''Repercussion'' is the second studio album by American

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and 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, ...

band

the dB's The dB's are an American alternative Rock music, rock and power pop group, who formed in New York City in 1978 and first came to prominence in the early 1980s. Their debut album ''Stands for Decibels'' is acclaimed as one of the great "lost" pow ...

, released in 1981 by Albion Records. Like its predecessor, ''

Stands for Decibels ''Stands for Decibels'' is the debut studio album by American power pop band the dB's, released January 15, 1981 by Albion Records. The album was commercially unsuccessful but critically acclaimed. At the time of its release, the dB's consisted ...

'', the album was commercially unsuccessful but critically acclaimed. This was the band's final album with the original lineup, as

Chris Stamey Christopher Charles Stamey (born December 6, 1954) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. After a brief time playing with Alex Chilton, as well as Mitch Easter under the name Sneakers, Stamey formed The dB's with Peter ...

left in early April 1982.

Background and production

Stamey and

Peter Holsapple Peter Livingston Holsapple (born February 19, 1956) is an American musician who, along with Chris Stamey, formed the dB's, a jangle-pop band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, ...

, the band's dual singers/guitarists, each ended up contributing six songs on the album. As was the case on their debut, Stamey's songs veered towards more experimental melodies and rhythms, while Holsapple's songs were more traditionally in a pop vein. The album was produced by

Scott Litt Scott Warren Litt (born March 10, 1954) is an American record producer who mostly works with artists in the alternative rock genre and is best known for producing six R.E.M. albums in the late 1980s and early to mid-1990s during the band's most ...

(later famous for his association with the band

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

and for remixing

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

's album ''

In Utero The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', : uteri or uteruses) or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans, that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more fertilized eggs until bir ...

''), giving it a "fuller, more modern overall sound". The first track, Holsapple's "Living a Lie", featured a horn section,

the Rumour The Rumour were an English prog rock new wave rock band active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are best known as the backup band for Graham Parker, whose early records (from 1976 to 1980) were credited to Graham Parker & the Rumour. ...

Brass. Stamey's "ridiculously catchy" song "Ask for Jill" was about the process of mastering an album. Holsapple's composition "Amplifier" (about a suicidal man reflecting on how his significant other left him and took all his belongings, save for the titular object) became the band's lead single and also their first video. "Amplifier" was later rerecorded and included on the band's next album, '' Like This''. The original version was later included on

Rhino Records A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

' box set '' Left of the Dial: Dispatches from the '80s Underground''. A video for the second single, "Neverland", was completed but went unreleased until the band uploaded it to their website in 2008.

Reception

Robert Palmer Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice, sartorial elegance and stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, regga ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' praised ''Repercussion'', arguing that it proves "the excellence of the group's first album was no fluke" and that ''Repercussion'' was "a more consistent, more mature piece of work" than its predecessor. He then hailed the band as "one of the most resourceful and inventive pop-rock bands making records and performing," writing that "the dB's are out to prove that pop songs can carry as much emotional freight as hard rock or blues-based numbers, and they prove it brilliantly."

Track listing

Side 1 # "Living a Lie" – 3:26 (

) # "We Were Happy There" – 2:39 (Holsapple) # "Happenstance" – 4:07 (Chris Stamey) # "From a Window" – 2:34 (Stamey) # "Amplifier" – 3:08 (Holsapple) # "Ask for Jill" – 2:33 (Stamey) Side 2 #

"I Feel Good (Today)" – 4:28 (Stamey) # "Storm Warning" – 2:32 (Holsapple) # "Ups and Downs" – 3:03 (Stamey) # "Nothing Is Wrong" – 4:16 (Holsapple) # "In Spain" – 3:02 (Stamey) # "Neverland" – 2:46 (Holsapple) Different versions of the album have been reissued on CD with different bonus tracks, usually either Holsapple's instrumental

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

"PH Factor" or Stamey's "Soul Kiss".

Personnel

The dB's

– guitar, vocals *

– guitar, vocals *Gene Holder – bass guitar *

Will Rigby Will Rigby is an American musician known for being the drummer of jangle pop band the dB's, a band he formed along with Peter Holsapple, Chris Stamey, and Gene Holder in the late 1970s. He has also performed with many other artists and has rele ...

– drums

Additional musicians

Andy Clark Andy Clark, (born 1957) is a British philosopher who is Professor of Cognitive Philosophy at the University of Sussex. Prior to this, he was a professor of philosophy and Chair in Logic and Metaphysics at the University of Edinburgh in Scotla ...

– additional keyboards *

The Rumour The Rumour were an English prog rock new wave rock band active in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They are best known as the backup band for Graham Parker, whose early records (from 1976 to 1980) were credited to Graham Parker & the Rumour. ...

Brass: **Chris Gower – trombone **Dick Hansen – trumpet ** John "Irish" Earle – saxophones

References

{{Authority control 1982 albums Albums produced by Scott Litt The dB's albums I.R.S. Records albums