Hell, on the strength of Bad Is Beautiful, the band's already landed a seven-LP overseas deal (with CNR Records of Holland) and reams of good Midwestern press. I'm not surprised, frankly. Bad Is Beautiful is chock-full of highly melodic, highly commercial material. This band can play hard-edged rock, or country-tinged fare, but their strong suit is unabashed, resplendent pop of the Squeeze, Beatles, Shoes school - in fact, Jeff Murphy, of that ever-underrated band Shoes, engineered Bad Is Beautiful. The tape's bull's-eyes include "Not Dead Yet," a barn-burner with a great comic lyric that both celebrates and thumbs its nose at classic rock, from the Stones to Led Zep; "Statue by the Phone," a perfectly produced folk-rock piece - ready for AM radio or MTV - about a guy who never leaves the house for fear he might miss a call from his would-be lover; "Faces in Picasso's Notebook," a reflection on amour, with a pining melody worthy of Jellyfish; and "She Smiles Like Richard Nixon," which - despite its title - is a tender, altogether lovely romantic ballad.
Bands so chameleonic, hook-conscious, and radio-ready as the Bad Examples are generally suspect. Might these guys be crass careerists? Perhaps. It'll be easier to judge that after the Bad Examples' TC debut show, set up by Mr. Farmer, this Monday (Feb. 4) at The Fine Line. Either way, I gotta tip my critical hat to Ralph Covert, a pop songwriter who's both versatile and consistently on target, not to mention a singer who can both cajole and wail. With the right breaks, Mr. Covert will make somebody a heap of money.