Customer Reviews

Everywhere at Once

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I ran across this album by chance one day when I borrowed my sister's car. She had the tape of this in the cassette player. It didn't take long before I was out on the road rocking out to this band that I had never heard of before. Then "A Million Miles Away" came on, and I was sold. I had to have this one. I don't usually discover great music this way, but sometimes even my little sister has a musical jewel or two hidden up her sleeve. This album is really a pop classic, which makes it that much more surprising I hadn't heard it before. But this band, who was huge on the west coast in the early 80's, disappeard just about as fast as they came in. That was the story of a lot of good pop bands I liked from the late 70's early 80's period. This was an especially talented band though. The bigtime production and the big guitar sounds off of this are something you didn't hear on very many pop albums back then. There's much more to be found here than just a one hit wonder album. There's some other great songs like "Oldest Story In The World", "Play The Breaks", "How Long Will It Take", and "Everywhere At Once" to round out a very solid album all the way through, with no weak filler tunes to be found. I'm surprised when I see this in the cut-out bins, and at such a bargain price. About all I can say about that is "if they only knew". I'd rank this one in my top 3 pop albums of the 80's, and if that shipwreck ever happens, I'd probably have to tote this along to the desert island. Because I've never gone long without listening to this cd since that first chance encounter in my sister's car. It's the best driving music you'll ever hear....Promise

If I were stranded on a desert island and yadda, yadda, yadda... Everywhere At Once would definetly be on my short list of MUST HAVES. My brother bought this on cassette back in the mid 80's and made a fan out of me. Finally, a few years back I picked it up on CD... and it's still a regular in my rotation. It's a great sunny day driving album, from Oldest Story In The World to How Long Will It Take to the title track. And, of course, A Million Miles Away is one of the greatest almost-hits of all time. It's too bad The Plimsouls never reached the star status they deserved, but it's also kind of nice to have one of those hidden gems no one else seems to know about. So now you're in on the secret. Buy this CD. I bet you won't be sorry!

This is one of the best power pop albums ever made, with great songs like "Oldest Story in the World", "Inch By Inch", and of course the classic "A Million Miles Away". A little history: in 1976 a band called the Nerves, made up of Peter Case (later of the Plimsouls), Paul Collins (later of the Beat, a.k.a. Paul Collins' Beat), and Jack Lee, recorded a 4 song EP. One of the songs was Jack Lee's "Hanging On The Telephone", which became famous in 1978 when a cover version by Blondie became a hit. By this time the Nerves had broken up, with the various members each gone their separate ways. Jack Lee released a solo album, "Greatest Hits Vol. 1", in 1981 on an obscure label, Maiden America records. Paul Collins' band, the Beat, made 2 albums and 1 EP. Peter Case's band, the Plimsouls, made an EP followed by 2 LPs, the best of which is this album, "Everywhere At Once". Both Case and Collins had subsequent solo albums, and the Plimsouls reformed for a later album in the late '90s, "Kool Trash". So there is a wealth of material for fans to track down for their collections. Much of it has never been issued on CD, and some of it is very hard to find. Now for the good news: in 2001 a Spanish label, Penniman Records, reissued the original Nerves 4-song EP, combined with 2 other Nerves studio tracks, on a 10" vinyl-only collection called "25th Anniversary". Only 2000 copies were issued, I don't know if it is still available but if you can find it, I highly recommend it - great stuff. There was also a French reissue in the late '80s, now long since out of print, of the same 6 Nerves songs, plus 4 more live tracks. Anyway, I had been searching for those Nerves songs for years before finally finding the Penniman Records release just a few weeks ago. If anyone reading this has been searching for the Nerves like I had been, I hope this helps you find it. Beware, though, of recordings by a different band also called the Nerves, which has made a few albums recently. Check the record label or personnel info carefully. For further collecting, the Paul Collins stuff is still not too hard to find on vinyl, but the Jack Lee album is very rare.

The Plimsouls second album was very nearly as great as the first. Not since Big Star cranked out #1 RECORD and RADIO CITY a decade earlier had American pop seen music that was so edgy and melodic at the same time. The prime mover behind The Plimsouls was the great songwriter/guitarist/singer Peter Case. He enjoyed a find solo career after leaving The Plimsouls, but he never wrote as many spectacular songs as he did for their two albums together.

I'd love to share my favorite cuts on the album, but I would simply end up reduplicating the contents. But the best of the best stand comparison with any of the great power pop singles of the entire decade, or indeed of any decade. While I have some personal favorites like "The Oldest Story in the World," I would like to see anyone who isn't moved by the power of a song like the title track or the amazing "A Million Miles Away," which just might be the Plimsouls single greatest song. But there aren't any weak cuts on this album. Every song is distinguished by good lyrics, taut playing, stellar guitar lines (though very little in the way of solos-the guitar work consisted primarily in countering the vocal melodies and in brilliant texturing), and superb melodies that will hook you and keep you hooked.

Over the course of time, I have encountered one amazing band after another-Big Star above all, but also bands like Thin White Rope, Eleventh Dream Day, the Rave Ups-that should have been huge, but weren't. I hate to turn this into a diatribe against the music industry, but with downloading and file sharing threatening the existence of the record companies, I'm wondering if it wouldn't be a good thing if they went by the board. Though not entirely, a great deal of the fault with the untimely demise of so many of these great bands has to be laid at the feet of the record companies who failed to properly support these great artists, their pushing instead a host of inferior and second rate performers who possessed little or no artistic merit, and the narrow refusal of horrid airwave monopolies like Clear Channel (a satanic organization if ever there was one, politically as well as aesthetically). If you got rid of the record companies, I suspect the cream would be allowed to rise on its own to the top. I truly do think that record companies have outgrown their usefulness.

Plimsouls' Everywhere at Once is a classic, as other reviewers have already pointed out. It is the best collection of power pop - garage rock songs ever made. Just listen to the songs like Magic Touch, Oldest Story in the Wolrd, How Long Will It Take, Million Miles Away - this band deserved to make it big. Sadly, they never did. Buy it!

You've lucked out. Something has brought you to this page and if you do not already own this album (CD) now is the time. This is one of the 80's best. A Million Miles Away is on every 80's compilation but Oldest Story in the World and Everywhere at Once are just plain great songs that you may have heard in the Valley Girl movie. Add in Shaky City, How Long Will it Take, and I'll Get Lucky you've got one unbelievable album. If you become a fan I'd love to hear about it and if you do move on to some of Peter Cases's solo albums. Six Pack of Love and The Man with the Blue Post Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar are my favorites.

An awesome second record from this band of the early 80's L.A. underground punk scene. Includes the track "A Million Miles Away" (made popular from the VALLEY GIRL soundtrack). Equally just as good are "The Plimsouls.....Plus" and the just-released "One Night in America (LIVE)". It's too bad this VERY UNDERRATED group never became as big as it should have. This baby's a keeper!

I first heard The Plimsouls in the movie "Valley Girl" with Nicholas Cage.(the bar scene) I think it was back in 1983-84. Every since then, I've been listening to their "Everywhere at Once" cassette. The Plimsouls are a must have for true new wave/alternative music lovers. This album (Everywhere at Once) is a classic! I will purchase the CD so I can retire my old cassette. I will also check out "Kool Trash" to see how much they've changed.

Definetly one of the best albums around. Great all the way from the music to the lyrics.......lyrics and music are incredibly in sync with another. Most have heard "Million Miles Away" from Valley Girl fame.....While this is a great song, it is on the bottom of the list for me of the songs on this album. Play the breaks is awesome.....sound bit on amazon does it no justice at all!!!! "When everyday's a roller coaster ride....and your wicked thirst can't be satisfied.....when you know this time you've gone a little too far......and you want to come back and you don't know how....now your whole world is hanging by a thread....and you can't remember what it was you did....." and so on.

What ever happened to these guys........wish they could have kept the majic going......because I want more.

The Plimsouls released this back in the Early 80's when this was officially called "New Wave". As time has passed, Peter Case and bandmates have been shown to have pre-saged the whole 90's pop/punk/alternative guitar-driven sound. Like the Replacements and the Flaming Groovies and so many others, the Plimsouls were ahead of their time. If you had it on vinyl, have never heard it, or lent the CD to a friend and won't see it again, it's time to buy a great CD. You'll be air-strumming and humming these tunes for weeks.