Customer Reviews

It's About Time

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

 

 

The Pandoras were one of the best things to come out of the early '80s. They played a style of music that was called Sixties Garage Punk--think of The Rolling Stones before heroin intervened! These girls were influenced by bands that were popular probably before any one of the girls could walk or speak their first sentence. Paula Pierce was a singer with some raunchy grit, and it always impressed me that she could play her wayward, snarling lead guitar parts WHILE singing. The next record, Stop Pretending, had some commercial success. The later part of the decade found The Pandoras exploring a vastly different sound, and image. They made a record called,Rock Hard--and it DID. The Pandoras also released a live disc called, Nymphomania. Sadly, Paula died in 1991, before the band's next project could be finished. The Pandoras fans demanded it so a final CD was released called, Psychedelic Sluts. Paula is sorely missed by many.

Not a great cd. The songs from Stop Pretending are mostly hers and was the real deal for fans of Paula's "more snot per square inch" approach. Her metal period is largely unlistenable except for her power ballad attempt,"close behind". The moxie ep is actually better than this full length job,(sorry greg shaw. But your "You Don't Satisfy" single made up for this weak performance weak choice selections for "It's about Time" For a brief couple years nobody burned brighter than Paula's beauty, youth, and talent. I loved her in '86 and still love her. The internet has more hits for her now than when Pandoras played live. Paula launched the following bands out of her enthusiasm for live rock 'n roll: feline, mad monster party, rebel pebbles, the screamin sirens, muffs... these founding members got their start with Paula, and yes mainly because they "looked right" not because of dazzlingly wonderful chops.

The guitar-and-Farfisa driven sound of this all-girl quartet was a masterful recreation of the garage rock sounds of 1965. Singer/songwriter Paula Pierce had the talent, looks and swagger to match up to anyone else in the genre. In many ways she appealed as a female Mick Jagger.

The band itself was competent, which, in a sense, makes them the perfect garage rock band. Their first full-length LP (they'd recorded a single for Moxie, earlier) features all "originals," though several borrow rather liberally from mid-60s gems (e.g., "I Live My Life" is a lyric rewrite of The Leaves "Too Many People"). Had they been more famous there were sure to be lawsuits.

Lack of accreditation aside, Pierce's songs ring with authenticity, and the band raves-on throughout.

I discovered the Pandoras back when they first were around in the 80's and was a big fan of their garage-y sound. Like the punk of that time, it was a refreshing, grungey change from the slick techno rock of the day. There are a couple throwaway tunes on this cd but the really good ones make it worth the purchase. However in the end, Stop Pretending, their second album after Paula ditched this band and replaced them with all new, and in my opinion, better musicians was a FAR superior recording. If you can find the vinyl or tape of Stop Pretending, it's a wiser investment but if not, this one still rocks.

I waited to write my review until I had a "spare" on order. It's getting hard to find and I wanted to get another since my original copy is showing its age. This album has been with me in one way or another since the mid 1980's. If you listen to Little Steven's Underground Garage on satellite radio, or if you enjoy the raw '60's style garage/punk rock of the Standells, Shadows of Knight, Syndicate of Sound, etc., then you will love this. It's a girl group update of that "Riot on Sunset Strip" stripped-down rock.

At first I docked this album one star for occasionally muddy sound quality, but the songs are inspired, and inspiring. From straight-ahead rockers to twangy haunting pop tunes, it simply doesn't get any better than this as far as Eighties bands trying to revive the garage punk of the Sixties. This is the real deal: it makes the Go-Go's sound like Bananarama, and the Bangles sound like a pre-fab group like the Monkees. I have edited this review to up my grade to the full five stars. Other than "Drop Out with the Barracudas," I can think of no other Eighties garge band revival album that better represents the genre than the Pandoras' "It's About Time."

Paula Pierce died prematurely, and although the Pandoras might never have gone anywhere, Ms. Pierce should have gone on to one day rival the fame of Lita Ford, Joan Jett, or anyone else you can name.

It's About Time is a lost classic.

If you like The Fuzztones, psych garage, and farfisa organ, you will probably like this album. More raw and authentic sounding than "Stop Pretending", this album has more organ and rawks harder. I saw The Pandoras live in the 80's and they were great. I have both "Stop Pretending" and "It's About Time", and I prefer the latter, though they are both a lot of fun. Check it out if you like the BOMP sound.

If you want to buy one album of the Pandoras, this is it.

This f****d up puck/go go/girl band/beach music will take you on a joy ride!

The song High on a Cloud is the best song on the album. They didn't write it, and had alot of nerve doing it. The writer and singer was Mike Carroll from the 60's Garage band The Traits. Hear the real version, it's so much better!

I saw this band several times in the 80's. They weren't very good. In fact, they were downright awful. But they had a huge following. Do you know why? Because Paula would show her ... and let all the young boys in the front stare up her mini skirt. They were more like a bad burlesque show than a Rock n Roll show. As for the records..............Well first and foremost: Paula ... her songs. If you listen to any Nuggets or Pebbles collections you'll find that she rewrote lyrics to most of those tunes and claimed them for her own. And second: the band couldn't play their instruments. They try, but to no avail. There were a lot of better bands from that 'Battle of the Garages' or 'Paisley Underground' period of the mid 1980's that should be selling here at Amazon. The Miracle Workers, The Things, just to name a few. As for this record, I can't recommend it. For nostalgia or curiosity maybe, but I really can't support thievery. And that's what this is. Plain and simple ...

These girls were terrible. I saw them in LA circa 1985. Paula could'nt carry a tune let alone tune her guitar. And for the rest of the band, they reminded me of Danny Partridge. Their instruments were just to big for them.