Where Yellow Turns
To Gold!
in the great music city
of Cleveland, Ohio
|
Banana Links: |
Welcome Discerning Music Fans! You've arrived at the World Wide Web home of Banana Records. Banana released its first record in 1982 - long before the debut of
that entity known as the internet - but here we are! Thanks for visiting, and
send us email
with any questions/additions/subtractions.
What's New at Banana Records:
STRAIGHT OUTTA FAIRVIEW Banana Records, in conjunction with CLE recording studio Handsome Productions, is pleased to announce the release of a very special album by Cleveland's legendary Backdoor Men. The record is now available on CD, and will soon be available on as a vinyl record, expected May 1st. Visit the
Handsome Productions Store to purchase
today! HERE'S THE STORY:
Circa 1985, the original music scene in Cleveland was
changing. The Dead Boys were disbanded, save for the occasional reunion
gig, Pere Ubu had gone international, and the innovative original music
that had ignited in the mid 70s was on the wane.
Cleveland’s Backdoor Men were in their twilight too. But Terry Hartman
and Dan Cook, the two songwriters who were the band’s raison d'etre,
weren’t quite finished. Their partnership had been briefly on hiatus
while Hartman left for a year to form his excellent power pop outfit The
Tornadoes. When that band collapsed, he returned to his writing partner
and lifelong friend to pick up the BDM torch with the band’s classic
line-up. Together they wrote a final set of new material, with an eye
toward releasing a full length album before calling it a day.
The band enlisted Mike Docy, an old Fairview friend of Hartman and Cook
and a great audio technician, to set up his tape rig in the garage at
the drummer’s home in Fairview Park - the leafy suburb where Hartman and
Cook grew up together. Face to face in the small basement, the boys
recorded the songs they hoped would be their last shot on a ticket to
bigger things.
The results were less than pleasing. The band had never been
particularly strong instrumentally despite the excellent material that
Hartman and Cook had generated, and when they listened, they knew… It
wasn’t going to cut it. Half-hearted attempts were made to shop it
around to a number of the labels that had sprung up in punk’s heyday,
but while there were flickers of interest, ultimately there were no
takers. “Straight Outta
Fairview,” as it was to be called, was shelved.
So here it is! Enjoy the psychedelic pop of Cleveland’s Backdoor Men, and two of the city’s best songwriters, Terry Hartman and Dan Cook.
* * *
Recent Releases by Two Banana Records Legacy Artists!
* * *
The Latest Album from Butterfield 8 Jim Butterfield and his friends (aka
“Butterfield 8”) have just released a new 11-song album entitled
“The Lies That Hurt The Most” on Banana Records.
This is the fourth release in as many years, fulfilling Jim’s
promise to “do this every year until I run out of songs to write”. This time around Jim shares the producing duties with
long-time friend (and fellow Banana Recording Artist), Paul Nickels.
Most of the 10 original songs were penned by Jim in Florida,
with the basic tracks recorded there before Jim permanently returned to
his native Cleveland. One new twist on this album is the inclusion of a
live recording of a cover tune.
The song is “Final Solution” by legendary Cleveland avant-punk
band Pere Ubu. The recording is from Butterfield 8’s final live
performance at The Phantasy Night Club in 1991. Also prominently featured on the new album are the
vocal stylings of long-time BU8 member Les Vincent.
Les performs the Lead Vocal role on “Coloring Book” along with
backing vocals on two other songs.
Rick Christyson, the perennial winner of the “Best Guitar
Player” Zabby Award, lends his unique talents to three of the tunes.
The album is available on all streaming services, and the physical CD is also available direct from this website (Store page) for $12.00 including shipping and handling. You can also listen to the album on bandcamp.com under the artist “butterfield81”. * * *
Banana Records T-Shirts Now Available!
Banana Records Logo T-Shirts are now available!!!
We have contracted with a local Cleveland apparel company to
bring you the official Banana Records T-Shirts, featuring our iconic
logo, with the birthplace city “Cleveland, Ohio” attached.
People have been asking us for years to come out with a line of Banana
merch, and this is the first installment.
Available in sizes M – 2XL in either black or white,
these shirts are of the highest quality and are 100% cotton.
They're from the "Comfort Colors" line of shirts,
crafted from 100% ring spun cotton,
and
they're pigment-dyed, which redefines comfort and style.
Other colors and sizes are also available for a small additional
fee. The stock sizes/colors
are available for $35.00 plus $7.00 shipping and handling to USA
addresses.
Be the first kid on your block to own this ultra cool shirt! More merchandise will be introduced during 2025.
All Contents © Mab Zab Ltd.,
2023. Content may be reproduced or shared with permission only.
|
.jpeg)
