Pearl Harbor And The Explosions: “Pearl Harbor And The Explosions” (1980/2019) CD Review

Pearl Harbor And The Explosions were a group that formed in San Francisco in the late 1970s, quickly gaining popularity in that area. They released a single on a local independent label, and based on the strength of that single soon signed with Warner Bros. They released their debut self-titled album in 1980, and that record turned out to be the band’s only LP. They broke up later that year. Last year, the album was re-issued in a wonderful remastered and expanded edition with several bonus tracks, including some live recordings that give you a sense of why these guys were so popular on the concert circuit. The album features all original material, though the bonus live tracks are covers. Also included is a booklet containing new liner notes by Joel Selvin and several photos.

“Drivin’” was the band’s debut single, and it is also the song chosen to lead off the album. After nearly twenty seconds of the sounds of cars driving by, the song kicks in and quickly establishes itself as a totally catchy new wave pop number with a good bass line. It is a bit of pop, a bit of punk, a bit a dance thing, and it ends with a cool jam. It’s followed by “You Got It (Release It),” which has a bright pop vibe. This is a song that sounds like summer to me. “Don’t Come Back” is one of my favorites, in large part because of its great rhythm. That bass line and the drum beat totally work for me. Pearl’s vocal delivery has just the right amount of attitude. This track also features some really good work on guitar. It’s a totally enjoyable song. Another highlight of the album for me is “Shut Up And Dance,” a rock song that comes at us at a good clip with a steady beat and more good guitar work, and with a title that I love. This track also features what is probably my favorite vocal performance on the album.

Those of us living in California, particularly Los Angeles, have a small corner of our brains reserved for worry about the so-called Big One. In “The Big One,” Pearl Harbor sings, “The walls are crumbling/The ceiling is cracked/This is the Big One/Ain’t nothing gonna stay intact.”  Terrifying thought, of course, but the music is a lot of fun. “Forget about contingency plans/The situation’s out of our hands/This is the big snafu/What are we going to do?” What are we going to do, indeed. My plan is to panic. It is the only plan I am certain I can carry out. “The Big One” is followed by “So Much For Love,” an interesting song. The first time I heard it, the line that stood out for me was “Don’t ask me to try a little tenderness.” And immediately following that line, this song’s lyrics make references to other songs, including “Remember (Walking In The Sand),” “The Girl From Ipanema,” “Tears On My Pillow,” “Alison” (playing on the line “My aim is true”) and “Why Do Fools Fall In Love.” It leads directly into “Get A Grip On Yourself,” which fades in with a delicious drum beat. Pearl urges us, “Get a grip on yourself/And give me some rhythm.” The song is already giving such a great rhythm, plus some catchy guitar work. For some reason the line “So get a grip on yourself, but not too tight” makes me laugh. The original album concludes with “Up And Over,” a good, positive rock song, and another that sounds like what summer is supposed to be. They jam on this one a bit.

Bonus Tracks

The disc contains seven bonus tracks. The first, “Busy Little B Side,” is a fun rock and roll song about making rock music, telling the tale of putting out a single, having it fail, and then finding that the B side takes off. This was back in the day when radio DJs had some autonomy and would play the flip side if they liked it more than the A side. The song makes references to “Johnny B. Goode” and “Knock On Wood,” and there is a certain humor to it. This song itself was released as a B-side to “You Got It (Release It),” again showing a playful sense of humor. That’s followed by the original version of “Drivin’” from the independent single. The sounds of traffic at the beginning are gone, and in their place is a more musical form serving the same purpose, which I like a whole lot more (being along the lines of the beginning of Van Halen’s “Runnin’ With The Devil”). There is a more raw sound to this version. The flip side of that first single is also included, “Release It,” which was the original title of “You Got It (Release It).” At the 1:01 mark, there is a brief popping sound. I wonder if it is only my copy, or if it was part of the original single release.

The next three bonus tracks are live recordings from 1979, all three being covers. The first is “Let’s Eat,” a good rock tune written by Nick Lowe. This is an odd, goofy and totally enjoyable number in which Pearl sings, “Let’s eat, let’s eat/I want to move, move, move, move, move my teeth.” That’s followed by another playful number, “Black Slacks,” released as a single by Joe Bennett And The Sparkletones in 1957. This rendition by Pearl Harbor And The Explosions retains that classic rock and roll vibe, as well as the vibrating lips. This is a whole lot of fun, and at just under two minutes, it still manages to squeeze in some nice guitar work. And listening to this track, it’s easy to see that this band must have put on one hell of a good concert. “I ain’t nothing but a real cool breeze.” The third live track is a cover of Ron Wood’s “I Can Feel The Fire,” the lead-off track from his debut solo album, I’ve Got My Own Album To Do. There is a bit of a reggae groove to this one at times. The disc then concludes with a one-minute radio spot, providing a taste of a few of the songs from the album.

CD Track List

1. Drivin’
2. You Got It (Release It)
3. Don’t Come Back
4. Keep Going
5. Shut Up And Dance
6. The Big One
7. So Much For Love
8. Get A Grip On Yourself
9. Up And Over
10. Busy Little B Side
11. Drivin’ (single version)
12. Release It (single version)
13. Let’s Eat (live)
14. Black Slacks (live)
15. I Can Feel The Fire (live)
16. 1979 Radio Spot

This special re-issue of Pearl Harbor And The Explosions was released on April 12, 2019 through Blixa Sounds.