The 77s

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The 77s (alternatively spelled The Seventy Sevens) are an American rock band consisting of Michael Roe on vocals/guitar, Mark Harmon on bass, and Bruce Spencer on drums. Johnny Cash was allegedly quoted as saying of them, "I hope like hell we never tour together, or I'll look like a pantywaist by comparison." Witnesses were inclined to agree. Although Johnny never toured with them he had hoped to work something out before his passing.

Band History

Savage Young Scratch Band

Originally called Scratch Band, this ministry-based quartet formed in the late 1970s in Sacramento, California, by Roe, keyboardist/guitarist Mark Tootle, bassist Jan Eric Volz, and drummer Mark Proctor. Guitarist Jimmy A and singer Sharon McCall also performed occasionally with the band, whose repertoire contained a number of songs penned by English poet and fellow Exit Records musician Steve Scott.

The Exit/A&M Years

Scratch Band changed its name to The 77s just prior to the release of their first album, Ping Pong Over the Abyss, in 1982. Proctor left the band and was replaced by former Temptations/Romeo Void drummer Aaron Smith, who first appeared on All Fall Down and remained with the band until the mid-90s.

The Island Years

After considerable success on Exit/A&M, The 77s soon found themselves signed to Island Records and on the road to what Mike Roe would facetiously refer to as "teenage stardom." Their 1987 self-titled release, which was favorably reviewed by Rolling Stone magazine, produced the band's biggest single to date: "The Lust, The Flesh, The Eyes & the Pride of Life." Unfortunately for The 77s, labelmates U2 found not a small measure of success with their Joshua Tree album, thus reducing Island Records' interest in promoting what many fans consider The 77s' best album of their career.

Period of Transition

Although Tootle and Volz left the band in the late 80s, the live album 88 and Sticks and Stones, a collection of previously unreleased recordings, were released in the early 1990s while the band reformed with the addition of David Leonhardt (guitar) and Harmon, both former members of The Strawmen.

This new version of the band released a pair of albums for Word Records: 1992's The Seventy Sevens (known by the band and die-hard fans as Pray Naked, the album's original title dropped by the record label without consulting the band) and 1994's critically acclaimed Drowning with Land in Sight. Leonhardt and Smith would leave the band soon afterward. Drummer Bruce Spencer, formerly of Vector, was brought on board to fill Smith's vacancy. Roe chose not to replace Leonhardt, preferring to record and perform as a power trio; however, Scott Reams was occasionally brought in to enhance the band's sound during their live performances.

Power Trio

By the end of the 1990s, The 77s formed its own record label, Fools of the World and re-issued several of its older albums. As of 2006, The 77s continue to record and tour, with a Led Zeppelin- and Rolling Stones-influenced gospel blues album currently in the works for a fall 2006 release.

Music Trivia

On March 13, 1988, The 77s performed with The Alarm and House of Freaks at the legendary Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, California. Audience members included Neil Young. The performance was very similar to what ended up on the 88 live album.

"MT," from Sticks and Stones, was featured a number of times on the popular FOX television series "Beverly Hills 90210".

The reggae-rock band 311 "borrowed" several lines from "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes & the Pride of Life" for one of their own hit singles, "I'll Be Here Awhile."

Discography

Studio Albums

• 1983 - Ping Pong Over the Abyss (produced by Steven Soles)
• 1984 - All Fall Down (produced by Charlie Peacock)
• 1987 - The 77s
• 1990 - Sticks and Stones
• 1992 - Pray Naked
• 1994 - Drowning with Land in Sight
• 1995 - Tom Tom Blues
• 1999 - ep (EP)
• 2001 - A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows
• 2002 - Direct (EP)

Live Albums

• 1991 - 88 (1988 perfomance)
• 1996 - Echos o' Faith (The 77's Played Naked) (1992 performance)
• 2000 - 88/When Numbers Get Serious, re-release of 88 w/bonus disc containing various live tracks (1987-1998)

Fan Club Releases

• 2001 - Happy Chrimbo! from The 77's
• 2003 - Guilty Pleasures

Compilations

• 1989 - More Miserable Than You'll Ever Be (originally released under the 7&7is moniker and later remastered/re-released under The 77s banner); features Mike Roe solo tracks, demos/outtakes from The 77s' self-titled album, and unreleased material from The Magnets (Michael Roe & Larry Tagg)
• 1995 - 1 2 3, boxed set re-release of The 77s' first three studio albums
• 2000 - Late, contains the entire ep album, alternate takes/mixes from A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows and Tom Tom Blues, and solo tracks from Roe's 1997 solo tour.

Special & Limited Edition Releases

• 1980 - Rock & Religion Radio Show (06-01-1980), live cuts as Scratch Band
• 1992 - FlevoTotaal Festival - Live Tapes Volume 1 compilation, "I Can't Get Over It", live track, 1990
• 1992 - Shirley Goodness & Misery compilation, "Someone New" (alternate extended remix), 1984
• 1995 - Bootlevel compilation, "Mercy Mercy"/"Smokescreen"/"Good Directions", from 1984's All Fall Down sessions
• 1999 - compilation, "Shotgun Angel"
• 2000 - , CD single

[

• 1983 - "No Party in Hell" (live track)
• 1983 - "Modern Guy" (live track)
• 1996 - "Jazz Jam Warmup" (live track, 08-27-96)
• 1996 - "Pray Naked" (live rehearsal track, 08-28-96)
• 1998 - "How Do You Dig It Now" (basic studio track)
• 1998 - "Blue Sky" (early arrangement)

77's Songs Covered by Other Artists

• 1990 - The Ocean Blue, Laugh Tour (with The Mighty Lemon Drops and John Wesley Harding) - "Renaissance Man" (from Ping Pong Over the Abyss)
• 2000 - Smalltown Poets, Third Verse - "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes & the Pride of Life" (from The 77s)
• 2004 - Lost Dogs, MUTT - "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes & the Pride of Life" (from The 77s)
• 2004 - Lost Dogs, MUTT - "It's So Sad" (from Ping Pong Over the Abyss)

External links

• [www.77s.com]
• [The 77s at MySpace.com]
• [uu.cx/77s]

The 77s
Michael Roe | Mark Harmon | Bruce Spencer Jan Eric Volz | Aaron Smith | Mark Tootle | Mark Proctor | David Leonhardt
Production
Steven Soles | Charlie Peacock | Robert Musso | Steve Griffith | Brian Healy
Discography
Ping Pong Over the Abyss | All Fall Down | The 77s | Sticks and Stones | 88 | Pray Naked Drowning with Land in Sight | Tom Tom Blues | Echos O' Faith | ep | Late | A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows | Direct
Related Articles
7&7iS | Lost Dogs | Fools of the World

 

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