My Insipid Record Collection – Gene Loves Jezebel

We’ve reached February, shockingly enough, and it’s the Hallmark month of Love.   Luckily I won’t have to concern myself with Vermont Teddy Bears and outlandishly priced roses again this year, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get into the spirit.  It was Ground Hog day here in the Northeast yesterday and of course we are due for another six weeks of hard winter followed by another six weeks of soft winter.  Opening Day at Boston’s Fenway Park will take place the first week of April and anybody who’s ever been to a baseball game in these parts at that time of year knows better than to show up under dressed. Ground Hog day means Less Than Zero, to quote Elvis Costello, around here.  We know better than to think we could mysteriously luck into spring like temps for good on February 15th just because Punxsutawny Phil can’t see his shadow one year.  It does make for nice theater though.  I was going to go with some vintage Sonny & Cher in recognition of Bill Murray & Ground Hog Day, but I thought better of it.  You’re welcome.  I will say this; I’m bringing the love all month here at The Giant Panther.   All of my posts are going to have something to do with the concept of love this month.   Something I obviously know very little about, but all the more reason to get in the mood right?   Today’s topic is Gene Loves Jezebel.

The story of Gene Loves Jezebel begins around 1980 in Wales of the United Kingdom.   Identical Twin brothers Michael and John (Jay) Aston started a band with guitarist Ian Hudson and a drum machine.   The boys migrated to London in 1981 and in 1982 added a female bass player named Julianne Regan and eventually a keyboardist named Jean-Marc Lederman.  That lineup lasted about a year according to our friends at Wikipedia and there were several lineup change before they hit the big time in 1986 with third release Discover.   Gene Loves Jezebel basically came on like gangbusters for two records; 1986′s Discover and 1987 House of Dolls.   After that sales dwindled and the brothers battled in court over use of the band name once Michael decided things had gotten too commercial for his liking and left in 1989.   1990′s Kiss of Life had some legs with the single “Jealous,” but the thrill was all but gone by then.   One brother had “Gene Loves Jezebel” trademarked in the U.S. and the other had a U.K. trademark.  Great.  Thanks loads.  I ended up finally seeing one of them, I’m assuming the Michael led U.S. version, but I can’t be sure,  at  The Middle East in Cambridge a couple of years ago.  It was fairly acoustic as I recall, but I enjoyed it just the same.

Discover made its bones with “Heartache” and “Desire (Come and Get It)” and House of Dolls had “Gorgeous, Twenty Killer Hurts and The Motion of Love.”  I understand “Suspicion” was released as a single as well, but I don’t recall that one being a big hit.  I think the Boston market went for “Gorgeous” instead somehow.   Anyway,  GLJ was a Goth Rock band, but it was not your normal dirge like stuff you might expect.    Maybe Michael was right to bail on their direction, but these guys had some real musicality to them.   They were white hot for two or three years in the late 80′s and the Alternative Rock set (hello) loved them.   Their lead track; “Desire (Come and Get It)” has a few remixes out there which can be maddening at times.  Remember my story in an earlier post about radio playing one version of a given track on the radio and then selling us another on the actual CD.   I have a copy, of course I do (I’ll take useless must have CDs for 500 Jack), of the soundtrack to the movie She’s Having a Baby, which allegedly has a more rockin’ version (along with the U.S. Geffen) release of this track, but I’m too tired to dig both versions up about now to make sure you have the premiere version.   Maybe I’ll surprised you with some love later in the week on that account.   I never did find out who this Devil worshipper Gene was, but that was a cool decision, particularly since their original moniker was Slavaryan (as in Arian Slavic I would imagine).   Gene Loves Jezebel was so much better and more mysterious I thought.

This just in; I just located a bit of the story.  Brother Michael broke his leg at one time and was doing a fair amount of limping.  The limping apparently reminded someone of Gene Vincent of “Be-Bop-A-Lula” fame so he became Gene.  Brother Jay was introduced to a local filmmaker who apparently mistook “Jay Aston” for “Jezebel” amidst the Welsh accent and whatever other noise was going on at the time.  So if that story is true, there’s a little brotherly love for you.   I really am bringing the love in February…  

Gene Loves Jezebel – Heartache.mp3

Gene Loves Jezebel – Desire (Come and Get It).mp3

Gene Loves Jezebel – Desire (Come and Get It).mp3

Gene Loves Jezebel – The Motion of Love.mp3

Gene Loves Jezebel – Twenty Killer Hurts.mp3

Gene Loves Jezebel – Twenty Killer Hurts.mp3 YSI

Buy or download Discover or House of Dolls from Amazon here.