"10-9-8" by Face to Face - April 6th 80's Quest Song/Band of the Day

 

 

 

As I have said in other posts, I am not a big fan of high-pitched, lilty voices.  During the mid-1980’s there were two female singers leading Boston bands that were garnering some local acclaim around the same time:  Aimee Mann of ‘til Tuesday, and Laurie Sargent of Face to Face.  Boston radio DJ’s often pitted the bands against each other as though in a feud, and asked the listening audience which band’s side they were on.  When it came to that choice, I was definitely on Laurie Sargent’s side because her voice was tougher, and lower.  At times she could sound very feminine, but other times she growled.  I did like ‘til Tuesday as well, but Aimee Mann’s style was much more high pitched and lilty than Sargent’s so I was less fond of them (turns out she went on to bigger success).  Face to Face I absolutely loved, though.  I had all three of their albums and played them all the time.  In high school my friend’s little sister went to a different school and was on the committee that was bringing a Face to Face concert there.  I remember going across town to see the show, and standing in the front row at this small, small concert.  Now famous American comedian and Saturday Night Live alum, Adam Sandler was a student at the high school then, and was in a  band.  They were the opening act.  As a teenager it is always fun to be close to your idols, so it was a big thrill for me to be singing along with Face to Face.  Back then we didn’t have digital cameras with zoom lenses, so if you were going to get live concert shots you had to be up front really close to the band.  I got some great up-close shots of the band.  Next time I go to my parent’s house I will have to take them out of storage, digitize them, and post them to 80’s Quest.  When I was 18 years-old Face to Face played a show at my college during the first month I was there.  This time I got to meet them.  For me at the time, it was a big deal.  I had always thought Angelo was a real hottie at the time so it was nice to meet him and stand by his side.  Their albums are really hard to find these days on CD or download, so consider yourself lucky if you get to listen to some of their other work.

Face to Face was formed by guitarist Stuart Kimball in New Hampshire during the late 1970’s.  Joining him were some of his close friends, Laurie Sargent (vocals), Angelo Petraglia (then only going by one name, “Angelo”, on guitar and keyboards), John Ryder (bass) and Billy Beard (drums).  In 1980 they moved to the Boston, which was the biggest city and music hub in New England.  They played local clubs and built up a following and were signed to Epic Records in 1982.

Their self-titled first album was released in 1984.  They scored a hit with their single “10-9-8” which was a Top 40 hit charting at #38 on the Billboard charts in America.  In 1984 the band appeared in the movie Streets of Fire as fictional band “Ellen and the Attackers”.  In the movie they perform the songs “Never Be You”, “Sorcerer” and the harmony on the “Nowhere Fast”.  It looked like the band was really going places!

The band released two more albums Confrontation (1985) and One Big Day (1988); but they didn’t fare as well as their debut.  The band had switched to PolyGram Records, but even that couldn’t bring a rally.  The band broke up in 1988.

Laurie Sargent went on to record as a solo artist, and then became the lead singer for a band called The Twinemen which former Face to Face bandmate Stuart Kimball sometimes plays with, and which also includes former members of the band Morphine.  The name of the band was chosen in homage to Morphine’s late lead singer Mark Sandman’s comic series, “The Twinemen” which featured three anthropomorphic balls of twine playing together in a band. 

Billy Beard became a booker at some well-known Boston-area music clubs:  Toad and The Lizard Lounge (in Cambridge).  He also plays with a band called Session Americana. 

John Ryder has worked for the Philips Corporation for over 10 years, and when not working plays around Boston with the James Montgomery & Friends band as one of their founding members.  The band was nominated for a Boston Music Award in 2003.

In addition to his stints with The Twinemen, Stuart Kimball became a member of Bob Dylan’s band during the Never Ending Tour.  The Never Ending Tour is the popular name for Dylan’s  endless touring schedule since June 7, 1988. 

Angelo Petraglia went on to write songs and produce other bands.  In 2010 he won a Grammy Award for his production work for the band Kings of Leon (he also wrote some songs with them).

 Lyrics:

I'll be your loaded dice
You're holding all the cards
You set the tone whenever I'm with you
You make up all the rules
In this game of fools

I see your signals change
They go from green to red
It's always stop and go and the colors are changing
Never let on, never let on
Look to the left, look to the right
Why can't you look me straight in the eye?

CHORUS
10-9-8
I'm always counting down
Do you feel the pressure when you're under the gun
6-5-4
I'm always countin down
Isn't it funny, I never get to one

I'll be your only chance
I play the only role
I go the distance whenever I'm with you
You make up all the rules
In this game of fools
Can you hear me in the dark
I'm walkin on the wire
I'm on the edge, it's always my time for falling
Never let on, never let on
Look to the left, look to the right
Why can't you look me straight in the eye?

CHORUS

Never let on
Never let on
Never let on

Never let on
Never let on
Never let on

CHORUS

CHORUS
CHORUS


Since it's kinda rare to find video on this band, here's one more for you - "Under the Gun":