Velvet Underground, The Stooges, Roxy Music, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, The Ramones, The Who, The New York Dolls
Sounds Like
"I can see you guys as a sort of American Roxy Music; not sounding like them but embodying the feeling." - Sandy Pearlman (Producer of The Clash-Give Em Enough Rope, Manager-Producer of Readymade's demos for CBS and Warners Records) New York Rocker.
"The bands wide range of catchy songs, somewhat theatrical stage antics and their considerable musical dexterity have won them a large and growing number of fans in San Francisco and LA." - New Musical Express, Jack Basher (Howie Klein).
"When Wayne Ditzel isn't making confident sounds on his guitar, he plays a good bass. And with Ditzel on bass, Jonathan is freed to surprise everyone. While some local lead singers cop their moves from their favorite superstars, Jonathan doesn't bother with preconceptions-it would probably slow him down." - Musician News, 1977
"The most unique New Wave band in the Bay Area. They've crushed the past to pumice, constructing a stone hard musical monument.
Five sinister personalities converged to transform the intimidating past. "In a wider concept we are using something that has already existed," says Jonathan Postal, gnomish faced, lean of body and the fury behind The Readymades.
"Musically and culturally, we can't come up with something totally new because the notes have already been written, all the words have been used. All you can do is come up with different juxtapositions. We're using stuff that's already there, therefore , it's readymade." -City Magazine, (Steve Seid 1979)
"Guitarist Ricky Sludge can riff like Pete Townshend, but he also draws from fifties guitarists like Eddie Cochran, as well as seventies punk minimalists like former New York Dolls lead guitarist Johnny Thunders." -San Francisco Chronicle (Michael Goldberg 1978)
"Ultimately it is the creative tension between Jonathan Postal and Morey Goldstein which may make The Readymades a major musical force. . You can almost call it - forgive me - a McCartney Lennon combination, with Goldstein providing the melodies as grist for Postal's harder more desperate mill." -New Musical Express
The Readymades provide an unusual historical situation. Seldom mentioned when referencing West Coast Punk and New Wave Bands in fact the Readymades were one of the most influential.
The Readymades were produced by Sandy Pearlman (The Clash-"Give 'em enough Rope") and courted by Jon Cale of the Velvet Underground. Their single "Electric Toys" was the only independent record to be in regular rotation on KSAN who also broadcast a live half hour of their music. They played with Blondie, Patti Smith, Nico, The Stranglers, The Police, The Talking Heads, Roxy Music and DEVO amoung others at such venues as the Cow Palace, Oakland Coliseum, Starwood, Winterland and the Mabuhay. It's best to tell the Readymades story through quotes from the press. Starting in 1977 and ending in 1979.
"Postal left The Avengers while Strangler Hugh Cornwell was in town. Hearing his material Cornwell encouraged him to form a band of his own...For Cornwell who sat in on their recent recording sessions, they are "one of the most significant bands on the West Coast." - New Musical Express
"The Readymades are an assemblage of found objects. Jonathan, one-time art director and hyper-kinetic kid helped form The Avengers a local punk group. He took a walk, ending up in an obscure garage in Berkley where Morey Goldstein and Wayne Ditzel were playing duets for garage door and backyard. Morey was one of those precocious types having won awards for jazz arrangements while still in high school. Wayne was another cerebral case, a BA in literature from Berkeley. With the original nexus formed in traipses Ricky Sludge wearing bell bottoms and platform shoes from a salsa band he was playing with. After mentioning The Ramones they decided he could stay. After hearing the crackle of his guitar they decided he could stay permanently. Paul Zahl arrived, a drummer who had covered the beat all over town." - City Magazine
"Before Paul there was Brittley Drummer Brittley Black son of accomplished jazz skinman Dave Black had established himself as the most energetic and talented drummer this side of Rat Scabies as a member of Crime." - New Musical Express
"The single so impressed John Cale (former member of the Velvet Underground and producer for Patti Smith, The Stooges and the Modern Lovers) that he offered The Readymades a contract on his new label Spy Records." - The San Francisco Bay Guardian
"The Readymades can already boast:
An offer to record an EP for rock-crit Greg Turner.
A subsequent disc that has received heavy local airplay and rave reviews in Britians rock press."unexpected off the wall genius" trumpeted N.M.E., and Sounds picked the disc as "single of the week."
Public praise from such diverse professionals as the Dictator's Top Ten and Al stewart.
Choice local bookings with Patti Smith, the Tom Robinson Band, Greg Kinn and The Stranglers.
A class demo produced by Blue Oyster Cultmeister Sandy Pearlman.
A sell out of the first 5000 disc pressing of the EP and advance orders in excess of that figure for the second pressing.
A rabid and growing following among teen-age girls. It seems that everyone who encounters the Readymades smells potential. So where did this group come from that some are calling the best band on the West Coast?"
- The New York Rocker
"The group's harmonies may sound reminiscent of the Beach Boys, but Postal's lead vocals seem derived from seventies rockers like Lou Reed, Brian Ferry and David Bowie."
"Several months ago Sandy Pearlman spent close to $7500.00 producing a demo tape...Pearlman is currently negotiating with eight of the top record companies for a contract." - The San Francisco Chronicle
"The fact remains however that there is a certain functional tension that exists between Postal and Goldstein, between Postal and the rest of the band - in fact between postal and the rest of the world." - The New Musical Express
Postal stopped playing with The Readymades in early 1979.
WITH A PHENOMINAL SOUND AND LIGHTING SYSTEM, up to 200 (+ a few) per. cap., FULL BAR, FULL KITCHEN MENU, POOL TABLE, AN OUTDOOR SMOKING AREA, TONS OF PARKING.
Hi the readymades! SoundSafe loves you! Please make a local music profile page for yourself on soundsafe. org SoundSafe is a 501c3 non-profit working to preserve, strengthen, promote, and unite the Bay Area music community.
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Love the music, can't wait for the vinyl. Brings me back to Wipers/Mx-80 Sound days. Been looking for more music like that. I'm glad you guys found me.
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