Review: The dB’s - Repercussion

The dB’s - Repercussion (Propeller Sound Recordings, PSR-019, 2024 reissue 🇺🇸) 

The dB’s first two releases showcased a band tearing out of the gate with a myriad of influences and proficiencies. Which album was first? Or, was it second? Is it an import? Was it pressed in the states? What album cover did it have? All of these questions rattled around for vinyl collectors over the last 40 years. Don’t even let’s get started on the CD reissues and compilations. But the releases have now been standardized by Propeller Sound Recordings with their reissue of the band’s first two albums. 

The new reissue of The dB's "Repercussion"

Angular hyperactivity was the sound du jour on the band’s first album, but a gothic (American Gothic, that is) undertone underlines a group shooting its shot in several directions at once. “Ups and Downs” and “Neverland” retain the band’s early energy, but tracks like “In Spain” add a hyperkinetic danceability that foreshadowed a possible direction for the band that never really materialized. “Nothing is Wrong” aims for yearning Big Star ballad territory, you’ll want to turn that one up and stare at the sky…or the wall, or whatever. Same goes for the floaty, “From a Window to a Screen”. 

Most impressive is how such a young/new band would endeavor to reach for lofty heights and attack sophisticated tracks like the psychedelic “I Feel Good Today (Today)” and the nearly tropical “Storm Warning” (perhaps my favorite track on the album). The dynamic push and pull (or, yin and yang) between Holsapple’s compositions vs. Stamey’s creates a captivating tension. Side 1’s final two tracks profoundly illustrate this dichotomy: Holsapple’s sturdy “Amplifier” sounds ready for the early 80s FM radio waves while Stamey’s, “Ask For Jill” is no less approachable, yet squints at and searches the horizon for a new position from which to communicate rock and roll. 

The author's original pressing of The dB's "Repercussion"

Remastered by Bob Weston, this reissue adds brightness and clarity, but loses a slight touch of transparency when compared to my original US pressing. However, those changes bring with them an improvement in detail, imaging and add a smidge of bass frequency buoyancy.