Recorded at Vanishing Point Studio in Alexandria, VA Summer 2010
Steven Rubin: Vocals/Guitar/Keys Frank Caputo: Bass Eric Co: Drums/Percussion
Engineered by Steven Rubin & Bear
Mixed and Produced by Steven Rubin
Mastered by Devin Ocampo
Photos & Copy by Victor Nolasco & Steven Rubin
Guest Vocalist: Pamela Long on “It’s All About Me”
Copyright Rip The Knob Off Music | SESAC
Buddy Revel & The 3 O’Clock High perform “How Much Does It Mean?”
“Jackie fuckin’ rocks. Plain and simple. I don’t know what else you want me to say about it for your little album write up…except Jackie. Fuckin’. Rocks. Done!”
—Buddy Revel
Things have changed since Revel spoke those words to anyone that would listen to him after “The Monsters of Up and Coming Alternative Folk Rock with an Edge Tour”. Buddy Revel & The 3 O’clock High have since then repeatedly pointed to that experience as a breakthrough towards their understanding of rudimentary composition and song structure.
The band chose the Jackie song, “How Much Does it Mean?” because of its back story. “Jackie knows that I wrote that song. The Fans might not know it, new media doesn’t know it, but he sure does. He had never listened to good music until I played Rust Never Sleeps for him. The reason why I’m playing it on this Tribute Album is because ‘The Fans’ need to hear the real version.”
Treehorn and The Jackies perform “St*rf*ck*r”
“When you wake up in Memphis in a booze-induced haze with a bus ticket stapled to your chest you look to blame everyone else but yourself. It was the Southern Rock God’s Tour and I was clean and green until that first night at the Gwinnet County Fair and Jackie introduced me to one of his good friends: a green bottle of whisky. He said it would help me finish every note. Now I’m downin four bottles a day…because of Jackie. Then he has the nerve to kick me out of the band? I AM the Treehorns!”
—Django Treehorn
After their much publicized falling out Jackie and his one time side man, Django, have since not spoken. Django went on to form his own band, Treehorn & The Jackies. Critics have panned the act as a “frantic attempt to ride past glory while continuing to cash in off the long shadow of another’s success.”
Still, Django insisted that his band be included on The Tribute Album. “We chose the song ‘StarFucker’ cause let’s face it; Jackie knows he is totally obsessed with me—he wrote this song about the poems I sent to Starlett—and the few times he caught me at her window.”
Clarice & The Lotion Baskets perform “Slow”
“When I was a little girl back in Altoona I dreamed of the limitless boundaries of what my own mind could offer. I would sit in my bedroom and dream about him, and listen to his music. Jackie’s early records could take me places. Places that medication never could.”
—Clarice
To Clarice and her friends growing up, Jackie was a God. His profound inspiration pushed her to start writing and performing her own music, leading her to form her first band. My Dog Precious, went on to have the moderately successful post-pop-punk-new wave-indie-dance hit, “Are You About A Size 14?”
Clarice chose the song, “Slow”, because, “it represents the loving bond between the creatures we choose to have amongst us—and allow to live with us—in our homes. As pets.” Adding further, “when I sing the line ‘I will pick you up into my arms’ it makes me wish that my new cat, Fava, was more like my old cat, Beans, and would, kinda, like, just…jump in my arms!”
Ron Johnson & The Audio Consultants perform “Don’t You Know…They Did It For Love?”
“The first time I met Jackie was at the San Bernardino District Ball field. I had Jackie’s album ‘Full Release’ playing on my car stereo kickin’ from my ’82 Camero while my date and I got busy in the dugout. After that, I took all my dates to the ball field. With Jackie.”
—Lead Audio Consultant, Ron Johnson
Over their career, The Audio Consultants have seen peaks and valleys. They notoriously peaked with songs that fueled the soundtrack to teenagers’ lives around the world. The valley’s hit when Hollywood came calling in search of the 80’s soundtrack sound; a sound that both attracted new fans and disdained long time followers.
“I went from scalping tickets at the mall for Jackie shows to having my gnarly band asked to perform on The Tribute Album. How rad is that? We chose the song, ‘They Did It For Love’, cause let’s face it, it has a guitar solo. I’m a guitar player, so of course, I want to do my solos.”
Albert & The Swearengens perform “One Man’s Edge Is Another Man’s Straight Line”
“Jackie is the largest of mother fucking cock sucking cock suckers I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. If you don’t believe me ask yourself this, who puts out their own Goddamn mother fucking tribute album? A self cock sucker, that’s who. However, a gentleman, above all, must brush aside petty differences and questions of character when the opportunity to pay homage to the immensity of artistic talents presents itself. Certain facts show on the mark, Jackie is a true fucking talent.”
—Albert
Jackie and Albert first met when they made up two thirds of Dave Wooderson’s backup band the Alright’s. As time wore on, artistic differences led to an eventual break up of the band. To this day, Albert still claims that he, “taught that cock sucking, motherfucker everything he knows about the implementation of minor chords and pentatonic scales.”
Albert choose “One Man’s Edge is Another Man’s Straight Line” because of contractual obligations.
Kima & The Yellowtops perform “Built Up For Release”
“After Jackie heard the Kima sound he started camping out for their shows all over the world. At the time, people liked to throw around words like ‘restraining’ and ‘order’. But Jackie doesn’t ever like to put a label on things.”
—Jackie
Jackie demanded that Kima & The Yellowtops be on The Tribute Album or it would get no green light from him. Never one to be shy about his adoration of Kima, Jackie is quoted as saying that, “she is the biggest single influence on the exploration Jackie has taken with his illicit side.”
The song, “Built Up For Release”, was a perfect fit for The Yellowtop sound. With it’s syncopated rhythm and explicit undertones, Kima slid right into her groove in the studio while Jackie looked on in awe from behind the glass. The significance of Kima’s style on Jackie has been evident ever since. It was Kima that taught him how to use his instrument for other things besides music.
Alabama & The Dick Ritchie Valens Quartet perform “It’s All About Me”
“When I first met Jackie he was this shy guy fumbling over his words. Little did I know at the time it was because he had a huge crush on me. Of course I can’t blame him, who wouldn’t? Let’s be honest here, it’s my influence that got Jackie to come out of his shell and become the man he is today.”
—Alabama aka Starlett Treehorn
While Alabama and Jackie are currently the hottest ‘It’ couple around today things weren’t always so easy going. When word first broke about the power couple’s blossoming romance the paparazzi tracked their every move. The attention their relationship attracted nearly destroyed the couple; however, Starlett and Jackie were able to fight through the maelstrom brought on by the tabloids. Unconfirmed reports of illicit affairs and the release of several sex tapes have done little to deter the love the two share.
“It’s All About Me” is the only logical choice for Alabama and the Dick Richie Valens Quartet w/ Jackie to perform for the tribute. The song was co-written by the music industry’s First Couple and has a theme that both contend is actually about themselves.
Jackie & The Apriles perform “It’s Only True”
“So one day I get the brilliant idea to start my own band. I had just left Blue Lou Boil & The Chesterfields and I decided that it was time to unleash my musical greatness as a solo artist. I figured, how hard could it be to form a band? As long as I was writing amazing but simple scores that any musician I knew could play, it was only a matter of time before gold records were hanging on my walls. Then I met the Aprile’s. Man they sucked.”
—Jackie
Despite the lack of any recognizable talent within the Aprile’s, Jackie was admittedly stubborn when it came to trying to make the band work. After their break up, Jackie was noted as saying, “Forget about scripted music pieces. I had to use phrases like ‘dreamy, lush soundscapes’, or explain what I meant by saying a song needed an ‘epic Led Zeppelin 3 type middle section.’ All I would get is blank stares.”
After much soul searching, Jackie decided to give the Aprile’s another chance to perform with him on The Tribute because, “Let’s face it, everyone in world loves second chances…and this was their shot at soft rock redemption. It’s not like I made it hard for them either. ‘It’s Only True’ has to be, hands down, the easiest piece of music I have ever written. Period.”
