Songs That PEARL HARBOUR Taught Us

Cowgirl Pearl

Do you love Pearl Harbour as much as we do?  It's not a contest -- but if it was, this blog would win!  Here's a deluxe edition custom combo compilation thingy of songs that Pearl has covered, as well as a couple cover versions of songs from Pearl's solo debut (Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too)!

If you don't know her story, Pearl is the daughter of a Filipina and an American serviceman, so "Filipino Baby" is almost autobiographical.  As a teenager, Pearl emigrated from Germany to San Francisco, where she became the singer for Pearl Harbor And The Explosions.  She left the band after a difference of opinion in musical direction.  "I wanted the show to be more wild rock & roll. They were more interested in jazz, funk, and rhythm & blues," she later recalled.  In concert, The Explosions covered the rockabilly classic "Black Slacks" as well as Ron Wood's "I Can Feel The Fire" and Nick Lowe's "Let's Eat".

Pearl traveled back across the Atlantic in search of that wild rock & roll sound, and cut her 1980 solo debut in London with Nigel Dixon, Steve New, and Wilko Johnson on guitar (all of whom have been featured here).  Geraint Watkins played keyboards, and his music has been compiled here by Koen.  

Ian Dury with Pearl

Mickey Gallagher produced the album, and Pearl covered Ian Dury's "Rough Kids", as well as "Losing To You" (from Nigel Dixon's band Whirlwind) and "Cowboys & Indians" from Geraint Watkins & The Dominators.   Another cover she recorded (which became a signature song of her career) was "Fujiyama Mama".  

Pearl married Paul Simonon (whose brother Nick briefly played drums for Pearl), and she toured Japan with The Clash.  Today's comp includes a live "Fujiyama" and "Hit The Road Jack" from that tour (with a descending bassline similar to "Stray Cat Strut").  Speaking of the Stray Cats, Pearl and Wilko joined them onstage at Montreux for a version of "Be Bop A Lula" (you can barely hear Wilko near the end).  Pearl also covered "Wrong Em Boyo" with The Mods, a Japanese punk band who played on her third solo album. She later sang "Brand New Cadillac" with The Colts, another Japanese band.

Pearl with The Mods

Pearl and Paul eventually divorced, and she returned to San Francisco.  Her last solo album (so far!) was recorded with East Bay Ray (whose guitar work with the DK's and other bands has also been featured here).  

Here Comes Trouble was recorded as a tribute to Phillip Bury, the beloved frontman of Buck Naked & The Bare Bottom Boys. Phillip was tragically killed in 1992.  Stinky LePew (aka Stinky Naked) joined Pearl on the album, and the title track was a Bare Bottom Boys original.  

The "jukebox" portion of today's share includes several other originals that Pearl recorded, and the "songbook" section features two covers of Pearl Harbour originals: "Do Your Homework" by Supersnazz and "Heaven Is Gonna Be Empty" by Hanoi Rocks.  There was a Swiss band called Satellits who covered "Alone In The Dark" (also from Don't Follow Me), but I can't afford their EP and I've never found an mp3 online.  Help me, internet!

Blammed Blammed Blammed

Translator (early days in SF)

Before getting into today's compilations, here is some music news that I'm excited about.  

Next month, Liberation Hall will release a live Translator album called Beyond Today (recorded in 1986 at The Farm in SF), with two bonus studio tracks recorded in 2023-24 by the original Translator members!  Steve Barton (one of Translator's two singer/songwriters) is a prolific solo artist, with an album in 2024 and two new digital singles so far in 2025 (all of which you can stream and purchase at Bandcamp).  Steve often works with Translator drummer Dave Scheff (who gets a solo feature on the live album). 

Beyond Today is an electrifying live set of Translator favorites with some impressive psychedelic guitar workouts, and it's capped off by a storming version of "Roll Over Beethoven".  It will be available next month in LP, CD and digital formats.  Get it here!  

Liberation Hall will also reissue the self-titled album by Pearl Harbor & The Explosions (LP, CD and digital) with bonus tracks!  And the Redd Kross documentary is now available for home viewing from Vimeo!  

Andreyud and Richard helped me to compile Blammed Blammed Blammed. Nathan recently posted Blue Blue Blue's album, and he recommended "Bad Habits" by FuckFuckFuck. Today's set of triple band names includes the triple triples "No No No" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Bright Bright Bright" by Dark Dark Dark, and "Light Light Light" by Black Black Black!

Today's other shares are Sell Sell Sell (mostly 1990's alt-rock), and another set of song titles with four or more words (Again & Again & Again & Again).

Wilko Johnson With The Artists

Listening to Mick Farren's Vampires Stole My Lunch Money recently, an instantly recognizable guitar sound jumped from the speakers.  It could only be Wilko Johnson.  That got me to thinking about Wilko's other musical exploits after he left Dr. Feelgood.  He formed a band, the Solid Senders.  He joined Ian Dury & The Blockheads.  And he collaborated with a range of other performers.

I wasn't planning to do a Wilko compilation, especially after Koen made such a great one.  But the more I looked into Wilko's post-Feelgoods discography, the more interesting it got.

It's a pleasure to hear Wilko with other vocalists (including Ian Dury, Pearl Harbour, and Roger Daltrey), as well as playing with other guitarists (such as John Turnbull, Steve Hooker and Makoto Ayukawa).  Ayukawa's wife Sheena sings "Fujiyama Mama".  It's a shame that Johnny Thunders only sang on "Cool Operator" and didn't engage in a guitar duel with Wilko.  At least we get to hear Wilko and Wayne Kramer trade licks on "Walking Wounded" by The Mutants (not the SF Mutants, but an "all star band" assembled by Marco Pirroni's former Wolfmen collaborator, Chris Constantinou.) 

Wilko also played on a 1977 single by Celia & The Mutations (members of the Stranglers backing a female singer).  At a concert by The Stranglers and Friends in 1980 (while Hugh Cornwell was in prison) Wilko backed Phil Daniels on "Dead Loss Angeles". (Daniels played Jimmy in Quadrophenia and was the vocalist on Blur's "Parklife".)  In 2013, Wilko guested on a single by the Urban Voodoo Machine. And then he made an elpee with that geezer what was in The Who.

You can watch Wilko go through all his stage moves and facial expressions during a storming performance of "Sweet Gene Vincent" and "Blockheads" during Ian Dury's 1985 concert filmed at the Hammersmith Odeon. Wilko spent many years playing with bassist Norman Watt-Roy -- in the Blockheads, Solid Senders, and The Wilko Johnson Band.  Norman is also the bassist on the tracks with Pearl Harbour, Makoto Ayukawa, The Mutants, and Roger Daltrey.

ELSEWHERE ON THE BLOG: Dr. Feelgood's Jukebox, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2.

The Best of Nigel Dixon

 

After our recent Pearl Harbour announcement, Nathan Nothin posted Havana 3AM's debut album.  Down Underground shared some Pearl Harbour vinyl rips.  Reaction at Jonderblog HQ was swift and furious:  How dare they, those bastards!

Stinky summed up the general mood during an emergency shareholder meeting.  "We must crush them," he seethed (with a hatred he usually reserves for Butterboy).

You see, blogging is a highly lucrative industry, and the competition is cutthroat.  With each pageview and download, we receive kickbacks and incentives.  Bringing a free agent like Koen to our team was incredibly expensive, but we couldn't afford to lose him to a rival blog.   

The dirty secret of music bloggers is that we all hate each other, and we all hate music.  (It's got too many notes.)  Sure, we act friendly and feign enthusiasm.  But content is our commerce, and what Nathan and Viacom did is unforgivable.  

In order to reassert our dominance in this topical turf battle, Stinky put together an overview of Nigel Dixon's musical career, which started with British rockabilly band Whirlwind.  That led to his work on Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too and its followup album, 1983's Pearls Galore (not to be confused with her 1984 LP of the same title). 

Havana 3AM released their self-titled debut in 1991.  Nigel was the lead singer, Gary Myrick the lead guitarist, with Paul Simonon on bass and Travis Williams on drums.  Nigel Dixon died in 1993; Myrick released one more album under the Havana 3AM name (but with none of the other members) in 1996. 

Stinky's comp includes Nigel Dixon's solo single, songs that he cowrote and played guitar on with Pearl Harbour, a few Havana 3AM tracks, and a whole lotta Whirlwind.  Hopefully this show of force will teach our rivals a lesson.

Explosive News from Pearl Harbour!

Pearl Harbour's 1980 solo album Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too will be reissued in March 2024 by the Liberation Hall label!  Fans may recall that the self-titled album by Pearl Harbor And The Explosions was reissued in 2019.  Here Comes Trouble (Pearl's fourth solo album, featuring East Bay Ray) was digitally reissued in 2021.

Don't Follow Me was first released with a green tinted B&W cover (below) in the US, Canada, Australia, and Japan.  Pennie Smith made the portrait of Pearl singing into a vintage microphone.  The UK and other European countries got a glamorous color portrait of Pearl in a leather jacket on a motorcycle, and that's the image (at left) featured on the reissue.  Peter Ashworth was the photographer. You may recognize some of his other album covers as well as the iconic photographs of Pennie Smith.

The back cover of the reissue finally reveals the musicians' identities. Nigel Dixon of British rockabilly band Whirlwind cowrote songs and played guitar.  Steve New, Wilko Johnson, and Mick Jones were the other guitarists.  Paul Simonon played bass; Steve Goulding and Topper Headon played drums.  Geraint "Otis" Watkins added keyboards; BJ Cole played pedal steel; and Gary Barnacle had the horn.  Mickey Gallagher produced. It was a convocation of rockabilly, punk and pub rock players from The Clash, The Blockheads, Dr. Feelgood, Rich Kids, Whirlwind, and The Rumour!  All of this talent was united behind Pearl's terrific singing voice, which sounded equally adept at rockabilly, R&B, and country. 

The expanded reissue includes the b-sides of the Fujiyama Mama and Cowboys & Indians singles, plus both sides of Pearl's Voodoo Voodoo single and two demos.  Pennie Smith also shot the sleeves for those singles.

Pearl herself contributed liner notes and photos to this reissue.  "I loved making this album," she wrote, "but unfortunately the record label wasn't happy with it," and gave it "little to no promotion". Liberation Hall aims to address this injustice! You can pre-order Pearl's album at Bandcamp on purple vinyl, CD (for the first time!) or digital download.

Liberation Hall has also created a series called Sounds From The San Francisco Underground to showcase soundboard recordings made by Terry Hammer.  Terry was a radio DJ who would broadcast concerts by local and touring artists live from Bay Area clubs like Mabuhay Gardens, the Savoy Tivoli, the Boarding House, On Broadway, and the Keystone. 

Other upcoming releases on Liberation Hall include The Contractions (live at the Fab Mab) Shakin' Street (live at the Old Waldorf), and a repress of Straight Outta East LA by The Brat.  All of them (including Don't Follow Me) will arrive in March, which is Women's History Month.  It's an appropriate tribute to Pearl Harbour, Fabienne Shine of Shakin' Street, Teresa Covarrubias of The Brat, and the members of The Contractions.  These women prevailed despite sexism and harassment in the music industry of the 1970's and 1980's, and they deserve to be heard!

Gnarly Guitarists: East Bay Ray

East Bay Ray is best known as the founding guitarist of The Dead Kennedys.  With a style that incorporates the influences of surf, rockabilly, jazz, and the soundtrack music from spy films and spaghetti Westerns, he has never been the stereotypical punk rock guitar player. He has cited Syd Barrett's playing on Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and Scotty Moore on The Sun Sessions as primary inspirations.

The DK's formed in San Francisco in 1978, and split up after the release of Bedtime For Democracy (1986). Ray, Klaus Fluoride, and D.H. Peligro got back together in 2001, and have performed with various singers for the past two decades.

In the 1990's, Ray performed and recorded with Skrapyard, Frenchy, Candyass, and Pearl Harbour. Ray was also part of Jumbo Shrimp, Klaus Flouride's surf instrumental group. Since the Dead Kennedys reunited, Ray has guested with Amanda Palmer, Hed P.E., Cell Block 5, Kore Kosmou, Prime Suspect, David Alpha, The Balboas, and The Screaming Bloody Marys.

In 2009, East Bay Ray released a solo album. In 2011 he debuted a band called The Killer Smiles, whose singer Skip (formerly of the Wynona Riders) also serves as the DK's current frontman.

Today we have a selection of songs from a three decade career in music: punk, surf, lounge, jazz, rockabilly, garage rock, psychedelia, and more. Let's salute Ray Pepperell, gnarly guitarist from the East Bay!

The Best Of Steve New and Stella Nova

Steve New auditioned at age 15 (fresh from the London Jazz Orchestra) to be the Sex Pistols' second guitarist. That didn't work out, but in 1977 he and Midge Ure (McLaren's first choice for Sex Pistols singer) joined Glen Matlock's new band, Rich Kids. 

Midge, Glen, Steve, and Rusty

Steve New played drums on Steel Leg vs. The Electric Dread, and keyboards on the PiL song "Pied Piper". As a guitarist, he backed Sid Vicious,  Johnny Thunders, Iggy Pop, Pearl Harbour, Barry Andrews and Gary Twinn (him again?) Pearl Harbour said, "Steve had the most unique guitar sound & his solos were from another planet."

Pulling faces with Pearl Harbour

Steve New played lead guitar on the Gen X single "Dancing With Myself". Billy and Tony James reportedly wanted Steve to be their new lead guitarist, but were concerned about the severity of his heroin addiction. There are long periods of silence in the Steve New discography.

From 1996 until his death in 2010, Steve New was a member of Glen Matlock's Philistines. Steve also led his own musical projects Lude, The New, and Beastellabeast (the latter two with Beatrice Brown). He worked with Lawrence on the Go-Kart Mozart album Tearing Up The Album Chart.

Stella Nova and Beatrice Brown

Beastellabeast was the first group where Steve embraced his identity as Stella Nova. Previously his transvestism had been kept hidden. The two albums by Beastellabeast are musically adventurous and worlds away from the Rich Kids and Philistines. There's some extraplanetary guitar work, stuttering rhythms and musique concrète in the songs of Beastellabeast and The New. Stella Nova had a fine singing voice, and it's a shame that we didn't get to hear more of it. 

Stella Nova died of cancer in 2010, less than six months after a Rich Kids reunion show. Phil Singleton's description of the show makes me wonder if any recordings exist from that night. Rest peacefully among the stars, Stella Nova.

Good Clean Holiday Fun with Pearl Harbour and Bonnie Hayes (Plus PUSHUPS and PUNTS)!

 

Exciting news for Pearl Harbour fans: her debut solo album (Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too) will soon be released on CD for the first time by Blixa Sounds. The remastered LP is already on streaming services, with bonus tracks including Pearl's Voodoo Voodoo single and the non-LP b-sides of her singles Fujiyama Mama and Cowboys & Indians.  

Blixa is the same label that put out Pearl Harbor And The Explosions on CD. Last week, Blixa gave Gun Club fans a long-overdue "sonic cleansing" of Miami with a bonus disc of 18 demos. 

Blixa has also reissued Good Clean Fun by Bonnie Hayes With The Wild Combo, coupled with their Brave New Girl EP and The Punts' 1981 single. You may remember Bonnie's 1982 LP on Slash Records, or her songs "Girls Like Me" and "Shelly's Boyfriend" from the movie Valley Girl. 

Bonnie Hayes wrote two of the biggest hits on Bonnie Raitt's smash Nick Of Time album, and the title track of Adam Ant's Wonderful. Bonnie's first band, The Punts,  played some of the same SF clubs as Pearl Harbor And The Explosions.

Last but not least, Pushups Is Pop will be released on vinyl by Hozac Records later this month -- yet another San Francisco treat to ask Santa to bring ya. On Dasher, on Dancer, on Hozac and Blixa!

Explosive News from Pearl E. Gates!

The debut album by Pearl Harbor & The Explosions will be released TOMORROW (April 12) for the first time on CD!

In addition to remastered tracks of the band’s first and only album, the CD will include rare bonus material from the original "Drivin" single on 415 Records, as well as a non-LP B-Side, live material, a 1979 radio spot, and a 16 page booklet.

The CD will be released by Blixa Sounds, the label that put out a three disc set by Robin Lane & The Chartbusters last month.

A listening party will be held at the Phone Booth Bar in San Francisco this Sunday, April 14th at 6pm (no cover charge).  Peter Bilt, Hilary Stench and Pearl herself promise to be there!

I will get back to sharing music soon.  I've been working on several ideas for new posts, but I haven't actually finished any of them yet.

Pearl Harbour (Part 2): The Missing Years

Promo photo for Here Comes Trouble.
Looks like the same bikini, 25 years later!

Back in the USA, there was a gap in Pearl's musical activities until she became inspired by a SF rockabilly trio known as Buck Naked And The Bare Bottom Boys. She started writing songs with the band, but Buck Naked was tragically shot to death in 1992. The resulting album, Here Comes Trouble, was dedicated to his memory. East Bay Ray played lead guitar, and the group recorded covers of You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It) by the Undertones, and the Richard Berry classic Have Love Will Travel. 

Pearl with East Bay Ray in 1995

The album went unreleased until Pearl met a former classmate from her childhood in Germany who had started a record label. Here Comes Trouble (1995) was Pearl's last solo album. She guested on a 2002 record by rockabilly band The Colts, singing Brand New Cadillac and her best known song, Fujiyama Mama.

Since then, Pearl has parlayed her longstanding passion for vintage clothing and collectibles into a line of custom designed handbags. She has appeared in several books (including an interview in 2005's Wacky Chicks by Simon Doonan) and films (including the 2012 documentary The Rise And Fall Of The Clash).  

Pearl in the film Siren by Viv Albertine

Pearl in 2018

Here's Pearl on the end of the Clash: "It is hard to replace people. It is hard to replace your youth. You can't have money and pretend you don't.  I don't see it as much of a mystery that when you get a little bit older, you can't be a crazy-ass punk unless you're a loser." 

Promotional comic for Here Comes Trouble

Things I would love to see or hear: "Two Bullets" by Pearl Harbour And The Palaminos (a song from the film Sid & Nancy that did not appear on the soundtrack album); the "Killer Joe" music video (directed by Don Letts); Siren (a 1986 film directed by Viv Albertine); and the Pearl Harbour comic book!

Everybody's Boring But Pearl Harbour (Part 1)

The singer known as Pearl Harbour was born in 1955 to an American soldier and a Filipino mother, and was raised in Germany with four older brothers. At the age of 17, she moved to San Francisco with ambitions of becoming a country singer. At 18, she joined a dance troupe called the Wood Nymphs. In 1976, Pearl became a dancer for The Tubes (after beating a hundred other performers in a talent contest). She then joined a Tubes-related cabaret act called Leila And The Snakes. "We did four sets a night: punk, cocktail hour, comedy, skits, tap dancing, twirling hula hoops while singing. It was kind of like being in a play. Interesting and fun for awhile, but you got tired of it.... Then I wanted to branch out into rock and roll." Leila And The Snakes released a 1978 single called "Rock & Roll Weirdos".  Pearl, John Hanes (drums) and Hilary Hanes (bass) split from the Snakes, added guitarist Peter Bilt, and formed Pearl Harbor and the Explosions. Their debut single Drivin' was a local hit in SF for 415 Records, and was re-released by Warner Bros. A self-titled album followed.

The Explosions imploded after two world tours. "I wanted the show to be more wild rock & roll. They were more interested in jazz, funk, and rhythm & blues and a little bit straighter kind of show," Pearl recalled in an interview. (The Explosions did perform the Sparkletones' classic Black Slacks and Pearl's rockabilly tune Nerves.) The Explosions' drummer and bassist John and Hilary Hanes (aka the Stench brothers) joined Damon Edge and Helios Creed in Chrome. Pearl moved to London, where she knew members of the punk and pub rock scenes. Pearl had a contract with Warners for a solo album. She wrote songs with guitarist Nigel Dixon (from British rockabilly band Whirlwind) and pianist Geraint "Otis" Watkins. Micky Gallagher from Ian Dury's Blockheads was the producer. Musicians who participated in the sessions included Paul Simonon and his brother Nick, Mick Jones, Topper Headon, Wilko Johnson, Steve New, Steve Goulding, and BJ Cole. Pearl's first single was a cover of Fujiyama Mama (first recorded by Anisteen Allen, then made famous by Pearl's rockabilly role model Wanda Jackson), with Pearl's original composition Nerves on the flipside.

The music on Pearl's debut solo album, Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost Too (1980), ranged from rockabilly to country (Losing To You), girl groups (Everybody's Boring But My Baby), New Orleans R&B (Let's Go Upstairs), and the autobiographical Filipino Baby. The LP was a showcase for Pearl's eclectic taste, her sense of humor, and the expressive range of her voice. According to her website, Pearl didn't think it suited the spirit of the punk era to print the all-star guest list on the album cover. 

Pearl and Paul Simonon married in 1982. There are live videos from this period of Pearl singing Fujiyama Mama with the Clash, and Pearl and Wilko Johnson joining the Stray Cats onstage at Montreux for Be Bop A Lula. Wilko produced Pearl's next single, a cover of Voodoo Voodoo (first recorded by LaVern Baker). Pearl's next album was recorded at Abbey Road. Nigel Dixon, Otis Watkins and BJ Cole were back, along with members of Tenpole Tudor. Warners didn't pick it up, but Pearls Galore (1983) was released in Japan, on Epic/Sony.

Another album (also called Pearls Galore) was recorded with producer Richard Gottehrer and a Japanese punk band called The Mods. Nigel Dixon and Chris Spedding also contributed guitar work. This LP was released by in Europe by Island Records in 1984. Some of the songs from the previous album were rerecorded, along with a new version of Nerves and covers of the Rocky Fellers' Killer Joe and the Buddy Knox hit Hula Love. Gottehrer had produced the Go-Go's, Blondie, and other New Wave artists, but his songwriting and production credits go back to the girl group era. He seemed to be a perfect match for Pearl (who had been singing the Shangri-Las' song Out In The Streets since she was in Leila And The Snakes), but the album and its singles didn't chart. Pearl made several tours of Japan with The Mods between 1983 and 1985. After her marriage ended in 1987, she moved back to SF. Her former writing partner Nigel Dixon joined her ex-husband Paul Simonon in the short-lived band Havana 3 A.M. Nigel Dixon died in 1993. Pearl is alive and well (and still gorgeous), and she occasionally performs in LA and SF.

First photo of Pearl (with Leila And The Snakes) by Chester Simpson.  Third photo by Richard McCaffree (from the 1980 book X-Capees).  Second and fourth photo (with The Mods) appeared on Pearl Harbour's Instagram. Pearl noted that she lived for three years in the storage shed seen in the second photo. Interview quotes from Mary Campbell, "Singer Pearl Harbour has curious past, bright future." (AP)