Finally getting around to posting some of Bill's tapes, here's a band I recall from the WHFS days, but never really knew anything about them. The tune "Whistle In The Yard" was very familiar to me and I always dug it.
So, not really knowing who Vigil was, I popped in the tape and was blown away by the guitar driven powerpop type tunes I love so much...below is a word for word copy and paste from Bill Veneer's Music Blog.
One Baltimore-area band to almost hit it big in the 80s was Vigil; I think they were actually based in
Glen Burnie.
The quartet of Jo Connor, Andy Reynolds, "X Factor" and Gregg Maizel
had gained a local following under the moniker "Here Today," releasing a
12-inch single of "Whistle in the Yard," an enigmatic, gothic-tinged
song that never quite resolves. I saw Here Today at the Wax Museum in
Southeast D.C.; that was a cool venue, with what is now called "stadium
seating" but back then was just called "seating." In its brief
existence I got to see several great shows there: Eurythmics, Thompson
Twins, Root Boy Slim, New Models, and Men Without Hats (eh...) to name a
few. Actually, I think that's all I saw there. Here Today was the
opening act the night I saw them, and I don't remember who the headliner
was, but it was one of the bands I just listed. As for Here Today,
their Wikipedia entry says they
signed to CBS records, changed their name to Vigil and were promptly
dropped. Vigil was quickly signed by Chrysalis Records and recorded
their debut lp in glorious digital. It came out and sold enough copies
to allow them to record another lp but only one track was officially
released "Therapist" on the Nightmare on Elm Street 4 soundtrack. They
recorded their eponymous debut album on Chrysalis Records in 1987. As of 2007 it is out of print.
Before
the debut album came out there was a 12-inch single of "I Am Waiting."
That song is pretty good, but it was the first song on the B-side, "I
Love You Equinox," that got played on WHFS and created a buzz. When Jo
Connor sings, "You can set your watch by her cycles 'cause she bleeds
like clockwork," don't get grossed out, because it turns out he is
singing about
the moon, so it's OK, see?
Follow the link below to read more and follow the links for some YouTube videos and 12" single sample...
Thanks to both Bills!
