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Paul Collins was an important figure on the Los Angeles power pop scene. In 1979, The Paul Collins' Beat penned an album which is still considered by many as the best disc of power-pop ever. In 2005 "Flyin' High" Paul Collins' eleventh album since The Paul Collins' Beat features twelve all-new songs.
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Paul Collins US power-pop for ever
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Paul Collins was a key member of two bands that anticipated the power-pop explosion of the late '70s and early '80s : the Nerves and The Paul Collins' Beat. Paul Collins' father was a civilian who worked with the U.S. military, a job that kept his family on the move, and young Paul Collins spent time in Greece, Vietnam, and Europe before ending up back in Manhattan at the age of 14. After graduating from high school, Paul Collins studied composition at the Julliard School then in the early '70s he moved to San Francisco, California to pursue his musical vision of short, punchy rock songs with copious hooks.
In 1974, Paul Collins met like-minded songwriters Peter Case (bass) and Jack Lee (guitar), and they formed the Nerves. Playing fast, ear-catching pop songs while wearing matching pink suits, the Nerves had more than a bit of the street energy that would later manifest in Los Angeles's early punk movement. The Nerves booked their own shows and did a nationwide tour of small venues on their own dime.
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In 1976 The Nerves put out a four-song 7" EP on their own label. While Blondie would have an early hit with a Nerves cover, "Hanging on the Telephone" (penned by Jack Lee), the band broke up in 1978, and not long afterward Paul Collins set out to form a new band. Hooking up with bassist Steve Huff, former Milk 'n' Cookies drummer Mike Ruiz, and guitarist Larry Whitman, Collins formed The Beat, whose tight, wiry hard-rockin' pop tunes picked up where the Nerves left off.Championed by Eddie Money (Paul Collins wrote "Let Me into Your Life" with him), the Paul Collins' Beat landed a management deal with West Coast rock powerhouse Bill Graham and a record contract with Columbia, releasing their first album (simply called "The Beat") in 1979.
While reviews were positive, for the most part American radio was still closed to "new wave" bands, and when the Knack broke through later the same year, it didn't help that the Knack sounded more than a little bit like The Beat - leading some to believe Paul Collins was copying a style he had helped to invent. Compared to the Knack, the Beat with Paul Collins were a lot more fun to listen. All the Beat's songs were full of hooky snaps, especially "Rock 'n' Roll Girl", "Walking Out on Love" and "Don't Wait Up for Me Tonight".
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It wasn't until 1982 that Collins was able to release a follow-up, and thanks to the burgeoning popularity of the British ska band the Beat, "The Kids Are the Same" was credited to Paul Collins' Beat. Despite extensive touring, the album fared poorly with record buyers, and Columbia dropped the band. Note : "The Beat" and "The Kids are The Same" have recently been released as a deluxe 2 for 1 on Cd. Two albums on one cd, digitally re-mastered from the original master tapes and features two exclusive bonus tracks.
The next Paul Collins' Beat record, 1983's "To Beat or Not to Beat", was an EP for the independent Passport label. The disc also featured a new lineup of the band, with only Steve Huff remaining with Paul Collins from the first album, and another indie EP with a new version of the band, "Long Time Gone", appeared in 1985.
Paul Collins' Beat albums "To Beat or not to Beat" and "Long Time Gone” have recently been released as a deluxe 2 for 1 on CD too. Same deluxe 2-on-one Cd, digitally re-mastered from the original master tapes and which features three previously unreleased bonus tracks. The includes extensive historical liner notes.
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Paul Collins in 1985
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After a final studio album credited to Paul Collins & the Beat, 1989's "One Night", Paul Collins struck out on his own and released a pair of fine country-rock albums, 1992's "Paul Collins" and 1993's "From Town to Town".
By this time, Paul Collins' work had earned him a sizable fan following in Spain, and a live album from a Spanish tour came out in 1997 (a Spanish Beat gig was also given the live LP treatment in 1986). In 2000, Collins released a new album in Spain, and a new edition of the Beat toured the country in 2005, with a live album from the jaunt in the works. (Most infos from Mark Deming, All Music Guide) - go to Paul Collins' discography...
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PAUL COLLINS' "FLYIN' HIGH" - NEW ALBUM 2005
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Paul Collins' "Flyin' High"
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Paul Collins' new solo album is entitled "Flying High" and features twelve all-new songs that were written during various points of Paul' Collins' life. The standard edition of Paul Collins' "Flying High" Cd is now available through "www.paulcollinsbeat.com" and at most retail stores around the world.
"Flyin' High", Paul Collins' eleventh album since The Paul Collins' Beat, marks an end to a nearly 12-year musical quest and a start of a creative period that will generate several more releases including more full-lenght studio albums, a live album and a surprise that is sure to thrill fans of Paul Collins entire body of work. "Flying High" album was recorded in Madrid, Spain, over the course of four days. - read more about this album...
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PAUL COLLINS' BEAT - OFFICIAL WEBSITE
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Warning : These pages and their authors are not connected with Paul Collins, The Beat & The Paul Collins' Beat. Graphik Designs site is a personal website not affiliated with Paul Collins' management, The Beat or The Paul Collins' Beat. Paul Collins is not responsible for content displayed on these pages. To get more accurate informations please go to Paul Collins Official website: http://wwww.thepaulcollinsbeat.com
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