Spike Priggen Digital Downloads
Buy From Amazon
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
Spike Priggen "Hideaway" mp3
Here's
a free pre-release mp3 of the song "Hideaway" from my upcoming CD
"There's No Sound In Flutes" (with a cover illustration by Peter Bagge)
which will officially hit "the streets" on August 28th. Please feel
free to pass it around or re-post it on your blog or whatever. Press
inquiries should be directed to Proxy Media.
Spike Priggen "Hideaway".mp3
Spike Priggen-Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Mark Spencer-Lead Guitar
Brian Doherty -Drums
Rob Arthur-Hammond B3 Organ, Fender Rhodes Piano
Eddy Zweiback-Tambourine
CP Roth-String Arrangement
Spike Priggen Myspace page
Spike Priggen @ Allmusic Guide
Spike Priggen "The Very Thing That You Treasure" on iTunes
Spike Priggen "Stars After Stars After Stars" on iTunes
There's No Sound In Flutes!
So
I spent a good part of last month finishing up the recording of my next
LP "There's No Sound In Flutes!" (it'll be a "CD", but they're still
"LP's" to me). I mixed it a couple weeks ago with my friend Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! amongst many, many others)
in his new Los Angeles studio (he was in Brooklyn for the better part
of the last 10 years.) It's set for release at the end of August, but
till then I'll be streaming a selection of songs from it on my myspace page. It's my usual brand of 60's and 70's retro-pop stylings coupled with some subtle, sub-"Twin Peaks" Angelo Badalamenti-isms, but this time enhanced by the fake orchestral stylings of former Ozzy keyboardist C.P. Roth. If you like a big fake orchestra along with your power-pop, I'm now your guy. Please check it out and befriend me myspace style if you're so inclined. MySpace Link. SpikePriggen.com
Listen To "Stars After Stars After Stars"
My new record "Stars After Stars After Stars" in RealPlayer format.
01 In The Inside.rm
02 Be Married Song.rm
03 How We Were Before.rm
04 When You Looked At Me.rm
05 Big Store.rm
06 Only Children Sleeping.rm
07 Plainsailing.rm
08 Questioningly.rm
09 Nighttime.rm
10 I'm Eighteen.rm
11 A Slow Soul.rm
Buy Stars After Stars After Stars from the iTunes Store
Buy "Stars After Stars After Stars" on CD
Stand-ins for deciBels- A Tribute to the dB's
The Paisley Pop label has released Stand-ins for deciBels- A Tribute to the dB's including tracks by Matt Keating, Bobby Sutliff and Tim Lee (Both ex-Windbreakers), Don Dixon, Steve Almaas and Ali Smith and many more including me doing my favourite dB's tune (their 1st single, when it was just a 3 piece, before Holsapple). The dB's were one of my favourite groups growing up and I've been lucky enough to work with both Will Rigby (he played drums in my band-I played bass on some recordings of his) and Peter Holsapple (he produced the Pussywillows-I played bass). You can buy it from Amazon here.
Spike Priggen- "If And When".mp3
Spike Priggen- Guitar, Bass, Vocals
Jon Graboff- Guitars
Brian Doherty- Drums
Recorded and mixed by Adam Lasus at Fireproof Recording, Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY (in about 5 hours.)
Yesterday & Eighteen (Demos)
A couple of 8 Track demos recorded back in the day at the Original Studio Red in Philly (not to be confused with Studio Green- "specializing in ambient noise and side projects") by the phenomenal Adam Lasus, one from each of my solo LP's.
"Yesterday" is an original, not the Beatles song, and is much more indie rock on this than the LP version, owing to the fact that I was still letting myself play "lead" guitar on my recordings then (I farm that shit out to real musicians now).
"Eighteen" is the Alice Cooper song.
The lineup for both songs is:
Spike Priggen-Guitar & Vocals
David Brooks-Guitar
Robert Vickers-Bass
Doug Wygal-Drums
George Usher-Hammond Organ
with the addition of
Tada Hirano on lead guitar on "Eighteen"
Spike Priggen-Yesterday (Demo).mp3
Spike Priggen-Eighteen (Demo).mp3
Listen to more Spike Priggen Music
Buy Spike Priggen CD's
Only Children Sleeping
The 6th song on my new CD "Stars After Stars After Stars" is "Only Children Sleeping" - originally recorded by The Jacobites (Dave Kusworth/Nikki Sudden).
I've been a big Jacobites fan
since I first became aware of them in the mid-80's. I've always loved The Only Ones, and Johnny Thunders, and these guys crossed that kinda Junkie Rock vibe, with this incredibly sweet, romantic side (especially Kusworth). In the summer of 1994 I bicycled from Battersea to Islington and back in the rain to see the Jacobites after Sudden and Kusworth re-united (Nikki's Brother, the Late Epic Soundtracks, was the DJ that night). They were brilliant. An autographed setlist from that night is part of the cover art on my new CD.
If there are any reviewers or audiobloggers out there who would like a copy or download, email me. Both of my CD's can be listened to in their entirety here and here.
Spike Priggen-Only Children Sleeping.mp3
Spike Priggen-Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Optigan
Danny Weinkauf-Bass
Mark Spencer-6 and 12 String Guitars,Hammond Organ
Jon Graboff-Pedal Steel, Mandolin
Bun E Carlos-Drums
Eddy Zweiback-Percussion
Big Store
The 5th song on my new CD Stars After Stars After Stars by Spike Priggen is "Big Store" by Nikki Sudden/Dave Kusworth-Jacobites (written by Stephen Duffy).
There was a pre-Jacobites band called the Hawks that featured Kusworth and Stephen Duffy that originally did this song, so I guess mine is a cover of a cover. It's a pretty classic song, 4 chords - no changes, with a great Televisionesque guitar part. Not sure exactly what it's about, but I like it. I saw Stephen Duffy, as Tin-Tin, performing (lip-synching) his dance hit "Kiss Me" back in the early '80's when I was working at Danceteria, and I certainly disco danced to it many times.
Spike Priggen-Big Store.mp3
Spike Priggen-Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Dean Falcone-Bass
Mark Spencer-Hammond Organ
Ivan Julian-Solo Guitars
Bun E Carlos-Drums
The Jacobites-Big Store.mp3
When You Looked At Me
The 4th song on my new CD is "When You Looked At Me" written by Jenifer Jackson. I first heard this song on Jenifer's "Love Lane" EP-soon after that I got to play bass on it for a few gigs with her. Jenifer's songs have this timeless pop quality. Although it's probably the most modern song on the record (chronologically), it sounds like it could one of the oldest. I'm betting this is one of the few songs in recorded history that features pedal steel AND lap steel.
When You Looked At Me-Spike Priggen.mp3
Spike Priggen-Vocals, Acoustic Guitar
Mark Spencer-6 and 12 String Guitars, Lap Steel,
Baritone Guitar, Chamberlain Oboe
Brian Doherty-Drums
George Rush-Bass
Jon Graboff-Rhythm and Lead 12 String Guitar, Pedal Steel
Eddy Zweiback-Percussion
When You Looked At Me-Jenifer Jackson.mp3
Buy my new CD
Listen to the whole CD
Categories
- Big Louise
- Biography
- Danceteria/The Blue Period
- Discography
- Dumptruck
- Gigs
- Liquor Giants
- Malcolm Ross
- Pictures
- Press
- Productions
- Reviews
- Scrapbook
- Shows
- Sounds
- Stars After Stars After Stars
- Store
- Stray Divides
- TV & Movies
- TV Neats
- The Caroline Know
- The Excerpts
- The Hello Strangers
- The Lean-To's
- The Obvious
- The Pussywillows
- The Streams
- The Very Thing That You Treasure
- There's No Sound In Flutes!
- What's New
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
Music Links
- Anders Parker
- Big Lazy
- Cheap Trick
- Chris Harford
- ClePunk
- Dwight Twilley
- Eyeless In Gaza
- Florence Dore
- Freedy Johnston
- Hub Moore
- Jenifer Jackson
- Jon Brion
- Jon Graboff
- Josef K
- Julian Cope
- Kirk Swan
- Mark Mulcahy
- Mark Spencer
- NRBQ!
- Norton Records
- Paul Haig
- Raymond Scott
- Roy Wood
- Steve Almaas
- Sundazed
- The Bus Stop Label
- The Dave Graney Show
- The La's
- The Raspberries
- Ween
- WeenRadio.Com
- Wormco
Powered by TypePad
