Concrete Blonde - Rosalee + I See the Ghost 7inch

The last I had heard of or thought about Concrete Blonde, I was sixteen-years-old, had just joined the employed population, and my newly befriended co-worker was proudly boasting about his own personally-titled theme song that was all the rave on MTV and the radio airwaves. Out of (great) respect for Concrete Blonde and the (possible) reality that every piece written about them since 1990 has desperately mentioned the one widely known fact about their existence, I'll refrain from disclosing my friend's identity, and instead focus on what impressed me with this little piece of white wax that randomly showed up in the mail from Conqueroo.

The black paper record sleeve, which for the sake of (what I am assuming is) the promotional copy that was sent to my attention, framed in the center labels for this 7inch, making them take the lead on this project and stand at attention as the proper cover art. Basic information is provide on one side of the record, accompanied by a pixelated starry illustration presented in monotone, seen on both sides. The UK center hole cut into the 45 is only symbolic of the many reasons why one may not recognize that this alternative band's punk heritage is in fact LA-based.

"Rosalee" is the soundtrack to remembrance. As the night grows bitter and you move in closer to the fire, "Rosalee" is the blanket that warms you. Johnette Napolitano's raw, yet compassionate, delivery is fitting for this story. With only a lightly-crunched electric guitar and drums embraced by mallets, this side to the 7inch serves as a great re-introduction (at least for me) to Concrete Blonde.

Neither side is labeled as "Side-A," which (by industry standards, and the fact that the accompanying paperwork said so) makes this a "double-sided" 7inch, meaning that both songs are being promoted as 'the hits,' and rightfully so. "I See the Ghost" could not be more opposite from "Rosalee," which proves to be great for the Gemini-like format. Similar to its subdued partner, "I See the Ghost" is very simplistic in design, yet not only puts the pedal to the metal, it burns rubber as it immediately turns a 180 and yells "Screw you, pigs!" to the policemen coming out of the local bakery downtown on Main Street. The speed of this track is so damn fast, I honestly shifted my turntable down to 33rpm until the vocals kicked in and I suddenly knew Concrete Blonde had greased up the ol' V8 and was taking this baby on a ride truly meant for 45-sweet-rpm. Only an established band with a deserving confidence could pull off such a brilliantly anxious punk treasure that (I could swear) is made up of two (not three, but two) root notes... for the entire song... including the chorus. ((Brilliant!))