Hot on the heels of their reissue of Swervedriver’s 99th Dream, Outer Battery Records is thrilled to announce an all-star line-up for a cover of forgotten French-Canadian power-pop legend, Michel Pagliaro, for the first in a special series that pays tribute to long lost 70s legends.
Hailing from Montreal, Quebec, Pagliaro began his musical career in the mid-’60s but found cult success a decade later. Known early on for his songs ‘L’espion’, ‘Les bombes’ and, ‘J’entends frapper’, he predominantly wrote music in French but also achieved some international acclaim, most notably with his self-tiled rock album Pagliaro, featuring power-pop classics such as ‘Lovin’ You Ain’t Easy’ (which reached 31 in the UK singles chart), ‘Rainshowers’ and ‘Some Sing, Some Dance’.
Over the next year, Outer Battery Records will be releasing several 7” cover singles from similarly singular and special artists like Pagliaro and eventually compile them all together on LP.
“It’s going to be an amazing series of releases,” explains OBR’s John Pastore. “Dave (Sweetapple) and I are both huge fans of Michel Pagliaro and we’ve been trying for years to reissue his first album from 1971 but with no luck. So, we started to wonder if we should record a couple of covers of our favourite songs, put it out, and hopefully catch his attention.”
Pastore and Sweetapple sent the original version of ‘Lovin’ You Ain’t Easy’ to Sohrab Habibion, who they’d worked with previously on numerous projects such Obits’ Die at the Zoo. Habibion instantly caught the vibe and that Big Star sound (even though it was recorded a whole year before #1 Record) and was surprised to discover that it was one of Michael Hampton’s favourite songs, having stumbled onto it by accident almost twenty years ago. Hampton’s close friend, Brendan Canty from Fugazi, jumped onboard and with the final piece missing, Habibion knew he needed to find someone who could really sing and play guitar. Fortunately, Ted Leo, his close friend; DC scene vet and touring partner from his days in Edsel agreed on the spot having not only known the music of Pagliaro, he’d gone so far as to cover it live on occasion.
Un coup de pot! The Foreign Correspondents had arrived.
The 7″ vinyl, featuring the stone cold power pop masterpiece, ‘Lovin’ You Ain’t Easy’ and ‘We’re Dancin’’ (from an early Pagliaro side project called Second Helping) will be released on 5th April 2024 and is available on four pressings, with unique, period-appropriate cover art and vinyl colour can be pre-ordered here.
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