A Bowl of Stupid

Okay, I've had issues with the new AOL video, but in this case I've got no choice. There's a song that came to my attention earlier today that I want to discuss while I'm still thinking about it. Unfortunately, the video isn't on YouTube or anywhere else that allows embedding other than AOL.

I was born and raised in West Philadelphia, inside the city, but still very close to the old money part of town located in the suburbs of the "Main Line." We were a bunch of city punks, and the 'burbs had something we did not - the "Cabaret" music clubs. There were, to my recollection, three such clubs - the Chestnut Cabaret down near the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the 23 East Cabaret and the Ambler Cabaret. Although the latter two clubs were in the 'burbs, they attracted some of the best local music that came out of Philly for 30 years. In fact, I remember sneaking into the 23 East and the Ambler to see the Hooters, Southside Johnny and the Jukes, and Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers.

If anyone recalls, the Hooters were by far the popular favorites, and they eventually went on to receive the most (albeit still fairly limited) national recognition in the mid-1980's. However, my personal favorite was Tommy Conwell. Although he was born and raised on the Main Line, Conwell's voice and guitar sounded as if they had been rubbed raw through years of blue-collar turmoil. As such, they seemed to embody the lower working class environment that existed in my neighborhood at the time. By the mid-80's, they had already established themselves as a major draw in the Philadelphia clubs, - to my recollection, second behind only The Hooters. The local music scene then hit the roof when they released "Walkin’ on the Water" in 1986. The album had nine songs and was produced by Andy King, the bass player from the Hooters. Philadelphia singer/songwriter, Robert Hazard, also wrote a couple of the songs on the album, “Love’s on Fire” and “Everything They Say is True.” Conwell himself wrote another two great songs on the album, “Walkin’ on the Water”and “Million Pretty Girls.”

Then in 1988, probably seeking to capitalize on the recent success of the Hooters, Columbia Records signed Conwell & the Rumblers and nationally released the band's major label debut, "Rumble." The album was produced by Rick Chertoff, who had also worked with Cyndi Lauper, Patty Smyth, and the Hooters. After Columbia exposed the Rumblers to a huge national audience, two singles from the album received heavy airplay, a new version of “I’m Not Your Man” as well as the Jules Shear tune “If We Never Meet Again.” Columbia estimated sales of Rumble at 300,000 nationwide. The band eventually returned to play for large audiences back in Philly for some time, but never again really established themselves as a national act. Conwell is now apparently a DJ with one of the two local Philly rock stations on which I grew up, 94.1 WYSP.

Of their songs, my personal favorite is "I'm Not Your Man." The good news is that there is, in fact a video for the song. The bad news is that the video is only for the second, cleaner version of the song, produced by Chertoff after the band was primped and polished by Columbia. The original version, which was actually produced through the 23 East Cabaret itself, was rawer and much more powerful. Although something was definitely lost in translation, it's still a great song.

Tommy Conwell and the Young Rumblers - I’m Not Your Man

UPDATE: It appears that AOL is still intent on maintaining its longstanding title of "Most Overhyped Useless Provider of Internet Services." I'm not sure about anyone else, but apparently the embedded video is no longer working (jackasses). If you're interested, here's a link to the same video on Google, which does not allow embedding: Tommy Conwell & The Young Rumblers - I'm Not Your Man.

And on a personal note, I just remembered having gone and seen Conwell at a club in Tempe when I was at Arizona State. I was still underage and snuck into that show too.

Share This

Trackback URI | Comments RSS