SONG PREMIERE: The Rubinoos Announce Yep Roc Release of ‘The CBS Tapes,’ Shares Punk Classic “I Want Her So Bad”

On November 2, 1976, Jimmy Carter was elected President of the United States. The events of November 3 were less earth-shaking, although it was the day the power pop pioneers The Rubinoos recorded this album. The group walked into CBS Studios on Folsom Street in San Francisco to, as band co-founder and singer Jon Rubin recollects, “have a ‘set up and get comfortable in the studio’ kind of affair.” Guitarist Tommy Dunbar, who started the group more than 50 years ago with his childhood pal Rubin, recalls they were told “something like, ‘okay, the tape is going to run, just go ahead and play anything you want’.”

The CBS Tapes (due out on June 25, 2021 on Yep Roc Records) chronicles that occasion, and its previously unreleased 11 tracks certainly reveal a wildly diverse set list that includes, yet reaches beyond, the power pop that the band is well known for. Selections range from the Modern Lovers (“Government Center”) to the Meters (“Cissy Strut”); King Curtis (“Memphis Soul Stew”) to the DeFranco Family (“Heartbeat, It’s a Love Beat”). The Rubinoos also tackle the bubblegum classic “Sugar, Sugar,” the iconic surf instrumental “Walk Don’t Run,” and a couple Beatles tunes (“She Loves You” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand”), along with a trio of now-rare originals (“All Excited,” “I Want Her So Bad,” and “Nooshna Kavolta”).

The CBS Tapes captures something unusual– a look into the recording process before it begins in earnest. This isn’t a lo-fi sloppy rehearsal tape, a stripped-down demo, or a polished finished product. Done without second takes and overdubs, the band’s loose, unencumbered live performances exude a joyful energy that embodies the band’s spirit. These recordings do benefit from Glenn Kolotkin’s engineering and mixing on the fly. By 1976, Kolotkin had already worked with acts like Janis Joplin, Journey, and Jimi Hendrix, and would go on to produce Santana, Joan Jett, and the Ramones.

The Rubinoos’ performances also are rather rude and juvenile; not really surprising since Rubin, Dunbar, and drummer Donn Spindt were still in their teens, only bassist Royse Ader had finished high school. Listening to these tapes after so many years made Dunbar think, “What a bunch of foul-mouthed little punks we were,” while Rubin felt their obnoxious behavior and crude language reflect the irreverent, bratty attitude that has always been part of the Rubinoos’ makeup.

Though the band went on to develop a cult following and have a long and storied career, The CBS Tapes gives fans the chance to experience the Rubinoos’ unadulterated boyish innocence in all its unfiltered glory.

To officially announce the the release of this new collection, Glide is excited to offer an exclusive premiere of one of the album’s most raucous tracks, “I Want Her So Bad.” Captured in all of its raw glory, the song is a freewheeling, cranked up punk rocker with plenty of rowdy lyrical action. Jon Rubin describes it as a “Proto-punk song written by Tommy [Dunbar] for The Psychotic [sic] Pineapple.” Indeed, the song captures the kind of unbridled intensity that made the Rubinoos and their associated acts so much fun. 

Tommy Dunbar adds his own humorous take on the track with some sagely advice:

“Light the candles, pour the wine … and then slip on “I Want Her So Bad” … If she or he runs screaming from the room, then you’ll know it wasn’t meant to be — Dating advice from “Ask the Rubinoos,” America’s #1 advice to the lovelorn column.”

LISTEN:

The Rubinoos’ The CBS Tapes is due out on Yep Roc Records on June 25th

 

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