THE REMAINS ON PBS
Mastodon Post
We had nothing quite like The Remains until this band came along. Widely known for loudness - loudest band I ever heard was a common expression - The Remains ought to be at least as well known for tightness. One of the bootlegs had a track that, no doubt, was not intended for the public to hear. Vern's bass started out too loud, Barry's vocal was a little tentative. It sounded to me like a song they had just reworked and they recorded it promptly to get the arrangement down for reference in future sessions. Then they came to the refrain and the four just hammered it in really close formation. They transformed instantly from four guys working out a song to THE REMAINS ready to take on the world. It was a terrific thing to hear. Some of the available film footage shows a young Vern Miller characteristically hopping about on stage and Barry answering with hops of his own. "Remains Nights" at the early-1960s incarnation of The Rat were where Boston's highly productive rock scene got its start. When Chip Damiani left the band in the lead-up to the Beatles tour, The Remains added a remarkable drummer, ND Smart II. ND was subsequently in a John Hall group, Kangaroo; and then he was in one of my all-time favorite bands, The Great Speckled Bird with Ian and Sylvia. Chip is the drummer The Remains wanted but the band, nonetheless, aced the percussion position with ND, easily one of the very best drummers I ever heard live. Bill Briggs, as The Remains tech guy, was a big part of the band's success. The best equipment and knowing stage set-up were fundamental to what made these four musicians The Remains. This was a highly professional, focused band with what Nancy Neon calls "garage spirit." "Ticket To Ride" by Barry Tashian is one of New England rock history's essential books. A music store in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, displayed a collage made up of various newspaper headlines and notices, each in its own way speaking of The Remains blowing The Beatles off stage. It was great! RiP Chip Damiani.
[This is an expanded version of a comment I posted at the Music Museum of New England's Facebook page. One attachment is a scanned image of a concert poster, of a reunion of The Remains and The Lost, given to me by my friend, Susan Green (RiP), who produced the reunion show.]
Music Museum of New England Remains article
https://www.mmone.org/the-remains/
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