On this day (April. 1st) in 1980: nerdy, nervous & noisy New Jersey band The Feelies released their debut album ‘Crazy Rhythms’ on Stiff Records in the UK (SEEZ 20); its fusion of post-punk & jangle pop was influential on the forthcoming alternative rock genre, with R.E.M. among others citing the album as an influence; although not commercially successful, it has remained a critically lauded cult fave in the decades since its release…The Feelies – Outstanding Debut Album ‘Crazy Rhythms’ Came Out 40 Years Ago…
The Feelies are a rock band from Haledon, New Jersey. They formed in 1976 and disbanded in 1992 after having released four albums. The band reunited in 2008.
New Jersey’s post-punk misfits The Feelies released their debut longplayer ‘‘Crazy Rhythms’’ on April Fools’ Day 1980 via legendary label Stiff Records. It wasn’t a commercial success but praised for years by the music press.
Rolling Stone wrote: The Feelies formed in 1976 in their small hometown of Haledon, New Jersey, as a lark. Tripping on acid one day, Million passed guitarist Glenn Mercer’s garage and was impressed to hear the band playing the Stooges’ “I Wanna Be Your Dog.” The like-minded guitarists formed a band that eventually included bassist Keith Clayton and drummer Anton Fier. The music is jittery, thumping and volatile, complementing titles like “The Boy With Perpetual Nervousness” and “Loveless Love.” There are long silences, repeated notes, wavering tones, pickups flipped on and off. Any gaps are filled with strange, found percussion instruments, including cans, shoe boxes and coat racks. After recording a four-song demo, the Feelies signed with England’s Stiff Records, the only label that would let the fledgling band produce itself.
“Crazy Rhythms is aptly titled,” says Bill Million of the Feelies. “There are a lot of weird things going on. We didn’t practice much, so we were kind of disjointed when we made the album.” Today, Crazy Rhythms is a landmark of jangly, guitar-driven avant-pop, and its shimmering sound can still be heard in bands like R.E.M.
The Feelies rarely worked with outside producers and created shimmering soundscapes with multiple guitar layers that set them apart from most of the punk/new wave bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s. They frequently played at Maxwell’s, a live music venue and bar restaurant in Hoboken during the 1980s, often on national holidays.
Although the Feelies never sold a great number of records, their influence was felt on the indie rock scene. Their first album, Crazy Rhythms (Stiff Records, 1980) was cited by R.E.M. as a major influence. The novelist Rick Moody has also cited the band as one of his influences (and allegedly based the punk band in his first book Garden State on them).
The Fat Angel Sings 