Hi Peter,your no.1 here-it's been so unreal and surreal to be able to communicate with one of my musical mentors/heroes/contemporaries/inspirations..thanks(gushing)
I was wondering if you had any fave memories/anecdotes on your previous(and definitely not your last!)trip to the Golden City herself,Praha.
Was it the Akroplis or Lucerna music bar,off Vaclav namesti where you played?When was this show?
Please come back soon,man.
More great things have happened and come together for me since I dropped out of the ol' rat race and started calling my own shots and moved to this wonderful oasis(and beer capital of the universe to boot).
I hope to see you(and Chris as well)in 2005.
Come to Louisville or Cincy(or CZ-you'll love the potato pancakes!)
Thanks for all,mate,
Adrian

Thanks for the props from Praha. I think walking around in the town square, with all the different layers of buildings from different times, all facing in, and topped off by the beautiful crazy clock. I can't remember what the name of the gig was, but it was in a tiny basement (or rather, sub sub basement) bar, maybe a jazz club ostensibly. It was great, and we walked around Prague til the wee hours of the morning. I do hope I can return there. (Plus they had N/A hefeweissen biere for me there).
PH

When I was visiting Prague for a few days back in '95, I chanced to eat in some white table cloth upstairs joint overlooking Vaclav namesti...the Penguin I think it was called...fancy and great eats too in those dollar-kicks-ass days. Well the piano player decided to take a break and then they played recorded music over a sound system. I was shocked to hear them play North Carolina based band The Connells doing '74-'75.

Well, it was a big hit in Europe back then so it's not that strange.

Not strange to hear it since it was a big hit in Europe. Okay I agree with that.

How about strange that a Raleigh band generally unknown outside of NC SC and Va except on college radio gets a big hit in Europe?

...that's what we were sorta hopin' for, I think, once upon a time.

Cos people from Europe respect good music more than Americans

(and that's why Jimi Hendrix was signed in the UK and not over the pond in U.S.A.)

Wow,I never knew '74-'75 was that old of a song.I've seen that video clip here on Czech tv quite a few times over the last year or so and thought it was something new.Well that explains my surprise and curiousity.I wonder if, had this song come out today would it still have been the big hit it was 9 years ago with today's music scene.
A very memorable song indeed.Now why didn't I check out the Connells back then?Any recommendations to start out with?
Adrian in rainy Frydek-Mistek

If you want to start listening to (or collecting) the Connells, I recommend these two albums: "Ring" (which has the single '74-'75) and "One Simple Word".

I spent the last half of '95 in Russia and Eastern Europe and was amazed at how often I heard that song. I saw the video on MTV (Europe?) and the images of Broughton high school were a great reminder of home after months of travel.

Thanks Jeff for the titles-my Trouser Press Record Guide(4th edition 1991) gave One Simple Word a really good review,so I'll start with that one when I'm in the States next Spring.
Adrian

in your travels would be Dillon Fence/Hobex, the almighty Don Dixon, the Woods, Snatches of Pink and the assorted works of Parthenon Huxley. Don't forget Dixon had a smash hit with Praying Mantis in the Netherlands!

I'll vote for Boylan Heights being the best Connells album, produced by Mitch Easter of the dB's extended family.

And though it may have seemed that they were an NC-area secret at the time, we were certainly listening in Pittsburgh, and I recall them being fairly widespread college-radio favorites in the late 80s/early 90s. (They were on TVT after all.)

Despite having seen both bands outside of NC, I still picture both the Connells and Dillon Fence/Hobex (Love that Greg H.!) playing frat houses in Chapel Hill. Ah, youth & ignorance, how I miss them!

That first Connels album with Darker Days was great. I still think Darker Days is the best song they ever did. There later albums, while they have some good songs, never quite did it for me. Since someone mentioned Mitch Easter, that album he did for Love Tractor, Themes from Venus, is remarkable. Cruelly underrated.

Agree on Love Tractor and Themes from Venus.

Also like Darker Days but hard for me to say it is better than Boylan Heights, One Simple Word or Fun & Games.

Funny P.S. to our Connells discussion: Received a postcard from my old college roommate, who is vacationing in Europe. We had seen the Connells play in Pittsburgh circa "Fun & Games."

He writes:
"Would you believe I heard a Connells song over the loudspeaker in a German grocery store?"

Just heard 74/75 again the other day on radio as well.Amazing.Hopefully,the composer's been receiving his/their royalty checks on a regular basis.The life!