Everything about The Feelies totally explained
The Feelies were a
rock band from
Haledon, New Jersey. They formed in
1976 and disbanded in
1992. They frequently played at
Maxwell's, a live music venue and bar restaurant in
Hoboken in the 1980s. Their first album,
Crazy Rhythms (
Stiff Records, 1980) was cited by
R.E.M. as a major influence. The Feelies rarely worked with outside producers and created shimmering
soundscapes with multiple guitar layers that set them apart from the punk/new wave atmosphere of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their name is taken from
Aldous Huxley's novel
Brave New World, in which "the feelies" are a medium of entertainment in theaters where all of one's senses are involved, not merely vision.
Although the Feelies never sold a great number of records, their influence remains felt on the indie rock scene today, with a number of current artists citing them as influences. A
WFMU DJ once said that they were "The best thing to come out of New Jersey since the light bulb". The novelist
Rick Moody has also cited the band as one of his influences (allegedly, he based the punk band in his first book "Garden State" on them).
Early days
Glenn Mercer,
Bill Million and Dave Weckerman began playing together in 1976 in Haledon, New Jersey in a band called the Outkids. The Outkids evolved into the Feelies with the addition of Vinny DeNunzio on bass and John J. on drums.
In 1978, the
Village Voice dubbed the then-unsigned Feelies "The Best Underground Band in New York"
(External Link
). With the line-up of Mercer, Million, Vinny DeNunzio's brother
Keith DeNunzio on bass and
Andy Fier on drums, the Feelies released their first single, "Fa Cé-La", on
Rough Trade Records in 1979.
Crazy Rhythms
The Feelies' debut album,
Crazy Rhythms, was released on
Stiff Records in 1980, featuring the same line-up as on the "Fa Cé-La"
Rough Trade single.
Offshoots
The Trypes
After
Crazy Rhythms, Fier and Keith DeNunzio left the band. With the Feelies in limbo, Mercer and Million collaborated with other local New Jersey musicians, forming one of a number of Feelies offshoots, the Trypes, featuring some once and future Feelies members, including
Brenda Sauter,
Dave Weckerman and
Stanley Demeski, as well as John Baumgartner, Mark Francia and Toni Paruta. The Trypes, quieter and more psychedelic than the Feelies, played regular live gigs around the New York/Hoboken scene at clubs such as
Maxwell's and
Folk City. In 1984,
Coyote released a Trypes 12" EP produced by Million and Mercer,
The Explorers Hold, featuring three original songs (credited to Mercer alone or with other band members), plus a cover of the
George Harrison song,
Love You To, which originally had appeared on
The Beatles' Revolver. The Trypes also contributed a Million/Mercer-produced original song,
A Plan Revised, to the 1985 Coyote anthology of Hoboken acts,
Luxury Condos Coming To Your Neighborhood Soon. Some members of the Trypes later formed the band
Speed The Plough.
Yung Wu
Million, Mercer, Sauter, Demeski and Baumgartner also gigged around New York and Hoboken under the name,
Yung Wu, which was fronted by and featured the songs of Feelies' percussionist Dave Weckerman, who also sang lead.
Yung Wu released one album on
Coyote Records in 1986, titled
Shore Leave. It featured Weckerman originals, plus covers of
Child of the Moon and
Powderfinger, a staple of their live gigs.
The Willies
The Willies, also known as The Willies From Haledon, were yet another Feelies offshoot that played around the New York/Hoboken clubs in the early 1980s. The Willies shared a similar lineup as the later Feelies, but their live sets consisted mostly of cover songs, extended instrumentals and psychedelic jams, such as "
Third Stone From the Sun" and "
Sedan Delivery". The Feelies' appearance in
Jonathan Demme's
Something Wild was credited to
the Willies.
Later Feelies
The members of the Feelies never stopped playing and collaborating in the 1980s, earning them the distinction of being "the New York area's best-loved underground rockers since the late 1970's", according to
Jon Pareles of the
New York Times in 1986. (
(External Link)) The band occasionally even performed under the name "The Feelies", most often on holidays at
Maxwell's. At least one such gig featured a reunion of the
Crazy Rhythms line-up of Million, Mercer, DeNunzio and Fier. By the late 1980s, the band re-emerged from their self-imposed exile with new members and their first new album in six years.
The Good Earth
Reformed as a quintet featuring Mercer, Million, Weckerman, Sauter and Demeski, the Feelies recorded
The Good Earth in 1985 with
Peter Buck of
R.E.M. on board as co-producer with Mercer and Million. The album was released in 1986 and featured ten original Mercer/Million compositions. The band toured in support of the album as an opening band for
Lou Reed as well as R.E.M. that year.
Only Life
In 1988, the Feelies signed to a major label and released the album
Only Life on A&M Records. The lineup was the same as
The Good Earth, and Mercer and Million again handled production duties. The disc was a critical favorite, coming in at #27 on the
Village Voice's 1988
Pazz & Jop critics' poll, beating out such noteworthy competition as
R.E.M.'s major-label debut,
Green, as well as the debut efforts by
Jane's Addiction and
the Sugarcubes. (
(External Link)) Recently, the album's title track has been used as the introductory music for the
Harvard Business Review's
HBR Idea Cast (
(External Link) )
Time for a Witness
The band's final album,
Time for a Witness, was released on A&M in 1991. The album broke little new ground from
Only Life but still earned the band critical praise.
Film appearances
The band was featured in a
Jonathan Demme movie called
Something Wild playing as a high school reunion band. They were not however featured on the soundtrack. Credited as
the Willies, they performed bits of five songs, including "Crazy Rhythms" as well as covers of
David Bowie's "Fame," and
the Monkees' "I'm a Believer". The Feelies song "Too Far Gone" also made it onto a Demme soundtrack with the film
Married to the Mob(External Link). Million and Mercer were also brought together by director
Susan Seidelman to create the score for her film,
Smithereens.
Side projects & alumni bands
Band members
Bill Million - guitars, vocals, percussion (1976-1992)
Glenn Mercer - guitars, vocals, keyboards, percussion (1976-1992)
Keith DeNunzio a/k/a Keith Clayton - bass guitar, percussion, background vocals (1979-1982)
Vinny DeNunzio - drums (1976-1978)
Dave Weckerman - percussion (1984-1992)
Andy Fier - drums, percussion (1978-1979)
John J. - bass (1976-1979)
Brenda Sauter - bass, violin and backing vocals (1983-1992)
Stan Demeski - drums and percussion (1983-1992)
Discography
Crazy Rhythms (Stiff LP 1980)
The Good Earth (Coyote Twin/Tone LP 1986)
No One Knows (Coyote Twin/Tone EP 1986)
Only Life (A&M LP 1988)
Time for a Witness (A&M LP 1991)
Singles
| Year |
Title |
Chart positions |
Album |
| US Modern Rock |
| 1979 |
Fa Cé La |
|
Crazy Rhythms |
| 1988 |
Away |
#6 |
Only Life |
| 1991 |
Sooner or Later |
#13 |
Time for a Witness |
Reunion
The band has announced reunion shows that will occur in early July 2008, including shows at Maxwells, Hoboken, NJ (July 1 and 2, 2008) and opening for Sonic Youth at Battery Park, New York, NY on July 4, 2008.
Further Information
Get more info on 'The Feelies'.
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