History

   Within a day of leaving the ’Cubes, Paul formed the Most, a new group fronted by Paul’s girlfriend, Dian Zain. Now, Paul had his aggressive rock group, and Gary, Arty and Tommy had their energetic pop quartet. Everyone should have been happy, right?

   But no one was happy. Paul felt betrayed, and was furious about it. Meanwhile, the split was a public relations disaster for the Flashcubes, as many fans deserted the ’Cubes to follow Paul and the Most. To add insult to injury, the newly-signed contract with Michael Browning proved a moot point when Browning mysteriously left the country.

   Musically, the Flashcubes were still strong. Mick Walker was technically a better guitarist than Paul, and the group gelled quickly. The Flashcubes were now an accomplished power pop band, in the same catchy mold as the Raspberries and the Knack. They continued to record great demos: Gary’s terrific Raspberries tribute “I Wanna Stay All Night”, “It’s You Tonight”, “My Little Angel” (a composite of the Knack’s “My Sharona” and “Good Girls Don’t”), “Tell Me It’s Allright Now”, “Fourth Of July”, “Boy Scout Pin-Up”, and the heartbreaking “Born To Cry”, plus Arty’s “I Won’t Wait Another Night” and “Walking Through The Park” (inspired by the Left Banke). They also rerecorded several earlier numbers, and cut a cover of the Searchers’ “When You Walk In The Room”.

   But something was missing. Paul Armstrong was more important to the Flashcubes than anyone realized. The group was capable of great performances without him, but they weren’t able to replace his spirit, his attitude or, most importantly, his drive to succeed. Without Paul, the Flashcubes didn’t practice as much, they didn’t play out of town as much, and they didn’t seem able to pursue their career goals as aggressively as they had with him in the fold. And, before too long, they simply weren’t the Flashcubes any more.

   By late in the summer of 1980, both the Flashcubes and the Most were history. Gary, Arty and Tommy hung together as the three-piece Screen Test (and as the Neverly Brothers, their oldies cover band alter ego), while Paul took the core of the Most (minus Dian Zain) to form 1.4.5. The two factions finally made their peace. Screen Test and 1.4.5. would often play gigs together, with Paul occasionally joining Screen Test onstage for one more romp through “Got No Mind”.

   Screen Test and 1.4.5. continued to record, and Screen Test even placed a video of Gary’s “You Don’t Know Me” on MTV’s Basement Tapes. Paul moved 1.4.5. (by now featuring former Dress Code singer Norm Mattice on lead vocals) to Boston, and released a fine LP called “Rhythm ‘n’ Booze” in 1988. The group has since changed its name to the Richards, and released another album, “Over The Top”, in the Spring of ’95.

   Tommy Allen left Syracuse in 1986, relocating to New York City, then Los Angeles, and eventually New York City again. He has toured Europe with Robin Beck, and internationally with Paul Young. Tommy was also associate producer of the 1992 debut album, and the 1995 follow-up, by the Sighs, a new power pop group.

   Mick Walker played for a time with local hard rockers Marilyn’s Chamber; more recently, he’s been with L’il Georgie and the Shufflin’ Hungarians, one of the best New Orleans-style dance bands in the country.

   Gary and Arty’s partnership continued until 1990, when Arty decided to move to New York City. Arty joined the Paul Collins Band, and is featured on that band’s 1993 CD “From Town To Town”. Returning upstate, Arty recently formed his own band Stiff Ginger, and again plays regularly with Frenay.

   Gary remains in Syracuse, where he continues to write, perform and record. In 1993 and 1994, Gary won SAMMYs (Syracuse Area Music Awards) for best songwriter; he released his first solo album, “Armory Square”, in 1993. “Armory Square” was reissued nationally in 1995 on the Tangible Music label. His follow-up, “Jigsaw People” was released in 1996.

   Starting at the Neverly Brothers’ farewell gig in December of 1990, the Flashcubes have made a Christmas reunion show an annual event. Tommy has not been able to attend any of these Christmas shows, though he has returned for two emotional (and terrific) full reunion shows in 1993 and 1996. At the Christmas shows, his drum seat has been kept warm by former Neverly Brothers drummer Cathy LaManna, former Ohms/1.4.5. drummer Ducky Carlisle and Tony Carbone, former drummer for Blue Wave recording artists the Unholy Wives.

   The first two of these Christmas shows were sloppy, ill-rehearsed short sets, redeemed mainly by the thrill of seeing these guys playing together again. sBut the 1992 show, commemorating the Flashcubes’ 15th anniversary, presented the Flashcubes reborn. This was a fully-realized, professional Flashcubes show that created the same kind of buzz the group generated in ’78. And the guys looked like they were having the time of their lives.

   “Christi Girl” was exhumed by Rhino Records as a track on “Come Out And Play”, one of two volumes of American power pop in Rhino’s nine-volume history of ’70s punk and new wave, “D.I.Y.” The renewed interest in the Flashcubes caused by “D.I.Y.” led directly to this CD anthology of the Flashcubes’ recordings.

   The Flashcubes have even recorded again. When Tommy was in town in ’93, the group cut four tracks: Gary’s “It’s You Tonight” and “Beverly”, Paul’s “She’s Leaving” and Arty’s “Angry Young Man”. “It’s You Tonight” has already appeared on the first “Yellow Pills” power pop sampler CD, and all four tracks are presented here. If anything, they prove that the Flashcubes today sound even better than ever. (A fifth track, a cover of Paul Collins’ “All Over The World”, was recorded earlier with Ducky Carlisle on drums. It appears on “The Beat Or Not The Beat”, a Paul Collins tribute CD issued in Australia in 1995. The group also recorded a cover of “Don’t Wanna Say Goodbye” for “Preserved”, a Raspberries tribute disc, released in 1996.)

   The CD boom gives us a chance to preserve all these songs, both for those of us who were there, and for new fans who’ve only read about the Flashcubes in magazines like Yellow Pills, Goldmine and Yeah YeahYeah. This collection presents a time capsule of what it was like to be a young rock ‘n’ roll fan in Syracuse in the late ’70s, saved from terminal boredom by a transcendent hometown band.

   If you weren’t there, you may wonder what the fuss was about. There were a lot of great bands that went unnoticed or undiscovered in the late ’70s, just as there were in the ’60s and still are today. What, you may ask, was so special about the Flashcubes?

   Well, with all due respect, buddy, you weren’t there, and you don’t know.

   You don’t know what it was like to be 18 and a pop music square peg. While most of my friends were getting their kicks in the discos, the Flashcubes were the first band that I ever saw who seemed to like the same kind of music I liked, and played the kind of music I liked.
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