Customer Reviews

Sixteen Tambourines

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This should really be called "Baroque Hoedown/Sixteen Tambourines," given that the EP and LP were issued in this order.

The EP followed the band's name change from The Salvation Army, and showed leader Michael Quercio and his band tripping a bit more flowerly than on their previous LP. The buzzing carnal energy of the Salvation Army had softened by the time of this 'debut', creating a poppier, yet highly psychedelic sound. While some may prefer the Seeds-like punk of the Salvation Army, the Three O'Clock's somewhat more polished approach stands out as the more original. In large part the difference is their proficiency at their instruments, which became progressively less sloppy with each release.

Highlights of the debut include a superb cover of the Easybeats' "Sorry," and four excellent originals. The followup LP, "Sixteen Tambourines" continues in much the same vein, perhaps venturing even further towards bubblegum at the hands of producer Earle Mankey. More excellent originals plus a well-selected cover of the early Bee Gee's tune "In My Own Time."

This CD reissue adds one bonus track, but omits the bonus tracks that accompanyed the French vinyl issues of both EP and LP.

The Three O'Clock (a name surely inspired by The Strawberry Alarm Clock) was one of the best alternative bands of the 80s. A central member of L.A.'s "Paisley Underground," the group channeled the sounds of sunshine pop-era groups such as The Monkees, the aforementioned Strawberry Alarm Clock, and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy to fabulous effect, and found in lead singer Michael Quercio the perfect voice to complete their fanciful, if at times esoteric, driving-pop sound. While "16 Tambourines" represents the group's first full-length effort, the "Baroque Hoedown" EP included here is the true gem, with the song "With a Canteloupe Girlfriend" summing up perfectly what The Three O'Clock was all about.

Sadly, the world has changed so much that a revival of happy, psychedelic pop seems unthinkable anymore. But the 80s was overall a highly optimistic era, and The Three O'Clock seized the opportunity to take us to new, if fleeting, highs.

Get this disc!

This the greatest album..(remember albums?)..of the 80's....Big talk? I dare anyone to leg wrestle me over this. "Jetfighter" and also "And so we Run" are the tip o'the iceberg of the BeeGee filled "Kick-your-ass-butt-into'66...which in full cirle brings us into "In My Own Time" ,penned the the Gibbs themselves. This may sound like a guy into the BeeGees, but these boys do it sooo much better! END

"Jet Fighter" and "And So We Run" make this album worth purchasing for basically anyone, but I really strongly recommend it as a whole for fans of bands like Dream Syndicate and the dB's since it really is both power pop and neo-psychedelia.

The Three O'Clock coined the phrase Paisley Underground and they are the epitome of that sound.

With 16 Tambourines you have a collection of great songs. But with Baroque Hoedown you had a collection of even better songs. It's unfortunate that Frontier has twice now released this EP on CD missing three of the available tracks. They represent it as a 5 song EP on the original CD issue. On the reissue CD they add an unreleased bonus track, but still ignore the fact that the original vinyl EP had more tracks if you bought the import.

Frontier Records, please tell us why you won't release In Love In Too, Lucifer Sam and Feel A Whole Lot Better from the original Baroque Hoedown EP?

In any event, when the Three O'Clock signed to I.R.S. records, they lost that magic in their sound. Later, on Paisley Park Records it got worse. That explains why they got airplay with the two discs represented here but couldn't get that same airplay with the later material. It just wasn't up to the quality of these two discs worth of material.

It you're a fan of the Three O'Clock but haven't heard 16 Tambourines and Baroque Hoedown, you really haven't heard the best of their material.

A third CD reissue should be done with the COMPLETE Baroque Hoedown EP instead of ignoring the other great tracks on the original vinyl disc.

My import vinyl E.P. (non-Frontier label) lists the tracks as follows:

With A Cantaloupe Girlfriend (Michael Quercio / Gregg Gutierrez)

I Go Wild (Michael Quercio / Gregg Gutierrez / Mickey Mariano)

Marjorie Tells Me (Michael Quercio / Gregg Gutierrez)

Feel A Whole Lot Better (Gene Clark)

Sorry (Wright / Young)

In Love In Too (Michael Quercio / Gregg Gutierrez)

Lucifer Sam (Syd Barrett)

As Real As Real (Michael Quercio / Gregg Gutierrez)

The vinal version of Baroque Hoedown contained a cover of Pink Floyds "Lucifer Sam", and The Birds "Feel a Whole lot Better"... For some reason they do not appear on this disk...What a shame...

Still worth it for the classic original tunes.

The Three O'Clock were THE definitive Paisley Pop band of the 1980's. Sadly this genre is somewhat forgotten today. I hope I'm wrong as this album and ep are an amazing adition to anyone's collection.

Featuring the single "Jet fighter" and "I Go Wild' from the film The Wild Life it contains cathcy hooks, memorable lyrics and interesting guitar work. Simply a must for anyone who does not despise the 80's.

Without a doubt---one of the best 80's bands. Too bad they never got the radio airplay they deserved. If you like some cool new wave that's a little off the mainstream, then you'll like 16 tambourines.

Those of us who are even hardcore fans of the Three O'Clock know Michael Querico had the wimpiest voice but it worked. This is probably their best album and when they tack on their Baroque Hoedown EP to it, too, you cannot lose.

"Jet Fighter" holds up today as one of the killer tunes from the '80s.

If you really want to know where all that '80s psychedelic fun came from these guys and this CD is where you start before heading off into Plasticland. (Having said that do check out their first album Happen Happened now retitled as by the band Befour the Three O'Clock as the original Salvation Army band name was nixed due to obviously legal reasons from the Christmas Kettlers.)

If I were downloading the key tracks of the Three O'Clock I'd pluck "Canteloupe Girlfriend", "Jet Fighter", the cover of the Easybeats' "Sorry", perhaps "Seeing Is Believing", and the lead track from their previous incarnation as the Salvation Army, "She Turns to Flowers". Although I loved both the EP and LP at the time, recent listenings sometimes make me bristle due to the twee quotient. Still, these two releases bundled on one CD are recommended.