Anyone who watched MTV in the early 90s would not have missed the heavy rotation of The Connells‘ single ’74-’75″. The popular song was a top 10 hit across Europe and reached No 14 in the UK.
As it turns out, the North Carolina alt-rock band had a history that went back to 1985 and “Ring”, the 1993 album that features “74-’75”, was actually their fifth long-player and Mitch Easter had produced 1987’s “Boylan Heights”. The band built a following in the US and had a string of college radio hits, but ultimately while “Ring” received critival praise, it was only a modest commercial success and the follow-up single (the ‘New Boy’ EP) couldn’t repeat the ’74-’75 climb to the higher reachers of the charts. Therefore it’s hard to deny that, in most territories, The Connells are regarded as a bit of a one-hit wonder, however, that hasn’t stopped Craft Recordings from opting to give this record an impressive-looking deluxe reissue. Here is the official version of the classic music video for The Connells’ international hit single ’74-’75. The song nostalgically reflects on the passing of time and how people change across decades. The music video, directed by Mark Pellington, features students from Needham B. Broughton High School’s Class of 1975 and compares the photographs from their yearbook, with how they look and have aged since then.
The deluxe editions of the album have been newly remastered by Brent Lambert at Carrboro, NC’s The Kitchen, and include 21 bonus tracks, including rare B-sides and 12 previously unreleased demos. Rounding out the packages are new liner notes by the Raleigh-based journalist and author David Menconi, featuring new interviews with the band.
The Fat Angel Sings 