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Reviews of "The Very Thing That You Treasure"


  • "Beautifully crafted, laid-back pop songs as sunny as a fresh summer's day, and as melancholy as mid-fall, Spike Priggen's The Very Thing That You Treasure is a delicate, yet sophisticated acoustic pop record."

    Alex Steininger

    In Music We Trust


  • "The Very Thing That You Treasure, Priggen will tell you, has been a lifetime in the making. Quite frankly it’s been worth the wait."

    Kurt Hernon

    Bangsheet


  • If there is any justice in this teen-popping world, The Very Thing That You Treasure won't get lost on the streets. It's a sweet little treasure that deserves a home.

    Carrie Havranek

    SonicNet


  • "The Very Thing that You Treasure is, quite simply, an amazing album. From the first track, a gorgeously reverby, jangly pop ballad called "Every Broken Heart," you know you're into something good. Priggen's voice is kind of nasal and a little bit awkward, but there is a gentleness to it that is immediately charming."

    Scout

    Delusions Of Adequacy


  • "Next time I'm getting over a terrorizing, head-over-heels heartbreak, The Very Thing That You Treasure will be in the driver's seat, helping me cry myself into the nearest telephone pole. Until then, this unbelievably depressing CD will be sitting on my shelf, safe from unsuspecting ears that can't deal with its gut-wrenching power. Priggen definitely has issues with chicks, as several tunes (including "Every Broken Heart" and "She Used To Be My Baby") highlight a borderline obsessive-compulsive singer-songwriter bloodletting his emotions onto a recorded medium. Priggen has a way with words, and his exceptional lyrics weave intricate tales of desperation and loss that somehow, by the disc's end, inspire a sense of hope and yearning. Nonetheless, this potent collection of tear jerking, honky-tonk pop tunes is a marvelous expression of calculated emotional outbursts. Medical authorities should be contacted immediately, as this CD should only be allowed into your CD player with a prescription from your local psychiatrist."

    Andrew Magilow

    Splendid E-zine


  • “To be blunt about it, this is a brilliant LP, and as debuts go ranks right up there with those of Marshall Crenshaw, Big Star and The Pretenders. It’s full of indelible hooks and I just want to keep playing it again and again and again…One of the year’s best”

    Toast Magazine


  • “Turns simple phrases around gorgeous melodies and into moving pop poetry”

    Mean Magazine


  • “Gloriously melancholy. Worth every minute of the ride.”

    Power Of Pop


  • “The very definition of bittersweet”

    Joey Sweeney

    Time Out New York


  • "His lyrics seethe with John Lennon's anger (and wit), but most often, and most brilliantly, they hinge on the sort of forlorn melancholy that Chris Bell made so affecting."

    Red Tunic Troll

    Amazon Customer Review


  • "In the finicky music world, Spike Priggen may well be destined to skirt around the perimeters of success for a few more years to come, but his satisfying songs are already worthy of a wider audience. Priggen's debut, The Very Thing That You Treasure, finds the accomplished musician joining the alt.country fray as a less cocky version of Ryan Adams. Two of the better offerings, Every Broken Heart and Outtasight take to the sort of countrified twang that R.E.M. tried for on 1991's Out Of Time. .. It is welcome news that Priggen has already set to work on a follow up."

    Rip It Up Magazine


  • "Priggen's songs are so melodic and throw up so many surprises both lyrically and sonically that it is hard not to love everything on this record.All of the tracks have been a favourite at different times so it is hard to pick out a standout song. It changes from the opening 'Every Broken Heart' to everything in-between that and the last song, 'So Good To See You', a strange psychedelic ballad full of weird effects and mellotron.

    Pennyblack Music Website


  • "In truth it's hard to single out tunes for praise when all 12 tracks are consistently solid. This is a 'song' record, an album that's not about glossy production or sampled drum beats. Spike Priggen writes damn good songs, and that's what you'll find on The Very Thing That You Treasure."

    Barfly.com


  • "Not the most rock 'n' roll of names, and one most likely that most of you have never encountered before, but then 'The Very Thing That You Treasure' isn't the most rock 'n' roll of records. In fact, the debut from New York based multi-instrumentalist Priggen is a wonderfully vibrant melting pot of eclectic pop rock styles that will have power pop fans drooling.

    Classic Rock (UK)


  • "Starting with a chorus of “Every broken heart is just like the first one”, Priggen shows his perfect hand early. Matching Teenage Fanclub with Matthew Sweet, he can’t help but sound like Big Star – which is even better! Irresistibly ragged production and endlessly bittersweet guitar solos will have you singing every line, and feeling like you wrote them all yourself. Proof beyond question that the one thing you can never grow out of is a teenage crush."

    TNT Magazine (UK)


  • "It's an album of confidant versatility, and the two years it took to record are evident in the sound of the material, the care that has been given. So often these days music can seem meaningless, vocals tossed away with a cheap rhyme, but not here."

    Logged Off Website

« February 2005 | Main | April 2005 »

Dream Magazine Review

Dreamletterhead2Spike Priggen
Stars After Stars After Stars (Volare)
This second album finds Spike Priggen and a bunch of friends (Ivan Julian, Bun E Carlos, etc.) covering some great underknown songs by folks like the Pontiac Brothers, the Zombies, Nikki Sudden/Dave Kusworth the Jacobites, Tracy Thorn, the Ramones, etc. If Spike is doing all of the vocals as the press kit seems to indicate; he's the best singing vocal mimic I've ever heard. His Tracy Thorn, and Joey Ramone are uncanny.
George Parsons
Dream Magazine #5

Posted by Spike on Mar 30, 2005 at 07:14 PM in Press, Reviews, Stars After Stars After Stars |

The Big Takeover Review

RblogoThis may end up being one of my fave reviews of this record. Seems no one told this guy that it was all covers, thereby proving my point that most people would not even realize it was covers unless you told them.
"Priggen is a frequent performer on the NYC scene and at various times has been a member of Dumptruck, Hello Strangers, Liquor Giants, Schramms, and Pussywillows. His 2001 debut revealed a tremendous talent for perfect pop songs often filtered through a country sound. Therefore, the first track on his new disc comes as quite a shock with its blast of synthesizer. Thereafter, he returns to his normal style, for which a useful comparison is Freedy Johnston, whom Priggen resembles in vocal timbre, melodically (especially), and to a lesser extent in overall style. It's a sound that doesn't work well unless lavished on high-quality songs, and Priggen supplies plenty. "
The Big Takeover site.

Posted by Spike on Mar 30, 2005 at 01:34 PM in Press, Reviews, Stars After Stars After Stars |

Stars After Stars After Stars CD Baby Page

Cdbaby100darkThere's a page up at CD Baby where you can purchase my new CD "Stars After Stars After Stars". You can also listen to low quality mp3's of all the songs.  There's also a page for my 1st solo CD "The Very Thing That You Treasure".

Posted by Spike on Mar 30, 2005 at 01:04 PM in Sounds, Stars After Stars After Stars |

Delusions Of Adequacy Review

Logo"Most of the album is a nostalgic look back at the artist's past, including the bands he's played in as well as those he's idolized, including the Hot Bodies, the Jacobites, and the Zombies. He works through these songs competently and respectfully, and in the end what he's created is a tribute to his own musical development. But in doing so he's also given us a window back into some forgotten moments in music from the 70's and 80's various indie, new-wave, and punk scenes." - George Ford, 3/29/2005
Read the whole thing here.

Posted by Spike on Mar 30, 2005 at 12:46 PM in Press, Reviews, Stars After Stars After Stars |

New Haven Advocate 05/16/02

From The New Haven Advocate
Music Notes
By Kathleen Cei
Published 05/16/02
(Yes, It's really taken that long to get this record released)

When twangy/jangly power popster Spike Priggen was recording at Brooklyn's Fireproof Recording studio a few weeks ago, he told the drummer, "It's really great having you here--I don't have to tell you to play it more like Bun E. Carlos" like he's done in previous sessions. That's because this time, the guy behind the kit was Bun E. Carlos, of Cheap Trick chainsmoking fame.

They recorded eight songs together with local one-man-supergroup and Priggen's former Hello Strangers bandmate (from the '80s New Haven scene) Dean Falcone on bass.
Now doing the solo thing in New York City, Priggen is also remembered locally for playing in The Stray Divides, and in the early '90s with David Brooks in The Lean-Tos and The Streams.

His newest project, a follow-up to last year's The Very Thing That You Treasure, will be an all-covers CD, including tracks recorded with Bun E. and Dean-ie, like Big Star's "Nightime," Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" and Jacobites' "Big Store," as well as a cover of the local classic "In the Inside," a song originally written in the late '70s by drummer Kerry Miller (currently of The Swaggerts and Los Gatos) back while he was in The Hot Bodies with shades-onstage Ric (Orlando) Rondo.

The song was covered once before in the '90s by Miller's pals F'n Colleen. Miller is bemused by the staying power of "In the Inside" since, he laughs, "it only has two chords." Priggen thinks Miller's "gonna like my version. It's like The Sweet meets The Beach Boys."

A 13-year-old Priggen first met Bun E. backstage at The Palace when Cheap Trick opened for Foreigner, and they've been pals and 45's collectors since. Falcone, a life-long Cheap Trick fan (known to have performed the entire Live at Budakon album at Rudy's on Christmas shows past with Jim Balga, Wally Gates and Scott MacDonald), played it cool during the session, but says he turned into a big geek fan afterwards, which was fine by Bun E.

Posted by Spike on Mar 29, 2005 at 12:29 AM in Press, Scrapbook, Stars After Stars After Stars, What's New |

The Hello Strangers "Goodbye"

The_hello_strangers_cover_1The_hello_stangers_back01. Second Look.mp3
02. Funny Way.mp3
03. Anna Karina.mp3
04. Twice.mp3
05. Ambivalent.mp3
06. A Blessing.mp3
07. Last Year's Wings.mp3
08. Misery Loves Company.mp3
09. How To Behave.mp3
Michael Priggen-Guitars/Vocals/Songs/Producer
Joe Rees-Guitars
Mark Mulcahy-Drums, Vocals, Harmonica
Joel Potocksy-Bass
Released in 1987 on the Incas Records Label. MP3's are mastered from the vinyl. This is basically my 1st solo LP, but in the 80's it was cooler to have a band name. I'm hoping to get this re-released by the 20th Anniversary but we have to get the tapes baked and remastered. This goes for at least $20 when they come up on Ebay, due I think to all those Mark Mulcahy completists out there.

Posted by Spike on Mar 28, 2005 at 09:59 PM in Sounds, The Hello Strangers |

Village Voice Mini-Review

The Village Voice gave me a nice little pick in the "Voice Choices" section which contained this little mini-review.
"On Spike's new "Stars After Stars After Stars" he pulls off the neat trick of recording a classy set of covers (The Pontiac Bros. "Be Married Song"; Zombies, Jenifer Jackson, Sudden & Kusworth) with a star-studded cast (Bun E Carlos, Ivan Julian). He's kicked around in some bands that almost crossed over (Dumptruck, The Liquor Giants, The Caroline Know)--can he finally get a break?". - Josh Goldfein

Posted by Spike on Mar 28, 2005 at 06:37 PM in Press, Reviews, Stars After Stars After Stars |

Be Married Song


PosterThe second song on my new LP "Stars After Stars After Stars" is a cover of a song by the Pontiac Brothers called "Be Married Song" written by Ward Dotson. I had this song on a Pontiac Brothers EP and another version on an LP (one version had Ian McLagen on it, I think) and always loved it. Later on Ward moved to NYC and we got to be in several bands together, his Liquor Giants, The Pussywillows and my band, the Hello Strangers.
Spike Priggen-Be Married Song.rm 
Buy "Stars After Stars After Stars" CD

Posted by Spike on Mar 23, 2005 at 01:34 PM in Liquor Giants, Sounds, Stars After Stars After Stars |

Record Release Party March 23rd Lakeside Lounge

Boat_1My new CD is finally out. I'll be playing a Record Release Show/Birthday Party at the Lakeside Lounge in NYC. The band is Chris Erikson and Greg Beshers on guitars, Mark Spencer on lap steel, baritone guitar, and 12-string, Nancy Polstein on drums & Tada Hirano on bass. I sing and play guitar. Party starts at 7, the show at 9. Please come on down.

MARCH 23, 2005
RECORD RELEASE & BIRTHDAY PARTY
PARTY AT 7 - PERFORMANCE AT 9
162 AVENUE B (10TH & 11TH)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
212.529.8463

Posted by Spike on Mar 18, 2005 at 12:54 AM in Shows |

In the Inside

Hot_bodiesThe first song on my new LP "Stars After Stars After Stars" is a cover of a song by Hot Bodies called "In The Inside"

Hot Bodies were one of my favorite local New Haven bands of the late '70's New Wave/Punk scene. Lead singer Ricky Rondo was kind of a hero of mine and taught me some important guitar licks (the scream bend!). There was some talk of me joining Hot Bodies as the 2nd guitarist, but Rick broke up the band instead, and started another, TV Neats, that included me.

The song was written by their drummer Kerry Miller, the only guy on the New Haven scene who was as big an Alex Chilton freak as me. He claims to have written the riff on a guitar of mine , I don't remember, but I can't imagine why he'd make it up... One of the 1st songs I learned how to play on guitar (2 easy chords). The working title of the record was always "In The Inside", it wasn't until after it was done that the whole "Stars After Stars After Stars" concept was hatched.

Spike Priggen-In The Inside.rm
Spike Priggen-Vocals, Guitar, Synth
Danny Weinkauf-Bass 
Mark Spencer-Lead Guitars
Ivan Julian-Guitar Solo
Bun E Carlos-Drums
Eddy Zweiback-Percussion

Posted by Spike on Mar 14, 2005 at 11:38 PM in Scrapbook, Sounds, Stars After Stars After Stars |

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Reviews Of "Stars After Stars After Stars"


  • "New York-based Spike Priggen of Liquor Giants, Pussywillows, and Dumptruck enthralled fans with his 2001 solo debut's synthesis of Big Star's chime, the dBs' quirkiness, and Dwight Twilley's pure pop power. This follow-up of lovingly selected covers (in the tradition of Bowie's Pin-Ups and the Band's Moondog Matinee) melds the hearts and minds of the originals with his overarching melancholy, mating a collector's ear for material with a producer's imagination for re-creation. Highlights include Priggen's versions of the Pontiac Brothers' yearning "Be Married Song" and the Zombies' delicate morning-after B-side "How We Were Before." The Ramones, Tracey Thorn, and Scritti Politti's songs all find a common wistfulness in Priggen's soul- and country-inflected arrangements. Closing the disc is a mesmerizing found-sound "J&H Productions" tape, in which a would-be Cincinnati concert promoter attempts to "get with" the "label industry." Whether the "label industry" "gets with" Spike Priggen, lovers of Lennon, Chilton, Stamey, and Sweet certainly should."

    Eli Messinger

    East Bay Express


  • "Although it is a highly eclectic collection of mostly obscure songs by other artists, Priggen's second album, "Stars After Stars After Stars," underscores the considerable depths of his talent. Priggen makes each song his own, giving the album a remarkable coherent sound. Some of that is due to his song selection, songs which, except for a straightforward reading of Alice Cooper's "Eighteen," render themselves to his vaguely rootsy power pop interpretations. Priggen reclaims "Questioningly," the Ramones' well-written but improbable stab at country-rock and rescues from obscurity early British pop gems such as Tracy Thorn's "Plainsailing" and Scritti Politti's "A Slow Soul.""

    Mark Wilson

    Evansville Courier & Press


  • "This second album finds Spike Priggen and a bunch of friends (Ivan Julian, Bun E Carlos, etc.) covering some great underknown songs by folks like the Pontiac Brothers, the Zombies, Nikki Sudden/Dave Kusworth the Jacobites, Tracy Thorn, the Ramones, etc. If Spike is doing all of the vocals as the press kit seems to indicate; he's the best singing vocal mimic I've ever heard. His Tracy Thorn, and Joey Ramone are uncanny."

    George Parsons

    Dream Magazine #5


  • "Priggen is a frequent performer on the NYC scene and at various times has been a member of Dumptruck, Hello Strangers, Liquor Giants, Schramms, and Pussywillows. His 2001 debut revealed a tremendous talent for perfect pop songs often filtered through a country sound. Therefore, the first track on his new disc comes as quite a shock with its blast of synthesizer. Thereafter, he returns to his normal style, for which a useful comparison is Freedy Johnston, whom Priggen resembles in vocal timbre, melodically (especially), and to a lesser extent in overall style. It's a sound that doesn't work well unless lavished on high-quality songs, and Priggen supplies plenty."

    Steve

    The Big Takeover


  • "Most of the album is a nostalgic look back at the artist's past, including the bands he's played in as well as those he's idolized, including the Hot Bodies, the Jacobites, and the Zombies. He works through these songs competently and respectfully, and in the end what he's created is a tribute to his own musical development. But in doing so he's also given us a window back into some forgotten moments in music from the 70's and 80's various indie, new-wave, and punk scenes."

    George Ford

    Delusions Of Adequacy


  • "On Spike's new "Stars After Stars After Stars" he pulls off the neat trick of recording a classy set of covers (The Pontiac Bros. "Be Married Song"; Zombies, Jenifer Jackson, Sudden & Kusworth) with a star-studded cast (Bun E Carlos, Ivan Julian). He's kicked around in some bands that almost crossed over (Dumptruck, The Liquor Giants, The Caroline Know)--can he finally get a break?". -

    Josh Goldfein

    The Village Voice

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