The dB's - Stands for Decibels / Repercussion - whats the cream of the crop?

Probably the rights have been exchanged to a new owner.
In his book, Stamey talks about recording Repercussion in London and the general tension within the group at that time. McCartney was in the studio at the same time, apparently very friendly, and Stamey regrets responding sullenly to his overtures.
These are songs are all mostly good to great, but my pick would be "From a Window to a Screen" or "Ups and Downs".

a few of my favs from stands for decibels didn't get a vote here ("i'm in love," "the fight," "tearjerkin'"), perhaps a re-poll is in order

From the 1st album, I'd pick "Cycles per Second" for Stamey and "Big Brown Eyes" for Holsapple. It's a shame that their singing on that record is weak, though.

From my P&J notes on 2018 releases:
Peter Holsapple/Alex Chilton, The Death of Rock: main keeper AC's "Marshall Law" (sic): blithe Ray Davies vox over terse VU-ish detail "sharpshooters" etc PH says it's re 70s Memphis Fire & Police Strike, tho incl. "Martin Luther King" (who came to town during Garbage Strike).
The title track is okay too, but most of the vocals are either awkward (PH) or nerfy (AC), too self-conscious no matter who's singing---and AC esp. redic on "Train Kept A-Rolling" and "Mona," though playing is okay on those and several others, incl. stand-alone leftover backing tracks. Somebody cover "Marshall Law."
Several of the PH originals got another chance w the dBs (and "Death of Rock" got retitled remodeled etc. for a Troggs album).

Since Holsapple is the common denominator on both of those Omnivore editions, I assume he may be shopping the rights, looking for however better a deal---which reminds me of his backstory to this good dBs song, on Falling Off The Sky---from Nashville Scene 2012 ballot notes:

The dB's--"She Won't Drive In The Rain Anymore": Very good contemporary country jangle-ballad, one of the highlights on a very good reunion album (aren't many of those). The true story, as told by Holsapple to http://dbs-repercussion.blogspot.com
"It's about my wife evacuating New Orleans during Katrina. I was on the road with Hootie [and the Blowfish]; my wife had taken my daughter and my baby son and my daughter's best friend on a train to Birmingham to buy a vehicle up there. She knew the hurricane was coming, and she did all the things you're supposed to do. We didn't think too much about it — we certainly didn't realize it was going to be a 100-year storm. But when she got to Birmingham to get the car, it was very evident there was no turning back, so she drove literally across the storm path to get to her grandmother's in Little Rock."
Peter goes on to explain the reunion theme in the lyrics. He says his wife "took a day to re-group and then started driving back and she dropped my daughter's best friend off with her mom in Memphis. And then [my wife took] Miranda, my daughter with Susan Cowsill, to where Susan and her husband were living at the time. Then she made a beeline to where Hootie was playing next, which was Baltimore. She got there 15 minutes before we went on. It had been this incredible, tortuous time, unable to get in touch with anybody. Meanwhile, I'm in this sort of suspended state of touring because I need the money, and I can't really stop. Where am I gonna go, what am I gonna do? When I saw her, it was the first time in weeks, she and my son pulled up and I was overjoyed just to get to see her. We didn't really talk very much because we didn't really know what to say; it was all just so overwhelming."
Would really like to hear the Pistol Annies With Special Guest Lee Ann Womack cover, but the orig should be on the radio rat now.
Turns out Holsapple wrote it w Kristian Bush of Sugarland, so maybe they'll do it too (or does Sugarland work that way).

Debut's been remastered and is getting reissued on June 7, hitting all digital platforms along with a new CD and (for the first time in the U.S.) vinyl pressing:

https://propellersoundrecordings.com/products/copy-of-pre-order-the-db-s-stands-for-decibels-2024-remaster-webstore-exclusive-splatter-vinyl

Later in the summer, the band will announce a similar remastered multi-format reissue of Repercussion. The street dates for that will coincide with a U.S. tour in the fall, details of which are still coming together. (The last dB’s shows in the U.S. were in 2012 on the heels of their studio album of that year, Falling Off the Sky.

Also on a sadder note, bassist Gene Holder's daughter had a medical emergency. Yo La Tengo and his bandmates in the db's all shared this gofundme link:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-gene-holders-family-medical-emergency

*dB's

this is great, just pre-ordered the vinyl. and will check out the gofundme

hitting all digital platforms

FINALLY my power pop playlist will be back at full capacity

Wasn't around to vote for this...Toss-up between the co-winners, two of the greatest--and not ruling out reshuffling those words and dropping the "of"--power-pop songs ever. I mentioned on one of the vinyl threads getting a virtually-new copy of Chris Stamey's It's Alright for five bucks on Record Store Day. Quite good.

got to see Holsapple and Stamey together at the Trouser Press 50th anniversary celebration a couple months ago, love them together so much. great to hear there will be a dB's tour.

i got pretty familiar with, and grew very fond of, like this when the first two albums left streaming services, but looks like that one is also gone now :/ hopefully they work on a reissue for that one too

Later in the summer, the band will announce a similar remastered multi-format reissue of Repercussion. The street dates for that will coincide with a U.S. tour in the fall, details of which are still coming together.

Where does this info come from?

Their press release. Repeated here:

https://musictap.com/2024/04/24/the-dbs-seminal-debut-stands-for-decibels-to-finally-be-reissued-in-the-u-s/

Lots of love for the first 2 records. In a parallel universe they could have snuck onto the charts along side the Cars as quirky new wave power pop.

I used to think about that parallel universe all the time, why the DB's and the Undertones and the Shoes and all my favourite early-'80s power pop bands never crossed over onto American Top 40. It's not like they were threatening or anything.

(And was indeed a chapter topic for my rejected Black Vinyl Shoes 33-1/3 proposal in 2007: why the Cars and not the Shoes?)

xxp thank you!

(And was indeed a chapter topic for my rejected Black Vinyl Shoes 33-1/3 proposal in 2007: why the Cars and not the Shoes?)

― clemenza, Wednesday, May 1, 2024 6:49 PM (one hour ago) bookmarkflaglink

would've loved to read this but surely you know it's Shoes and not the Shoes

not to be confused with Sneakers, or the Plimsouls for that matter. have we ever head a footwear band poll??

You know, I don't think I knew that--I've always called them the Shoes. So that's why it was rejected: "This guy doesn't know what he's talking about!"

Another fine thread, incl. videos and links that still work (the ones I checked). Also, the host of the leading rarities site drops in: The dB's - Classic or Dud