Tags: 45RPM, album, Back In Time Volume 1 1979-1989, CD, Fargo, LP, Minneapolis, Minnesota, New Wave, North Dakota, record, The Phones, Twin Tone, vinyl
Almost all from Minneapolis, there’s one from Detroit and one from New Orleans. Thanx, Stu!
A gargantuan task, although the list of 7-inch singles and EPs went much smoother than I thought it would. Not including 12-inch singles here. AGAIN- a work in constant progress. PLEASE contact us with additions and suggestions.
Lists of Minnesota records we’ve completed so far:
Minnesota Punk and New Wave 7″ singles and flexi discs 1973-1984
Minnesota Soul, Rhythm and Blues, Funk records 45s, 12″singles, and LPs* 1958-1988
list of collectible Minnesota Jazz vinyl LP records
Minnesota collectible rock, folk, and blues vinyl LPs– mostly post-psych and pre-punk
827 Minnesota vinyl 7-inch singles and EPs, 1984-2016
Collectible Minnesota Black Gospel LPs
looks like a Metal and Hip-Hop list is in order…. coming someday ….
how about a list if Minnesota ROCK CDs 1988-2016?
Minnesota labels we’ve combed through so far: 7-10 Split, Amphetamine Reptile, Big Action, Big Money, Blackberry Way, Blood of the Young, Carburetor, Crackpot, De Stijl, Freedom From, Fusetron, Gark, Guilt Ridden Pop, Heart of a Champion, Horse Latitudes, Jetstar, Learning Curve, Modern Radio, MPLS ltd, Nero’s Neptune, No Alternative, Old Blackberry Way, Pendulum,Project A Bomb, Prospective, Reflex, REM, Roaratorio, Rocket Sound, Spanish Fly, Susstones, THD, Three Dimensional, Treehouse, TRG, Twin Tone, Veto, Ultramodern, Whittier
First Communion Afterparty (2)
Howlin’ Andy Hound and The Blood Shot (1)
Jim and The French Vanilla (1)
Language Club Babel/Conversations
The Puggs
Remainder Improvisatiaonal Technique
Ubiquitous in the early days of Minnesota New Wave, Robert Ivers was a prolific local music pioneer. He released six different 45s under five different names, had a track on the best regional compilation of all time ‘Big Hits of Mid America Vol. III’ on the mighty Twin Tone Records, and an unheralded LP just called ‘ROCK AND ROLL’. The 45s were pressed in paltry batches of 100. The 1987 LP was fashioned by the then-novel “generic” product concept, was pressed in a batch of 1000 copies, many of which were lost in an era of “hard living”. His first recording act The Ice Stars were the precursor for the band Fingerprints, who are noted to have one of the first three “little red records” on Twin Tone (among two others). The Ice Stars are one of three New-Wave acts from Minnesota who pre-dated the Suicide Commandos with a record, along with Prodigy and Skogie.
The two letters I present here are basically The Rosetta Stone of Minnesota New Wave. The hand-written one was recently sent to David Campbell at 89.3 KCMP The Current via Minnesota Public Radio, and Rusty Jones’ letter was submitted to City Pages in 2005.
All of Bob’s music can be heard via CDBaby under the name BEATLESTONE, there are nine LPs worth of material, many of which are free downloads. At 61 years of age in 2014, he’s glad to share his recordings.
The 45s
Ice Stars “Lindy Hop Bop” b/w “Coming Back to Me” 1975 Sound 80 80-959-4160S
Ice Stars “Emergency One” b/w “Geared Down Low” 1980 New Age Records 1
The Kid and The Rebel “John Lennon is Dead” b/w “U.S.A. Boys And Girls” 1981 no label
Ice Stars “The Great N.Y. Subway Tragedy” b/w “I’ve Been Down” 1982 New Age Records 2
Blue Boy “Kissing You” b/w “Middle Class Square” New Age Records 3
Rock & Roll (Robert Ivers) “We Got Rock & Roll” b/w “Emergency One” Generic Records
The LP
Rock & Roll (Robert Ivers) LP 1987 Generic Records 870001
A1 | We Got Rock n Roll |
A2 | Silver Shuttle |
A3 | Fire Department |
A4 | Bonky Gonk |
A5 | Send Me Some Loving |
B1 | Bad Girls |
B2 | Lip Stick |
B3 | Lindy Hop Bop |
B4 | Hey Girl |
B5 | It’s Back to Rock |
Luv this track from various artists compilation ‘Big Hits of Mid-America Vol. III’: Sugar My Road (1979- Twin Tone Records)
Thanks to Robert Ivers, Rich Copely, David Campbell, and Rusty Jones for permission, music, and clues.
NEWSFLASH Feb 13, 2017… drummer James Miller just called. He wanted to make sure y’all know that bassist Steve Throne (Mark “Fingerprints” Throne’s brother) and James Rinehart got a mention here since they were a big part of the Ice Stars’ sound. The band’s ‘Heineken Tour’ centered around Duffy’s nightclub in South Minneapolis. Sue McLean would book the Ice Stars there opening for The Kings (“Wall-to-Wall crowded”), Mi-Sex, & The Members, paid with a case of the green bottles. Steve eventually left and was replaced on bass by Dave Phoser, who’s melodic playing can be heard on The Kid & The Rebel 45.
So hats off not only to Bob himself but all the Glen Lake guys from Eisenhower & Lindberg High Schools- Minnetonka represented well.
Some stuff from James:
NEWSFLASH #2 October 7, 2017: “Bob” Ivers has chosen some pointed language to alienate himself from almost everybody as city Councilman for Hopkins. Minneapolis Star-Tribune