PRIVATE SECTOR "The Darkness Burning Bright"
PRIVATE SECTOR "House Of Birds ep"
PRIVATE SECTOR "Don't Take Your Grace Away"
The internet has changed everything. Duh. CDs and MP3s have changed everything. Double duh. When I started this blog, I was excited to have the opportunity to really comb through my vinyl collection for prospects to burn into my massive iTunes library (27,739 songs and counting). What was so fascinating to me, flipping through the albums, is how many of these releases are not on cd or mp3 or even spoken about on the millions of music blogs out there. I just figured everything has already been covered and archived. When it is, then the internet will end, right?
Local heroes (and I assume this is installment two), even, have found MySpace to breathe new life into their fan base, reach out to old fans, or simply get rid of a few 45s sitting in their closets. Try googling my favorite local band of 1986. Seriously. Private Sector got massive airplay at WHTG 106.3 my junior year of high school. I won "The Darkness Burning Bright" LP and tickets to their show at the Green Parrot in Asbury Park and even drove up to the station to collect my winnings from Matt Pinfield. Sigh.
To me, Private Sector were a massive hybrid of New Order and the Psychedelic Furs. The songs were solid, really catchy stuff. Indiepop faves, My Favorite, later reminded me of them, not only musically, but in that beleaguered local band that shoulda made it kinda way. PS were from Red Bank, NJ I think or points closeby and self-released on their indie, Rose Hill. However, as the band later evolved, their singer started to sing like Richard Butler with laryngitis, way affected, and not as nice as say, if they'd a Harriet Wheeler type. After high school I lost track of them and researching for this post, doing the dreaded google search, I came up with nothing. Zero.
Last week, when I first mentioned "local" heroes, I dropped Private Sector's name in with some other Jersey Shore modernrockers like Screaming For Emily. Even THEY have a MySpace page. Wow. OK, so feedback. Tell me what you think, really. Did they have potential? Do you have bands like this you loved? Do you know where they are now? Where's Spiral Jetty?
I've included the first PS song I ever laid ears on, the infectious "I Wish I Could Be As Certain". This one holds up the best, methinks. Also, here, is "Time And The Distance" and you tell me if that intro isn't so New Order, down to the guitar tone. "Don't Take My Grace Away" is where the vocals become a bit bizarre and the keyboard samples become very Bizarre Love Triangle. How bizarre!
Next week, more rock, more country, more fun....
I WISH I COULD BE AS CERTAIN
TIME AND THE DISTANCE
DON'T TAKE YOUR GRACE AWAY
7 comments:
Dude,
This is what the mid-80's? From '81 on I was really into
researching local/regional scenes via Boston Rock, Matter, Conflict, NY Rocker, BAM and Trouser Press.
I loved the fact that there were distinctive regional scenes with their own fanzines, clubs, rec stores, and labels.
Is just me, or has mass media killed regional identities?
BTW I think every local scene had their own version of Joy Division/New Order. Lung Overcoat had the JD sound AND look down to a tee. Hey, they even wore treach coats in San Antonio!
pkm
Wow, Skippy, it's like you're reading my mind. I think we should co-produce a retrospective comp of NJ '80s bands.
Spiral Jetty still exist now and then. Adam's teaching college English in Virginia, Dave's in Jersey City, and Andy's running a video promo company in South River.
The links to these songs are broken. Any chance you can fix them? I've been looking for 'Don't Take Your Grace Away' for nearly 2 decades and this is the closest I've ever come to finding it.
Thanks
Thanks for your comments on Private Sector. You're absolutely right about the New Order influence. I sang in the band and I plead guilt to overdoing the Richard Butler thing, but, believe it or not, a big influence was also Marianne Faithful. I thought I was a very "good" singer on "Darkness," but rather faceless, so I set out to kind of destroy my chops and the hoarseness was the result.
We were all originally from Matawan, not Red Bank. I lived in Jersey City during the Sector years. After Sector, I got my PhD in English and taught in Memphis. I now live in New York State.
I would like to put "Grace" on MySpace, but I don't know if I'll ever get around to it.
best,
Tom Cohen (Hildebrandt) aka sid tubercular
Where can I get the login to listen to the song's? It asks for a log and pass every time i click on a song. Also, do you know if Private Sector was ever reissued on cd?
I know this is an old post, but I remember Private Sector playing at the old Dirt club - it was either them, Maximum America, or Pharoah headlining, but what nights. Hi Tom!
So, is there anywhere you can get a Private Sector CD or downloads?
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