The Pandoras were an
all-female American garage/punk/hard rock band from Los Angeles, CA. The band
was formed in 1983 by singer/guitarist Paula Pierce and bassist Deborah
Mendoza, but went through many line-up changes over the years. The Pandoras
began as a retro ’60s garage rock band who found fans in Hollywood’sPandoras-05
“Paisley Underground” scene with bands like The Three O’Clock and The Morlocks.
But, later they took a left turn onto the Sunset Strip becoming a hard rock
band similar to bands like Poison and Mötley Crüe. Sadly, The Pandoras ended on
August 10, 1991, when Paula Pierce died, suddenly, from an aneurysm. Pierce,
like Bianca Halstead of Betty Blowtorch, was taken way too soon. Former
Pandoras guitarist Kim Shattuck and keyboardist Melanie Vammen went on to form
the cool pop/punk band The Muffs.
The Pandoras debut full-length, It’s About Time (1984), on Voxx Records, was retro in such an authentic way that if you didn’t know you’d think it was recorded in 1966. The catchy title track opens with a ringing Rickenbacker, Pandoras tambourine and Paula’s reverbed vocals for ’60s pop perfection, before Paula snarls her way through the grungy rocker “I Want Him”, my favourite track. Later, she does the same on “Want Need Love”, another favourite, which re-works the signature riff to the Kingsmens “Louie Louie”. And, “Going His Way” re-works the riff to The Standells “Dirty Water”, while “High On a Cloud” recalls The Animals. “Haunted Beach Party” is a fuzzy surf instro perfect for the soundtrack to a ’60s beach party movie where Frankie and Annette trip on LSD. “Hot Generation”, a relatively successful single not on the album, was a cover of a song by the Australian ’60s garage band The Sunsets.
The Pandoras debut full-length, It’s About Time (1984), on Voxx Records, was retro in such an authentic way that if you didn’t know you’d think it was recorded in 1966. The catchy title track opens with a ringing Rickenbacker, Pandoras tambourine and Paula’s reverbed vocals for ’60s pop perfection, before Paula snarls her way through the grungy rocker “I Want Him”, my favourite track. Later, she does the same on “Want Need Love”, another favourite, which re-works the signature riff to the Kingsmens “Louie Louie”. And, “Going His Way” re-works the riff to The Standells “Dirty Water”, while “High On a Cloud” recalls The Animals. “Haunted Beach Party” is a fuzzy surf instro perfect for the soundtrack to a ’60s beach party movie where Frankie and Annette trip on LSD. “Hot Generation”, a relatively successful single not on the album, was a cover of a song by the Australian ’60s garage band The Sunsets.
Ripped from the 1996 Voxx Records CD to MP3
1. Hot Generation
2. You Don't Satisfy
3. It's About Time
4. I Want Him
5. James
6. He's Not Far
7. Haunted Beach Party
8. The Hump
9. I Live My Life
10. Want Need Love
11. It Just Ain't True
12. High On A Cloud
13. Cry On My Own
14. Going His Way
15. I'm Here I'm Gone
16. That's Your Way Out
17. Why
18. You Lie
19. You Ain't No Friend Of Mine
20. I Want My Caveman
21. KALX Interview With Barry St. Vitus
A BIG THANKS!
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