The Grip Weeds
The Sound Is In You

(Rainbow Quartz)

www.rainbowquartz.com

We've all heard of Merseybeat, right? Well, here's some Jerseybeat. And if you think that means a lot of lyrics about cars, roads of thunder, glory days, rising up, and infinite references to the state by name, you'd better stop reading now.

Instead, New Jersey serves as home to a good number of bands deep-rooted in 1960s pop, rock, mod and garage. For example, the band Headquarters have become the state's Mod Hatters, while The Anderson Council merge elements of 1960s and 1990s Britpop. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the state, The Demands combine soul and R&B with a garage twist and end up with something most admirably unique.

But leading the pack is the Highland Park quartet The Grip Weeds, a powerhouse of pop, punch and pleasure. The Grip Weeds weave a musical quilt made from pieces of fabric from various 1960s groups, but they always stitch in enough originality as a foundation. Examples of such can be found on The Sound Is In You, their 1998 album recently reissued on Rainbow Quartz with a new mix and two bonus tracks.

The Grip Weeds are led by Rick Reil and his younger brother Kurt. The siblings (nicknamed The Bicker Brothers, which alone leaves the listener anticipating some Kinks influence) formed the group in the late 1980s. Rick primarily plays guitar and Kurt primarily plays drums, though both contribute other instruments to the recordings, and both take turns as lead vocalist, each writing several songs for the album. Kristin Pinell (wife of Kurt) plays fantastic lead guitar and adds harmonies, just as she does for New York pop kingpins The Rooks, who she had already been playing with before joining The Grip Weeds in 1993. Michael Nattboy plays bass on this album (though two special guests, Vince Grogan and Mick Hargrave, also have a bass credit).

The Sound Is In You originally saw release on Buy Or Die, but unfortunately for all involved, the label went under shortly after the album's release. After that, the band and Ground Up Records took over the pressing tasks. But now, Rainbow Quartz has seen fit to making this album available with fresh mastering and resequencing.

Now, let me come clean at this point in the review to confess that I did not previously own this album, and therefore will not be able to compare this new version to the previous editions, so if you're wondering whether the bass sounds richer, the vocals less buried, the dynamic range increased, or whether Track Five has a few guitar notes not heard on the older mix, I can't help you.

I can, however, tell you about the music itself, and how charmed I was upon listening:

The album's intro, cleverly titled "Intro," is a just-under-a-minute psychedelic drone of sustained guitar feedback, sitar, and mellotron, giving an aural illusion of a land somewhere East of here, where strawberries are aplenty and the national animal is the walrus. But as if to say "That's not what we're all about," the music segues directly into Rick's "Every Minute," a power pop crasher of intense drums, heavy guitars and some clear harmonies, the latter element proving to be one of the band's recurring strengths. The Grip Weeds then seek a "Better World," one in which many notable influences fall in together. The main groove itself brings to mind The Kinks (Arista era), while the mandolin-style guitar solo reminds this listener of Cream's "Dance The Night Away." The harmonies leave no doubt that a good deal of the Reil brothers' cash from their younger days found its way into the Apple Records bankbook...and not just by way of that label's main group either: One band to which The Grip Weeds often get compared is Badfinger, and "Better Word" demonstrates why. Not only do The Grip Weeds marry hard rock and melodic pop as well as Apple's second most successful rock quartet, but Kurt's singing voice often resembles that of Pete Ham.

Things lighten somewhat for "What I Believe Is You," an acoustic based 6/8 which returns Rick to the center spotlight, at least until Kristin does the Wah-Wah-tusi, sneaking it in between some early-Who-ish "ooh's." Following this, The Grip Weeds play "Games" with a guitar-heavy Revolver-ish number of Kurt's that proves that John Lennon inspired more than just the group's name. But Kurt only wants "A Piece Of My Own," another acoustic-based rocker that gains in intensity from start to finish, drums getting stronger, guitars wrestling with each other.

Rick yanks Kurt away from the main mike for the next song, "Tomorrow," a nice popper given some tasteful psychedelic treatment by way of phasing and subtle and unobtrusive use of mellotron. The same can be said for "In Waking Dreams," two cuts later. But in between, "We're Not Getting Through" most definitely does get through The Grip Weeds' affinity for The Who, the track being reminiscent of that group's early output, with Keith Moon-ish style drumming, and some very Townshend-like power chords in the instrumental break. Continuing, "Morning Rain" sounds like the kind of pop-psych gems found on the Nuggets collections, mixing pensive lyrics and chords, Leslie'd guitar, Beatle-ish harmonies, and some deft piano touches. This is another of my faves on the album.

"Ready And Waiting" suggests The Grip Weeds spent some time wondering what would have happened if The Nazz and The Byrds combined forces for one song, as this song has the Philly dogs' knack for hard-rocking pop (like "Forget All About It") but with recurring McGuinn-like guitar sprinklings. And presumably, after the last take of that song McGuinn stayed in the room for the thoroughly delightful next track, "Strange Bird" (or is that "Byrd?"), which replicates not only McGuinn's guitar picking, but also the transcending harmonies that made the California quintet's 1965 output so marvelous.

"Everything And All You Feel" reminds me of "The Nile Song" by Pink Floyd, but somehow I seriously doubt that was The Grip Weeds' intention. Besides, Kristin's lovely high-pitched backing vocal, her most prominent vocal on the album thus far (but eclipsed by the next) removes the Floydisms as quickly as they arrive. Nice dirty Hammond organ, though.

Kristin then gets her turn as a lead vocalist for the only cover of the (original) album, Buffalo Springfield's "Down To The Wire." They stay pretty faithful to the original, even down to the backwards guitar, and Kristin's lovely voice leaves us wishing she'd been given at least one more chance as lead singer.

A pair of Rick's compositions follow, first "What's In Your Mind," led by some fast-paced acoustic guitar that brings to mind "Questions" by The Moody Blues, with the song itself being akin to The Yardbirds "Tinker Tailor Soldier Sailor." Next comes the last "song" of the main album, "Inca." The song almost sounds like it was meant to be a curtain closer, since as the song progresses, various elements heard earlier on the album come forward, like actors taking bows..the mellotron, the strong harmonies, backwards guitar, etc.

But the ride isn't fully over yet..."Outro" is an express trip back to Walrus Island, this time leaving us drifting in the murky, misty sea for almost four minutes without anyone to guide us. Do we get out safely? I'm not telling.

This reissue adds two bonus tracks to the original sequence, both covers. First they take a stab at "Lazy Day," a fine version previously only released in Canada as their contribution to a Left Banke tribute album. This is followed by a non-LP B-side, The Move's classic "I Can Hear The Grass Grow," which had once shared room and board with the German 45 of "We're Not Getting Through."

If 1960s and 1970s pop music is ear candy, The Sound Is In You is a Trick-Or-Treat bag stuffed to the max (Halloween 1998 did fall on a Saturday, after all) and provides a wide assortment of musical confection.

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