The dB's - Part 2 of fantom's Guest Post

Here is part two of fantom's excellent guest post of dB's rarities. The dB's were alternative pop group who released a series of essential pop albums during a period that spanned the early 80's to the early 90's. For the uninitiated, I'd recommend picking each of their official releases, "Stands for deciBels" (1981), "Repercussion" (1982), "Like This" (1984), "The Sound of Music" (1987). Each are classics of the genre.

Lead songwriter/singers Peter Holsapple and Chris Stamey also released a pair of essential releases as a duo I'd also recommend picking up "Mavericks" and "Here and Now". An exciting new dB's album entitled "Falling Off the Sky" has been recorded and is scheduled for release later this year. A few tracks have dribbled out in advance of that release.

Fantom's post today is the second in a series of a posts of rare tracks that are essential to the completist amongst us who must posses every recorded second. Thank you Fantom!

Thanks for the warm welcome, Haper - here's the promised sequel. Hopefully playlist file will keep things better organized this time.

1. Excitement - We start with The dB's playing Feb. 22, 1982 in New York what would become one of Chris Stamey's signature songs when he shortly thereafter went solo.

2. Lord of the Manor - Holsapple and Stamey covering the Everly Brothers, Aug 25 1990 in Winston-Salem

3. What I Dig/Espionage - The dB's succeeded several other combos that included Holsapple, Stamey, Will Rigby or Mitch Easter in various combinations, and some of their songs made it into early dB's sets. Here the band segues between two Sneakers songs, Dec. 28, 1979 in Winston-Salem.

4. This Crazy Town - An odd track from a widely circulated collection of demos said to be from 1983/1984. Something from a cancelled soundtrack?

5. Seeing Eye Dog medley - One of my favorite Holsapple tracks from The H-Bombs, another pre-dB's combo

6. The World Keeps Going Round - Cover of the Kinks, dating I believe from 1979, off a tape that mysteriously surfaced in the college radio station mailbox

7. Ask for Jill 3-D - Stamey, with Matthew Sweet and Don Dixon as The Jacks, deconstruct The dB's song on the legendary Luxury Condos, Coming To Your Neighborhood Soon compilation

8. Do You Believe in Magic - A more straight up cover from Holsapple and Stamey, from June 21, 1991 in Atlanta

9. Diamond - The dB's take on the Golden Palimono's track (written but then not sung by Holsapple) at the 1988 reunion of the original lineup

10. House Is Not A Home - Another H-Bombs treat

11. Let's Live for Today - Sneakers themselves in a cover

12. (Untitled) - The oddest track from that 1983/84 Demos set. Who's the female singer?

13. Angels - Holsapple and Stamey on killer track from their first album, on Best of Mountain Stage Live, Vol 5

14. Looking for a Home - An original, I guess, from the last days of the dB's, July 14, 1987 in New York.

15. Money from England - The H-Bombs at Duke University, March 1978. Prescience about the dB's Albion contract?

16. You Can't Take Her - The most interesting of the 1983/84 demos.

17. Elvis, What Happened? - This time, Holsapple under the guise of Mr Bonus, from Luxury Condos

18. Everlasting Love - Cover of the chestnut, Oct 29, 1980 in Carrboro

19. Tomorrow Never Knows - And a take on the Beatles, Oct 20, 1981 in Greensboro

20. Big Time - The full dB's taking on another Stamey solo track to be, from the 1983/84 demos

21. Caught In These Blues - Think I've got the wrong name for this one as think it's a cover... Holsapple in New York, Oct 9, 1985.

22. Do Ya - The dB's in cover mode, June 20, 1985 in New York

23. Death Garage - The dB's take on track from single Holsapple released before joining the dB's, Oct. 20, 1981 in Greensboro

24. The Newlyweds - Holsapple & Stamey take on the Stamey solo track, June 24, 1991 in Northampton, Mass.

25. My Baby Does Her Hairdo Long - The standout track on the whole Bible of Bop, an unusual 1982 album Kimberly Rew split between tracks with The Soft Boys (his fabulous old band with Robyn Hitchcock), The Waves (his then new band with Katrina,
yes)... and with the dB's.