Starter Kit

Here at Numero, our arousal over skinny ties, broad-winged melodic hooks, harmonizing young men, and monosyllabic bandnames is no new thing. What’s getting us going all over again is Buttons, our spiffed-up and rebooted series dedicated to a legion of crushed Raspberries and Opposite-of-Big Stars, the small-time power pop, punky glam, and regular-guy rock 45s last seen pre-Challenger disaster at the last of the truly local record stores. Starter Kit flips back to classic-era Power Pop’s page one, recasting the original 004 as a lean 22-track singalong past Tommy Rock and Randy Winburn Bomp!-comp gems lost by Kim Fowley’s L.A., the Colors’ stabbing at nerved-out Blondie, and the Bats’ oddly mature New Haven Beatle-isms as prelude to Hollywood contracts for a young Jon Brion. We then expand the frame out to Tommy “The Toms” Marolda’s mid-life pining for those lost teen years and the Treble Boys’ flirtations with “Julie-Ann” and The Boss. Connecticut’s Tweeds, New York’s Sponsors, San Antonio’s Kids, and Kennet, Missouri’s Trend also get in on the action, proving that garage bands weren’t dead, they just grew up and bought keyboards. This stripped-down, well-dressed 2LP set comes with a poly-bagged set of 11 inserts. Ladies, the handsome gentleman on the cover is taken.