The Swimming Pool Q's
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1978--79) - Jeff Calder -- vocals, rhythm guitar, sax - Bob Elsey -- lead guitar, rhythm guitar - Billy Jones -- bass - Robert Schmid -- drums, percussion
line up 2 (1979-84) NEW- Jeff Calder -- vocals, rhythm guitar, sax - Anne Richmond Boston -- vocals, pipe organ - Bob Elsey -- lead guitar, rhythm guitar NEW- Pete Jarkunas -- bass (replaced Billy Jones) - Robert Schmid -- drums, percussion
line up 3 (1984-87) NEW - Billy Burton -- drums, percussion (replaced Robert Schmid) - Jeff Calder -- vocals, rhythm guitar, sax - Anne Richmond Boston -- vocals, pipe organ - Bob Elsey -- lead guitar, rhythm guitar - Pete Jarkunas -- bass (replaced Billy Jones)
line up 4 (1987-92) - Billy Burton -- drums, percussion, backing vocals - Jeff Calder -- vocals, rhythm guitar, sax - Bob Elsey -- lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals NEW - J.E. Garnett -- bass, backing vocals (replaced Pete Jarkunas)
backing musicians (1987) - Bill Aaron - keyboards, whistling - Brendan O'Brien
-- piano, backing vocals
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- The Hampton Grease Band (Glenn Phillips) - Anne Richmond Boston (solo efforts) - Glenn Phillips (solo efforts) - The Supreme Court (Jeff Calder)
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Genre: rock Rating: 4 stars **** Title: The Deep End Company: DB Catalog: DB-55 Year: 1981 Country/State: Atlanta, Georgia Grade (cover/record): VG+/ VG+ Comments: minor ring and edge wear; includes original lyric insert Available: 1 Catalog ID: 5064 Price: $10.00
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I'll readily admit that the early-1980s were prime record buying time for me, but somehow this Atlanta-based outfit never caught my attention. The only saving grace is that I eventually stumbled on them - albeit some twenty years later.
In 1978 Calder and Elsey decided to form a band. They quickly recruited singer/keyboardist Ann Richmond Boston, bass player Billy Jones (quickly replaced by Pete Jarkunas) and drummer Robert Schmid. As The Swimming Pool Q's they quickly released a single on the local Chlorinated label 'Rat Bait' b/w 'The A-Bomb Woke Me Up' (Chlorinated catalog number 079).
While the 45 didn't do much commercially, but won critical praise and won the band some attention opening for bands like Devo and The Police. It also captured the attention of DB Records owner Danny Beard who promptly signed them to a contract.
Produced by the band and Bruce Baxter, 1981's "The Deep End" may have been one of the best albums to emerge from the late-1970s/early-1980s Southern new wave scene. Sure bands like the B-52s, Love Tractor and R.E.M. won the fans and sales, but take my word for it - this album was as good, if not better than anything those competitors did at the start of their careers. With Calder responsible for most of the material (everybody but bassist Jarkunas contributed to the album), in addition to the earlier single, musically the album offered up a wild mixture of highly commercial jangle rock ('Little Misfits'), B-52s-styled new wave ('Big Fat Tractor') and flashes of Captain Beefheart-inspired madness ('Stock Car Sin'). In spite of critical comparisons with other Georgia-based outfits, The Q's were very much their own masters. While they were more than capable of cranking out a fun party tune ('Walk Like a Chicken'), Calder and Richmond Boston seemed far more comfortable while pursuing darker and more ominous topics and sounds like ''Stick In My Hand' and 'Black Bug'. Add in a distinctively Southern feel to those tales and you had something quite unique. While Calder was a decent singer (occasionally recalling a scarier Fred Schneider), Richmond-Boston was the real find; her performances on songs like 'Overheated' and 'Little Misfit' providing some of the LP highlights. The latter was also released as a single: 'Little Misfit' b/w 'Stingray' (DB catalog number DB-63)
"The Deep
End" track listing: 1.) Little Misfit (Jeff Calder - Bob Eisley - Anne Richmond Boston - Robert Schmid) - 4:22 2.) Big Fat Tractor (Jeff Calder - Bob Eisley) - 3:15 3.) Stick In My Hand (Jeff Calder) - 5:53 4.) The A-Bomb Woke Me Up (Jeff Calder - Billy Jones - Bob Eisley) - 3:00 5.) Rat
Bait (Jeff Calder - Bob Eisley) - 2:15 (side
2) 2.) Stock Car Sin (Jeff Calder) - 3:09 3.) Walk Like a Chicken (Jeff Calder) - 2:00 4.) Black Bug (Jeff Calder) - 2:54 5.) Overheated (Jeff Calder - Rea) - 3:09 6.) I Like To Take Orders From You - 2:40
The Q's have a nice website at: http://www.swimmingpoolqs.com/
(Jeff Calder - Cummings) - |
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Genre: rock Rating: 4 stars **** Title: World War Two Point Five Company: Capitol/DB Catalog: C1-91068 Year: 1989 Country/State: Atlanta, Georgia Grade (cover/record): VG+/ VG+ Comments: includes original inner sleeve with printed lyrics Available: 2 Catalog ID: 2169 Price: $10.00
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If I were an intellectual with a rock habit The Swimming Pool Q's would be a prime listening experience for me. Geez, I'm not an intellectual and I still think they're a great band.
Down to a quartet with the departure of long time singer/keyboardist Anne Richmond Boston (though she was credited with the cover design), the band's fourth studio album found them working with producers Greg Quesnel and Danny Beard (billed as executive producer). Featuring all-original tunes credited as band collaborations, 1989's "World War Two Point Five" is one of those albums that may not make a big initial impression, but grows on you with a little time and effort. While Boston's voice was missed, Calder seldom sounded as good and the band sounded tight throughout, Musically the set was pretty diverse with stabs at Americana ('Sweet Reward'), Big Country/U2 styled anthem rock ('Broken Pieces'), jittery new wave-ish rock ('The Lord of Wiggling'), and even a couple of sweet ballads ('In the Place of Milk and Honey'). And for a listener who usually wasn't big on lyrics, I found this set consistently intriguing. Perhaps not my go-to Swimming Pool Q's album, but a nice addition to their catalog.
"The Deep
End" track listing: 1.) 1943 A.D. (Bill Burton - Jeff Calder - Bob Elsey - J.E. Garnett) - 4:29 "1943, Easter Day... the rising sun took my boy away ..." I'm a pretty shallow guy and anything deeper than moon-in-June ;lyrics tend to be lost on me. That said, as the child of a pair of World War II veterans I know a little bit about the war so the lyrics kind of caught my attention. As a child I can remember my parents taking me to see the site of the D Day landings and being monumentally bored. I can remember seeing the meticulous military cemeteries and not quite understanding why there so many white markers. Anyhow, based on the liner notes which included a dedication to Jack Calder who was shown in uniform (his military dog tags were also shown on the back cover), I'm guessing the song was inspired by Calder's late father ... The song itself was a mesmerizing folk-rock tune with a hook that wouldn't leave you alone. rating: **** stars 2.) I'd Rather Feel This Pain (Than Be Nowhere) (Bill Burton - Jeff Calder - Bob Elsey - J.E. Garnett) - 4:37 Given how good bittersweet rockers like this one were, you simply had to wonder how it was these guys got lost in the Athens scene ... The fact it had a killer Bob Elsey guitar solo certainly didn't hurt. rating: **** stars 3.) You Don't Wanna Grow Up To Be Like That (Bill Burton - Jeff Calder - Bob Elsey - J.E. Garnett) - 4:25 The Q's get dark and bluesy ... With Calder sounding like he was trying to channel The B-52s, the result was the album's first misstep, though the meltdown guitar solo was killer. rating: *** stars 4.) In the Place of Milk and Honey (Bill lBurton - Jeff Calder - Bob Elsey - J.E. Garnett) - 4:55 I've
always been a sucker for a cool bass line so the slightly ominous ballad 'In
the Place of Milk and Honey' won me over from the start. One of the
album highlights.
rating: **** stars (side
2) Calder and company take a stab a new wave-ish rock. 2.) The Common Years (Bill Burton - Jeff Calder - Bob Elsey - J.E. Garnett) - 4:35 Time for a slice of jangle-guitar folk rock. And I have to admit this was probably the album's most radio friendly tune. With a big melody and that unique mid-'80s sound, 'The Common Years' would not have sounded out of place amidst bands like Big Country, Del Amitris, and U2. I'm guessing that's why Capitol tapped it as a 12" promo single: - 1989's 'The Common Years' b/w 'The Common Year' (Capitol catalog number SPRO-79552) rating: **** stars 3.) Broken Pieces (Bill Burton - Jeff Calder - Bob Elsey - J.E. Garnett) - 4:33 Nice tribute to Vietnam veterans (I think( with that Big Country/U2 anthem sound you'll love, or hate. rating: *** stars 4.) Sweet Reward (Bill Burton - Jeff Calder - Bob Elsey - J.E. Garnett) - 4:54 Calder's stab at country-rock bravado ? I've always liked the edge he brings to his voice when in this mode. rating: **** stars 5.) More Often Than Never (Bill Burton - Jeff Calder - Bob Elsey - J.E. Garnett) - 4:28 Another pretty folk-rock tune that actually reminded me a bit of Philadelphia's
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