The Sidewinders - The Sidewinders (1972/2022)

The Sidewinders opened for Aerosmith just as "Dream On" was starting to break in the early '70s and, with Patti Smith guitarist Lenny Kaye producing, singer Andy Paley had the distinction of fronting the only true power pop ensemble to record in the early days of the Boston scene. The Modern Lovers were the essential punk band, Orphan with Jonathan Edwards were the folkies, and J. Geils had the blues market, leaving the most commercial sound to the Sidewinders. Though Billy Squier would join the Sidewinders, he had yet to bring them "Telephone Relation," one of their two best songs, and the lack of material held back not only this album, but the eventual Paley Brothers disc for Sire featuring Andy and his brother Jonathan Paley, who would join Elektra's the Nervous Eaters. It's not that this self-titled debut doesn't have its moments – "The Bumble Bee" is a cool instrumental, "Told You So" brings back memories of Moulty & the Barbarians, and "Rendezvous" (the best song on the album) could work for a contemporary teeny bop artist. That was the dilemma with rock & rollers choosing pop, something that the Atlantics would find out a few years later. The pretty guitars of Eric "Rose" Rosenfeld and Mike Reed are a perfect setting for Paley's voice. But Rosenfeld was a monster guitarist, like Squier, and this album hardly showcases his skills. You can hear elements of Barry & the Remains on side two's "O Miss Mary" and "Got You Down"; maybe they were emulating Barry Tashian's group that opened for the Beatles, when perhaps they should've been putting some Kinks riffs into this material. "Slip Away" has the most creativity here, but only hints at the potential. "Reputation" isn't as mean as Joan Jett or the New York Dolls could make that concept. Andy Paley would go on to produce the Shag film soundtrack for Sire, as well as Madonna on the Dick Tracy soundtrack, and this effort of his, with photos taken at the Chelsea Hotel in New York, is a true artifact of early-'70s Boston music.

by Joe Viglione