THE ELEVATORS-"Frontline": A Lost, New Wave Gem. Any Love or Info?

The Elevators were a new wave group from the Northampton, western Massachusetts Pioneer Valley area that gigged around Boston and made an excellent, but overlooked LP, “Frontline,” in 1980. I had it back in the day, enjoyed it thoroughly, and recently found an old but serviceable cassette copy I had made of it: immediate tapedrop!

Produced by guitarist (ex-Sparks), engineer (The Beach Boys’ 1977 “Love You” and 1978 “M.I.U.” albums), and pop/rock studio whiz Earle Mankey (The Pop, 20/20, The Three O’Clock, The Runaways, Concrete Blonde, The Adicts, The Long Ryders), “Frontline” was recorded at Sound City, in Van Nuys, California in late ’79- early 1980. The Elevators sounded a lot like The Cars- one of my all-time favorites. “Frontline” featured a group with a strong, heavy drum sound (William Benjamin), and tight, vibrant bass from Jerry Ellis. The guitars (Zonder Kennedy, John Clark) and keyboards (Tom Myers) were catchy and effective, just like on “The Cars”.

“Frontline’s” eleven songs were very solid, making for a consistent album that held up all the way through. My favorites, then and now, were the anthemic, off-speed “Stickball Kids” (issued as a single, it had neat references to downtown Boston’s ‘twilight zone’ and Filene’s ‘bargain basement,’ plus Harvard Avenue); the epic album closer, “On The Wire;” and three excellent, pulsating rockers that would have been right at home on “The Cars”: “Girlfriend’s Girlfriend” ( 45 single), “Tropical Fish,” and “Friends.” Why the last two weren’t released as singles is a mystery to me- they’re that good.

Signed by Clive Davis to Arista in 1979, The Elevators apparently were promoted regionally (New England) by their label. Unfortunately, no further info on them seems to be available. As far as I can tell, their singles (3) and the LP stiffed commercially, and they were dropped from Arista. It’s like they fell off a cliff: the trail sure grows cold.

“Frontline” has never been released on cd… a real shame.

Does anyone out there have the “Frontline” LP? Any of your thoughts, recollections, and feedback would be welcome. As well, does anyone from the Boston area remember either hearing them live or on the radio back in the day? Please chime in. Word is that they did get decent FM airplay in the Boston area. Finally, if anyone has info on the band’s fate after 1980, as well as the individual members, please post to clear up this mystery.

It would be awesome if Steve could get a shot at remastering “Frontline” for cd. IMO, it was well-recorded and produced by Earle Mankey.

Here are a few links for further info:

--For a concise overview of the group, the track listing to “Frontline,” and cool pics, see http://fredpopdom.free.fr/the-elevators-frontline-1980.htm


--For a detailed, well-researched article on the group written by Alan Lewis (10/31/2001), see http://www.geocities.com/nemsbook/ef/elevators.htm

 

This is from the second site I linked, from the original post:


New England Music Scrapbook
The Elevators




Three strong, distinctive and prolific songwriters could conceivably cause an unfocused, disjunctive sound, but that isn't the case here. Each of the three can write good, catchy, snappy, and best of all, intelligent material, and each can deliver vocally as well.
-- David Sokol, Valley Advocate, March 19, 1980




We'd love to sell platinum. We'd love to make hits and have everybody in the world hear us on the radio. The only way you get heard on the radio is when you have a hit.
-- The Elevators' manager, Pat Irwin

(http://www.geocities.com/nemsbook/ef/elevators.htm)

 

For Elevators' singles, Arista apparently released two off the "Frontline" LP: "Girlfriend's Girlfriend' and "Stickball Kids"/"Lie Detector" (Arista 0513). I'm still trying to track down what song was on the B-side to "Girlfriend's Girlfriend"... .

Anyone?

It also appears that the group had a third single released, with a quirky title: "Your I's Are Too Close Together." That song was definitely not on the "Frontline" LP.

The search continues....

 

I've got the LP but none of the singles.

I went to high school with Zonder and Tommy (I was one grade ahead) (Chris Reeve [Superman] went to the same school -- a few years older than us). I wasn't good friends with them, but did hear various early bands containing them and other friends. Been back to a few reunions but haven't seen them in years. I'll see if I can turn anything up..

Fred

 

That's awesome, Fred- thanks for posting. Am really interested to see what you can find out about the band post-1980. From on-line searches and Alan Lewis's fine article, it's like they dropped off the face of the earth. The other angle would be what happened with Arista's promotion of "Frontline" and the 3 singles-??? So many questions.

Again, I think it's a shame that the LP was never remastered to cd.

Your favorite tunes from "Frontline"?

Look forward to anything you can turn up-please post. Appreciated.

 

Some more tidbits on THE ELEVATORS:

"Girlfriend's Girlfriend" was Arista single #0539, so it must have been the second single released off the "Frontline" LP, after "Stickball Kids." Still can't find out what was on the B-side of GG. Anyone?

Apparently "Frontline's" producer, Earle Mankey, has his own studio in Thousand Oaks, California, these days.

 

ELEVATORS tidbits

Found out that The Elevators third single, "Your Eyes Are Too Close Together" ( or "I's" instead of "Eyes"-?) was on the Koala label (#KOA 401), and spent one week on the 'Indie Hits' charts, at #44, on 11/10/1980.

From this, I think that we can deduce that the group had been dropped by Arista, and was giving it a final shot with a smaller indie label.

From there, the trail grows cold, and... freezes.

If anyone heard, or has, this single, I'll be truly stunned!

 

ELEVATORS 3rd single on cd!

Eureka! I found their 3rd single, "Your I's Are Too Close Together" listed on this comp on cd, on cduniverse: "Bored Teenagers Vol. 4" (track #14). Apparently the comp is an import, from Bin Liner Records, and released on 1/16/2007. The theme is unreleased punk rock artifacts. Does anyone out there have this?

Verified that "I's" is correct in the song title (not "Eyes").

Does anyone have Vols. 1 and 3 of this series on cd? I verified that Vol. 2 has no ELEVATORS tracks on it.

 

Re Zonder Kennedy, guitarist, after 1980

Tracking Zonder Kennedy, one of the guitarists in The Elevators, after 1980 was a real adventure. From what I can tell, he stayed around the New York City area for the most part. In the early '90s, he played guitar in the John Campbell Band, a blues outfit out of NYC.

Then it looks like he played with Loup Garou, who released an album in 2002 called "Dobbs Ferry".

After that, he was with a blues-rock group named Midnight Eleven, who did some studio work at Pilot Recording in 2005. Mix Magazine has a brief feature on that group.

In the same year (2005), he was mentioned as being a guitarist in an indie rock band called Psycho Syndrome, also out of NYC.

Zonder Kennedy's latest group would appear to be The Scoville Junkies. Anyone?

Talk about well-travelled! Maybe some day he can pause, look back, and talk about what happened to The Elevators back in 1979-80.

Don't look back.... .

 

Ok, here's what I've got.

First, I'm sad to report that Tom Myers passed away last year.

A friend of mine sent this recollection of Zonder, Tommy, and the Elevators:

'deed I do remember the Elevators. I was in a band with Zonder and Tommy that was the immediate precursor of the Elevators. It was called "Reliable Music"- not much of a name, but we couldn't come up with squat. Mark Grandfield was the singer, Freddy ? was on bass and Skip ? was the drummer. Maybe Zonder or Mark might remember their names. I left to continue studies with a great teacher, Charlie Banacos in Boston. They were at the point of hitting the road and going to Canada some and such, so it was a mutual departure. I made the right call, even though they ended up with a good record.

Tom and Zonder ended up joining forces with 3/5th of another band in the "Pioneer Valley" and forming the Elevators. That other band was the Bailey Brothers. There were no Baileys and no brothers in that band, just the name.

Our paths did not cross much from that point on, because my nose was down all the time studying and they were trying to become rock stars. That record is pretty good, but it is a faint representation of the initial recording of those songs. I have a tape somewhere that Tom gave me of the recording they did in D.C., a demo, I suppose of those songs. It is full of energy and a rawness that is so superior to the record that came out. I need to find it- I hadn't thought of it in years until right now.

After Tom's death, I dug out the record and listened to it for the first time in at least 20 years. The band was seriously disappointed in the record, although happy to get it out. The producer made them do take after take and all the energy goes out of it. What was the point of that era anyway? Wasn't it to get a little raw again and rock? I guess they thought they had another Cars on their hands and wanted a slick sound.

Too bad- I have great memories of playing with those boys, Tommy in particular and feller, we got raw! Also melodic, etc. The best of Tom Myers is not close to being recorded, as far as I know. He was brilliant, in his way and one of the funniest people ever. Also undisciplined, which doesn't help if you are trying to make a real career out of something.
​

 

And a correction as my memory is going. They were apparently at the town high school and I was at the private HS. Out of school it was all one scene... Guess which part I paid attention to?

Fred

 

Thanks so much for posting that info from your friend, Fred. Am sorry to hear of Tom Myers' passing last year- sad news indeed.

From the NEMS piece, I had a vague sense of a 'live versus studio' difference/conflict with The Elevators' sound and energy, and your friend's recollections totally confirmed it. In hindsight, it would seem that Arista and "Frontline's" producer, Earle Mankey, wanted a slicker, more commercial sound, somewhat similar to The Cars. To use an older analogy, it was like the problem Columbia Records had in translating the raw energy, and 'live' R&B power of Paul Revere & The Raiders into a studio setting, on to record.

I can only dream of how great that live Elevators' tape that your friend referred to was... .

It's interesting that, according to Alan Lewis in that NEMS article, Zonder Kennedy wasn't too fond of the band's name, referring to it as "stupid, with religious overtones." That's something that really surprised me.

It's too bad that the LP and singles didn't do a lot better. Once again, all I can assume- and I could be wrong- is that Arista's promotion was weak and suspect. Wonder what happened after the band was dropped by Arista? I would assume that they kept gigging around the Boston area, and had that third single on the Koala label. It's dawning on me, from what you and your friend have said and what I've read, that Zonder Kennedy and Tom Myers were from the Boston area, whereas the other band members (the ex-Bailey Brothers) were from the Northampton area. At some point, in 1-2 years, I'm guessing they disbanded, but that's just conjecture on my part.

What do you think of all the bands Zonder was in, working out of the New York City area, at least from the '90s onward? The real mystery continues to be what happened with Zonder Kennedy and Tom Myers in the '80s, and what happened with The Elevators after 1980, and their Arista period.

Again, appreciate your posting of your friend's memories- please thank him for me.

 

I attended UMass-Amherst from 77-81 and saw the Elevators many times. Don't have many specific recollections but their shows rocked. There was a great music scene in MA in those years. My faves included the Neighborhoods, the Atlantics, Private Lightning, Robin Lane & the Chartbusters and the Stompers.

 

Current Info on bassist Jerry Ellis...

Here's some current info on The Elevators' former bass player, Jerry Ellis. Seems like he's in a duo called Locozeros, and gigging around the Northampton, MA area. The reference to The Elevators is buried in the middle, at the end of Jerry's bands... .


A new Pioneer Valley -based duo, The Locozeros, brings together the wide-ranging talents of singer-songwriter Doc Iacovelli and bassist Jerry Ellis. A “fingerpicker at heart,” Doc has opened shows for such notables as Richie Havens, Bill Staines and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band . Jerry has been the go-to bass player for many of the Valleys finest acts, including Ray Mason, Alan Marcus, Stuart James, and (Arista recording artists) The Elevators. Doc’s songwriting has won praise in and out of the Valley: “An agile voice, superb songwriting skills. In music, he is what the sports world calls ‘a natural’.”- Chris Hamel, Springfield News “A top-notch songwriter with enough grit in his voice to carry any message straight to your heart.”- Jordi Herold, Iron Horse Music Hall For an evening of fine-tuned original music (and some loose attitude) don’t miss The Locozeros!

(from MySpace site).

 

Cool! Thanks for sharing that, 'mikestar'- much appreciated. Do you remember hearing any of The Elevators' music on the radio back in the day?

Anyone else?

THE ELEVATORS: Gone, but not forgotten!

 

Of course the other issue hurting recognition of The Elevators these days is the fact that their fine "Frontline" LP has never been transferred to cd. Unfortunately, I can only conclude that sales of the original LP and singles- despite their excellence-were poor overall. Too bad.

It sure would be nice to see "Frontline" properly remastered on cd, with studio outtakes, demos, and some of those great live performances- if available.

 

This has been a bittersweet thread for me. Good memories of good people and a fun time (except for school). Tommy's death, the lack of success for the band, potential that was almost realized..

After punk and new wave hit, it was a feeding frenzy for any band that seemed to fit. I'm sure that they were ready for it, but it sounds like they would have been better off controlling their destiny more, maybe releasing their own singles -- certainly lots of bands did then -- but the lure of a major label deal must be hard to refuse. (sorry, I know that it's unfair to second guess what went on -- I wasn't there)

I'm with Zonder on that.

Actually, Tommy and Zonder grew up in Princeton NJ. Just a coincidence that we all ended up in Boston, at least for a while. Boston is a better rock and roll town than central Jersey. Oh, and Northampton is just over an hour and a half west of Boston, an easy ride on the pike.

Will do, glad I could contribute.

Fred

 

Thanks again for sharing, Fred. In retrospect, you're probably right that the group should have signed with a smaller indie label. As you say, they might have been able to call their own shots better. It seems like they just got lost in the shuffle with Arista. As well, decisions were made about their music and sound on record that they didn't agree with, but they had little choice but to go along with.

The other benefit with signing with a smaller indie label: staying on the East Coast, and recording their material in NYC or Boston. I always thought it strange that the LP was recorded in California, not that that was bad or anything. Guess the bigger labels had studios and producers that they liked to work with.

Guess the group had the name 'Cash' initially, but once they found out another band signed to Arista had that name, they had to change it, and decided to go with ... The Elevators. Never really thought about that name, but the more I think on it, I can see where Zonder and you are coming from.

I hear you on the bittersweet nature of all this. When I read earlier today from your post that Tom Myers had passed away last year, it brought me down- and of course I had never known him, as you had, personally. When I was doing online research yesterday, and coming up with all those bands that Zonder Kennedy was in, the thought that someone in the band might have passed away was in the back of my mind... .

Reading your friend's memories and comments about Tom Myers- so real and direct- really hit me today.

Again, appreciate your sharing all this background and info, Fred.

 

Recently made a tapedrop from a 1980 mixtape, that had groups like The Cars, The Brains ("Money Changes Everything"), Elvis Costello, The Motels, The Suburbs, The Flamin' Oh's, Greg Kihn, among others, on it. It all still sounded good.

THE ELEVATORS' tracks that I had included as well (5-6 songs=the most) more than held their own with the other bands. What a waste of a solid band with cool songs! Urggghhhhhhh!!??!!

In retrospect, as I do transfers of their "Frontline" LP from my two different master cassettes in every conceivable way (tape to cd-r; original tape to high grade tape with Dolby S, to cd-r), it's dawning on me that Arista missed out on two great songs that would have made killer singles:

"Tropical Fish" and "Friends."

Again, as mentioned, I enjoy the whole LP, especially tracks like "Girlfriend's Girlfriend" and "Stickball Kids," but those other two might have smashed through.

Of course, that would have taken some promotion from Arista.... .

In the end, that would have been asking for too much.

Thanks a lot, Clive Davis and Arista. Sign 'em and dump 'em.

It's a cryan shame that "Frontline" has never been remastered to cd, and that virtually no one knows about it. Or the group.

THE ELEVATORS

 

Tracklisting for "Frontline" LP

Here's the tracklisting for THE ELEVATORS' solid, underrated "Frontline" LP. Thanks to Fred for his input on this, as well as the CATraxx site- see below for a link;that's where this is taken from:

_________________________________________________________________




Format: LP
Released: 1980
Label: Arista
Catalog No: AB 4270
Playing Time: 35:34


A1. Frontline (3:21)
(Tom Myers)
A2. Girlfriend's Girlfriend (2:52)
(Alexander Kennedy)
A3. Stop The World (3:03)
(Alexander Kennedy)
A4. Stickball Kids (3:37)
(Alexander Kennedy)
A5. Lie Detector (2:32)
(Tom Myers)
A6. Don't Let Me Die (3:29)
(John Clark)

B1. Tropical Fish (3:09)
(Alexander Kennedy)
B2. Lies (3:22)
(John Clark)
B3. Johnny Train Your Mind (2:56)
(Tom Myers)
B4. Friends (3:16)
(Alexander Kennedy)
B5. On The Wire (3:57)
(Tom Myers)


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Generated by CATraxx - Friday, June 06, 2008 2:35:20 AM

(Site: http://www.therecordroom.com/Catalog/albumdetails/album36301.html)

(Sorry, I couldn't copy the artwork/graphics.)

 

Elevators

I found this thread while idly surfing, realize it's a couple of years old but have info on the late great Elevators. Anyone still paying attention??

 

Found this thread years after the fact, joined the forum and sent another post that may still show up. Anyone paying attention?

Among other info am sorry to report that former Elevators bassist Jerry Ellis passed away this year...

 

Coupla other quick items from scanning the olde thread on the Elevators fwiw:

-they continued playing for another year or so after the record came out, playing their last gig on New Years Eve 81-82 at their home base of Rahars in Northampton.

-during 80-81 they had done preliminary demos for a second LP but it never came to pass

-the referenced song "Your I's Are Too Close Together" was by a UK band, not the New England Elevators

 

Am saddened to read this; heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.
RIP

 

Jerry Ellis, bassist for The Elevators: RIP

Here's a link to a compassionate article on the passing of Jerry Ellis on 6/1/2011, from The Daily Hampshire Gazette, titled "Musicians mourn death of Jerry Ellis, accomplished bass player" (dated 6/10/2011):


http://www.gazettenet.com/2011/06/10/musicians-mourn-great-bass-player-great-guy