The Swimming Pool Q's: The Firing Squad for God

What is this? The He-Man Woman Hater's Club?

Nope. It's just The Swimming Pool Q's after Anne Richmond Boston left. Without her around the guys seemed to feel as if there was no need to include a "pretty" song on this record. Heck! There were only 5 songs on it in the first place. And so "The Firing Squad for God" 5-Song Maxi-Single comes across as a bit more of a Hard Rockin' Guy Record than the previous Q's records, but don't think that means it's not strange and wonderful.

Heck… Jeff Calder's still writing the songs, Bill Burton's still smackin' the skins, J.E. Garnett is still the bass player and the Lead Guitar is still in the capable hands of Bob Elsey. As a matter of fact, Anne is actually playing pedal steel on "Working in the Nut Plant" and she designed the record jacket, so it's still the same band.

In other words… This is a Great Record.

The Swimming Pool Q's: The Firing Squad for God

1. The Firing Squad for God
2. El Presidenté
3. Working in the Nut Plant
4. Hip-Hype
5. Reprisidenté

The Swimming Pool Q's: Blue Tomorrow

Today was, what… ORANGE!?!

I don't know how many copies of this record sold. I don't know how many radio stations played any of the songs on it. I don't know how many people thought Anne Richmond Boston's was the Most Beautiful Voice on the Face of the Planet in 1986. Or that Bob Elsey was the Greatest Guitar Player in the Universe. Or that Jeff Calder was, well… Jeff Calder, for that matter. All I know is that they were all correct.

"Blue Tomorrow" was the second and final record that The Swimming Pool Q's had come out on A&M Records. I could waste about 12 paragraphs telling you how good this record and this band are. Better that you just download it to your computer and upload it to your earhole. Do it.

The Swimming Pool Q's: Blue Tomorrow

1. Now I'm Talking About Now
2. She's Lookin' Real Good (When She's Lookin')
3. Pretty on the Inside
4. Laredo Radio
5. Wreck Around
6. More Than One Heaven
7. Corruption
8. Blue Tomorrow
9. Dream in Gray
10. Big Fat Tractor

The Swimming Pool Q's: The Swimming Pool Q's

Sacrifice Yourself at the Alter of Love

I think the All Music Guide description of the band, written by Mark Demming, is probably better than anything I could come up with:
"Atlanta's Swimming Pool Q's were one of the first Southern new wave bands to gain nationwide recognition in the early '80s after the breakthrough of The B-52s made folks aware that there was more to Southern rock than what Q's leader Jeff Calder called "the Boogie Establishment." However, while most of their Georgia brethren were famous for serving up light, off-kilter pop, Swimming Pool Q's music had a darker and more challenging undercurrent, balancing twisted guitar patterns against lyrics that played on Southern Gothic archetypes in a manner that was often witty, and sometimes ominous."

Read the entire biography at http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:di5zefukhgf1%7ET1.

This is the band's first major label release. While it's a bit more commercial than the album they had put out previously, on Atlanta's db recs label, I still find it strange and exciting. In fact, a few of the songs are just flat-out spooky or disturbing, while the records overall feel is peaceful and pretty. If you're not already familiar with them, this is your chance.

The Swimming Pool Q's: The Swimming Pool Q's

1. The Bells Ring
2. Pull Back My String
3. Purple Rivers
4. The Knave
5. Some New Highway
6. Just Property
7. Silver Slippers
8. She's Bringing Down the Poison
9. Celestion
10. Sacrificial Alter