front cover vintage photographs,
photographers unknown
photo of album cover by Styrous®
Sometime in the early eighties my friend, Glen, gave me what became my favorite EP. It was titled, Hotel For Women by the new wave band The Nails. One of my favorite songs ever, 88 Lines About 44 Women, was one of the cuts on it (link below). The only other song that comes anywhere close to my liking as much is the quirky Underwear from the 1999 album, 69 Love Songs, by The Magnetic Fields.
The Nails were originally a five-piece new wave band that formed in Boulder, Colorado in 1976. In Colorado, they were originally named The Ravers, and their roadie, Eric Boucher, later became known as Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys. The band members were Marc Campbell (lead vocals, guitar), Dave Kaufman (keyboards), Al Leis (drums), Artie Freeman (lead guitar), and Jon Cormany (bass).
In 1977, the Ravers recorded an EP in Boulder with Screwball Records. The Ravers moved to New York in June 1977 and played the showcase clubs CBGB and Max's Kansas City. Shortly after arriving in NY, The Ravers changed their name to The Nails (there was a local band named Raver). A '45 with the band's original lineup was recorded in New York City in 1978. By mid-1978, Leis (now deceased), Cormany, and Freeman (now a medical school professor) had left the band.
By the late 1970s, The Nails had established themselves on the club circuit and were now composed of vocalist Marc Campbell, bassist George Kaufman, saxophonist Douglas Guthrie, drummer Mike Ratti (Dennis McDermott on Mood Swing), keyboardist Dave Kaufman, and guitarist Steve O'Rourke. Hotel for Women, an EP recorded in 1981, contained an early version of 88 Lines About 44 Women, a song that caught the attention of RCA. The Nails were signed to RCA by Bruce Harris, also known for bringing The Clash to America. In 1984 88 Lines was re-recorded for RCA and included on The Nails' full-length debut LP, Mood Swing. The song received regular airplay despite a number of double entendres and lyrical references to masturbation and sadomasochism.
Two years later they released Dangerous Dreams, also on RCA. Both Mood Swing and Dangerous Dreams made the Billboard top 200 album chart and were critically acclaimed. But after the release of Dangerous Dreams The Nails left RCA. RCA did not release either LP on compact disc.
In 1988, the band reconvened (without Guthrie and Dave Kaufman) to record a third album, Corpus Christi, which was not released until 1993 and received little exposure. The Nails deny ever receiving any proceeds from this album, citing a rift with their former producer, claiming that he swindled them of their rights. They posted re-recordings of these songs on the late George Kaufman's site, along with the explanation of the dispute. They strongly discourage fans from purchasing the album, as they will never be compensated.
In 2007, the band licensed Mood Swing and Dangerous Dreams from RCA parent company Sony-BMG Entertainment and released these albums on compact disc for the first time.
record sleeve detail
photo by Teri Bloom
detail photo of record sleeve by Styrous®
It is interesting to note that the side which has Hotel for Women is labeled "side A" whereas the side which contains Cutting Edge and 88 Lines About 44 Women is labeled, "side 1"; go figure. Also of interest is the label placement on "side 1".
photo by Styrous®
photo by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side A:
A - Hotel For Women - Engineer – Doug Epstein, Producers – Doug Epstein & Jim Reynolds (3), Vocals – Connie Garcia - 6:07
Side 1:
B1 - Cutting Edge - Engineer – Doug Epstein, Producers – Doug Epstein & Jim Reynolds (3) - 3:46
B2 - 88 Lines About 44 Women - Engineer – Peter Darmi, Producer – The Nails - 4:30
Companies, etc.
Mastered At – Executive Recordings
Credits:
Bass, Guitar, Trombone, Vocals – George Kaufman
Drums – Tommy Cotogna
Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals – David Kaufman
Mastered By – Gene Sayet
Saxophone – Douglas Guthrie
Vocals, Guitar – Marc Campbell
Notes:
Labels and runoff grooves are labeled A side and side 1.
Contains the original version of "88 Lines About 44 Women".
The Nails – Hotel For Women
Label: City Beat (2) – CJN-111, Jimboco Records – CJN-111
Format: Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, EP
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave
Side A:
A - Hotel For Women - Engineer – Doug Epstein, Producers – Doug Epstein & Jim Reynolds (3), Vocals – Connie Garcia - 6:07
Side 1:
B1 - Cutting Edge - Engineer – Doug Epstein, Producers – Doug Epstein & Jim Reynolds (3) - 3:46
B2 - 88 Lines About 44 Women - Engineer – Peter Darmi, Producer – The Nails - 4:30
Companies, etc.
Mastered At – Executive Recordings
Credits:
Bass, Guitar, Trombone, Vocals – George Kaufman
Drums – Tommy Cotogna
Keyboards, Guitar, Vocals – David Kaufman
Mastered By – Gene Sayet
Saxophone – Douglas Guthrie
Vocals, Guitar – Marc Campbell
Notes:
Labels and runoff grooves are labeled A side and side 1.
Contains the original version of "88 Lines About 44 Women".
The Nails – Hotel For Women
Label: City Beat (2) – CJN-111, Jimboco Records – CJN-111
Format: Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, EP
Country: US
Released: 1981
Genre: Rock
Style: New Wave
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
Rave & Roll ~ Criminally Underrated Bands ~ The Nails
Scarlet Dukes ~ Colorado New Wave
Songfacts ~ Marc Campbell interview
Good things come in small packages!
Styrous® ~ Monday, May 1, 2018
