5-60
1983 debut EPs
The Long Ryders albums