The Girls Are At It Again

09.06.09

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Almost a year has passed since my last post, and this return to blogging has been prompted by three events--the release of The Girls Are At It Again, Ellie Greenwich's passing, and Mini Viva's debut. Also, I miss writing. Since I traded my career as a journalist for A&R, I stopped blogging, writing, sitting next to my record player with a bottle of wine and a batch of new/old 45s to obsess over, studying Japanese. In short, I stopped doing loads of things I love in order to devote myself entirely to A&R. And it's been completely worth it. Today, Mini Viva, the girl duo I founded, released their debut single "Left My Heart In Tokyo." I've been refreshing iTunes (UK) all day, watching the single go from #44 to #18 to #15. It's currently at #12. It's quite mind-blowing to see the girls you spent nearly every day with over the past two years transform into pop stars, with a major label deal, big-shot management, and the head of Radio 1 calling their single "one of the most exciting pop records I've heard all year." Their video has garnered nearly 370,000 hits on youtube and has spawned some comments that quite aptly illustrates the state of intelligence in the modern world. Allow me to share.....

--"I sure hope they aren't lesbian"
--"fantastic song. who cares if the are lesbians. its about the music. and even if they were gay whats the big deal, there 2 beautiful young girls."
--"the satanic shit they are all talking about is seen if you pauze on this shit."
--"hmm ur the onli thts cloked tht the tune is satanic"
--"And for the record the devil is assosiated with the sun also so that explians the words you are going to google."

Amazing. For the record, Frankee + Britt are not lesbians, and those worried that the girls worship satan should know that the lyrics are "Sick sick sick sick sick, so tired of the best dress." Not "6-6-6-6-6." But truthfully, I'm loving the speculation, and shouldn't really talk, having once attempted to play Black Sabbath + Motley Crue records backwards to uncover the satanic messages.

In other news.....The Girls Are At It Again--a compilation of 25 obscure yet brilliant '60s Brit girl tracks--has finally seen the light of day. Hurray! I compiled and wrote the sleevenotes in 2006, but apparently it took Universal three years to license the tracks (which they already own). Sorry, I had to get a lil' dig in. You can order it from Amazon UK here and from Amazon USA here.

Much has already been written about Ellie Greenwich's passing. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have interviewed her on the phone five years ago. It was hands down one of the best interviews I've done, and I remember skipping down Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn after the interview, feeling completely elated and then rushing back home to conduct an Ellie Greenwich listening session that began with Ellie Gaye's "Cha-Cha-Charming" and ended with her work with Cyndi Lauper. We lost the lady who defined pop music. RIP Ellie.

Sheila

p.s. To the person that reviewed The Girls Are At It Again and wrote: "Sleevenotes by blonde bombshell Sheila B, the Diana Dors of NYC"...... I love you.

Posted by Sheila at 05:07 PM