Before the East Coast new-wave circuit had a map, The Shades were already driving it. Formed in Central New Jersey from the high-school group Nobody Special, the six-piece developed it's own songs while holding down four-set bar nights and carrying them to the Hot Club, City Gardens, the 9:30 Club, the Rat and Bookies. They shared stages with the Mumps and, in September 1979, The Police. Between 1978 and 1980, sound engineer John DeMarzo captured The Shades in the Evans brothers' basement on a TEAC quarter-inch four-track machine. Basement Sessions 1978-1980 gathers nineteen of those previously unreleased demos, then adds both sides of the band's 1979 Go-Go single, ""Hello Mr. Johnson"" b/w ""Are You My Angel?,"" originally distributed in Britain through Rough Trade. Four-track tapes, six musicians and hooks enough to escape the basement. Liner notes by David M. Snyder. Remastered by Prof. Stoned.

Tracklist:

Hello
Are You My Angel?
Mr. College to You
Paint By Numbers
Happy Endings
Estella
Don't Mess Around
Arbor Row
Hey Linda
Crime Club
Trying Harder
Close at Hand
Just Because
Where's My Hat?
No Place for Me
Men from the Boys
It's a Secret
Turn It Over
It Pays to Be Cool
Hello Mr. Johnson (Single Version)
Are You My Angel? (Single Version)

UPC: 601570655913
Label: Think Like A Key Rec
Release Date: 10.30.26
Format: CD

[PRE-ORDER] Shades - Basement Sessions 1978-1980 (Digipak)