Ric Menck - The Ballad Of Ric Menck

Remastered reissue of Ric Menck solo material - with bonus tracks added since original release on Summershine Records.

"The tracks on The Ballad represent some of my early attempts at songwriting and recording. Since I had no real idea what I was doing I tried to keep everything as intimate as possible, which meant mostly recording on 8 track in people's homes. My musical influences were numerous. The Byrds figured most heavily into the mix, and there were numerous Beatles and Who rip-offs as well, but I bet ya didn't know my main vocal reference back then was Astrud Gilberto, and that I thought the first two Primal Scream singles were two of the best British pop records to come out in the 80's. The Primals were part of a movement of bands out of Britain back then that combined a mid-60's pop songwriting aesthetic with the irreverence of mid-70's punk. I found it all very exhilarating. The Pastels, Vaselines, Boy Hairdressers, Servants, Razorcuts, Jasmine Minks, and Biff Bang Pow were all releasing perfect little vinyl slabs of incredibly passionate guitar-based pop music that I gobbled up with overwhelming enthusiasm. So much in fact, that I started recording songs of my own in a similar style and sending over tapes to English labels in hopes that someone might actually want to release them. Much to my surprise many did, and eventually records came out on Sarah, Subway and Creation under fictitious names like The Springfields, Paint Set and Choo Choo Train. When Paul Chastain and I got Velvet Crush together I stopped recording my own material altogether. By then there were too many other things to think about. Many years later my friend Jason Reynolds convinced me I should compile all the early work onto a "solo" album. He even put the album out for me on his own Summershine label. It was delightful to find out so many people still enjoyed what I was doing during those early years, and now it seems there's a whole new generation to turn on. New bands like the Clientele and The Tyde prove that this kind of music will never go out of fashion." - Ric Menck, Los Angeles, California, Summer 2003

Factory sealed.