Temporary Residence
2002
Never Never Shake, Baby
About This Album
On Never Never Shake, Baby, Actionslacks tie up sundry loose ends culled mostly from the 1999-2001 notches on the band's dateline: a pair of fiery studio outtakes from The Scene's out of Sight (2001), a stunning remix of that same album's "Shining Jewels," and a live take of "I Hope This Makes It Easier for You." A studio cover of Gary Myrick & the Figures' "She Talks in Stereo," recorded in 1996 with original Actionslacks bassist Mark Wijsen, rounds out the EP. On the opener, "Annie Oakley," singer/guitarist Tim Scanlin continues his trend of lyrically examining historical figures (also see "Joan of Arc," "John L. Sullivan") over tried-and-true Actionslacks song dynamics: semi-faint vocal background "oooohs," a surprise-twist chorus melody, and drummer Marty Kelly's break-and-return fills. Surprisingly, however, the disc's standout moment is also its most serene, as producer J. Robbins' gleaming guitar fills on his remix of "Shining Jewels" underscore the aching contentment of Scanlin's lyric ("I crawl through the traffic lights/And then I climb the seven flights/Just to see you again"). Patrick Main's jaunty, echoing piano beautifully illuminates the song's coda. A somewhat muddy live recording of "I Hope This Makes It Easier for You" precedes the band's wonderfully mechanical rendering of "She Talks in Stereo," a song best remembered for its inclusion on the much-loved soundtrack to the 1982 teen flick Valley Girl. Although there's nothing on this stopgap Actionslacks EP to match the level of The Scene's out of Sight's epochal "Tad Loves Kimberly James" and "Folding Chair," its clear intention is to merely provide a home for a few of the band's orphaned recordings. Nonetheless, Never Never Shake, Baby -- as with the full-length that preceded it -- finds this Bay Area outfit extending its reach in ways only hinted at on earlier releases. ~ Charles Hodgkins, All Music Guide
Track List (try tracks 1,2 and 4)

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