My Top 1000 Songs #876: All My Friends

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

Birmingham, AL-based Primitons were among the welcome rush of Southern jangle pop bands to hit the mid-80s college radio airwaves in R.E.M.'s wake. Their self-titled 1985 EP showed a ton of promise, aided immeasurably by the production support of jangle-pop legend Mitch Easter. It didn't hurt that the record led with this absolutely killer track, a fiendishly jubilant party tune packed with smiles. Alas, the band managed just a couple records before disappearing (later collected on a fantastic 2012 CD compilation which promptly went out of print). The song enjoyed a brief moment of recognition for the privileged few who checked out Strum & Thum, that amazing 80s underground jangle pop compilation released a few years ago.

Incidentally, my friend Jeff (formerly of San Francisco power pop band Spinning Jennies, currently recording as The Well Wishers), includes a cover of this track on his brand new compilation of covers (alongside well-selected cuts from Husker Du, Guided by Voices, Game Theory, Pink Floyd, etc.). It's absolutely FREE on Bandcamp, and you'll love it; pick up some of his other releases while you're there!