The Nitecaps - Go To The Line (1982)

*Released on CD for the first time in 2008 

by Wounded Bird Records. 

Contains 10 tracks total. 

A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.

Country: U.S.A.

Genre: New Wave

Label Number: WOU 3756

.FLAC via Florenfile

.AAC 256 kbps via Florenfile

© 1982-2008 Wounded Bird Records

Go to the Line Review by Mark Deming

The Nitecaps had a pretty respectable pedigree for fans of early New York punk -- lead singer and guitarist Jahn Xavier had been a member of Richard Hell's Voidoids under the name Xcessive, bassist Peter Jordan was a roadie for the New York Dolls who took over for Arthur Kane in the latter days of the band, and drummer Sammy Brown was in Stumblebunny alongside Jordan. But the Nitecaps were an updated R&B show band, playing lean, soul-influenced rock & roll with the help of a four-piece horn section (who, as the Uptown Horns, would go on to a successful career of their own). The Nitecaps' first album, 1982's Go to the Line, makes it clear that this was a very good band -- Xavier could sing R&B with the passionate swagger of a New York rock & roller, guitarist Al Maddy's leads were tight and crisp, and Jordan and Brown were a rhythm section that could groove solid or kick out the jams at will. The horn arrangements give the songs all the punch and dynamics they need, and the production by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley is roomy and powerful. The only problem is that the songs on Go to the Line aren't especially good; it's unfortunately significant that the most memorable tunes are covers ("Give Me One More Chance" by Wilmer Alexander, Jr. & the Dukes and a closing medley of songs by the Zombies and the Easybeats), and that for all the energy and chops on display on this record, most of the songs never quite take off. There are more than a few solid moments on Go to the Line, but it's unfortunate that a group as talented as the Nitecaps couldn't have had the good sense to recruit a songwriter as gifted as the bandmembers were.

tags: the nitecaps, go to the line, 1982, flac,