More Info
“The group has no niche, it doesn’t fit in anywhere,” explains Necessaries drummer Jesse Chamberlain in a 1980 Melody Maker interview. “We just state the facts about life in America, like The Clash did about England, but we’re not so heavy about it.”
The Necessaries rose from the ashes of Harry Toledo & The Rockets, a little-known New York art-rock band playing gigs at Max’s Kansas City during glam’s metamorphosis into punk. —From the liner notes by Michael IQ Jones
The Necessaries came together in 1978 and in the too-brief lifespan of the band counted among their members, Ed Tomney (Rage To Live, Luka Bloom), Jesse Chamberlain (Red Crayola), Ernie Brooks (Modern Lovers), Arthur Russell (The Flying Hearts), Randy Gun (Love Of Life Orchestra).
First championed by John Cale on the strength of Tomney’s songs, Cale produced their first single for Spy Records (under the I.R.S. umbrella) which was released in 1979. With the forward momentum brought about by the single, the band set about tracking demos intended for Warner Bros., but The Necessaries ultimately would sign to Seymour Stein’s Sire Records. These rough demo basic tracks lacked overdubs, mixes and any finishing touches that would have made them viable for commercial release, but due to tour commitments, the band had to put the sessions on hold to hit the road. While on tour, the band was shocked to discover that Sire had issued the unfinished tracks as their debut album Big Sky (issued in 1981).
The band had Big Sky withdrawn and replaced with Event Horizon (issued in 1982) which included half the original tracks from Big Sky and continued to record throughout 1982 aiming for a follow-up. It was not to be and their final studio sessions remained unissued until now. Completely Necessary (Anthology 1978–1982) is the first authorised collection of recordings by The Necessaries and includes 37 tracks, 28 of which are previously unissued. Completely Necessary represents the most accurate musical history of the band laid out across three albums. Disc one is the band-approved first album Event Horizon, followed by Pilots Facing North, a disc collecting studio recordings spanning 1978–1981 and disc three finally sees the release of their final sessions, Songs From The Blue Colony.
Album notes by Michael IQ Jones trace the history of the band for this compilation produced by The Necessaries’ Ed Tomney and Cheryl Pawelski (Omnivore Recordings). The audio has been restored and mastered by Michael Graves at Osiris Studio, and both the 3-LP and 2-CD sets feature previously unseen photos across the package. Finally, an essential missing piece of the late ’70s/early ’80s New York scene that was just slightly ahead of the college alt-rock soon to come, is finally available to rediscover—this time it’s authorized and absolutely necessary.
Tracklist
3LP
Disc 1
Side A
1. Rage
2. More Real
3. Like No Other
4. Driving And Talking At The Same Time
5. AEIOU
6. Sahara
Disc 1
Side B
1. Europe
2. State-Of-The-Art
3. The Finish Line
4. Detroit Tonight
5. On The Run
6. Paceways
Disc 2
Side A
1. Law And Order
2. I Feel Tension
3. I Do
4. Dancing Out Of Time
5. Runaway Child (Minors Beware) [Alternate Version]
6. Detroit Tonight (Alternate Version)
7. Snake Dancing
Disc 2
Side B
1. Working
2. Back To You
3. My Baby’s Explosive (Alternate Version)
4. Born Yesterday
5. Paceways (Alternate Version)
6. Big Sky
Disc 3
Side A
1. The Dark Side Of Me
2. Tachito In The White Meredes Benz
3. New Strangers In Town
4. Skylife
5. The Dancing Girls Of Windsor
6. My First Idea
Disc 3
Side B
1. 3rd Generation
2. The Exterminator
3. A Detective Story
4. Jerry Leaves The Small Town
5. Mona Lisa On My Arm
6. The World Is Loud
2CD
Disc 1
1. Rage
2. More Real
3. Like No Other
4. Driving And Talking At The Same Time
5. AEIOU
6. Sahara
7. Europe
8. State-Of-The-Art
9. The Finish Line
10. Detroit Tonight
11. On The Run
12. Paceways
13. Law And Order
14. I Feel Tension
15. I Do
16. Dancing Out Of Time
17. Runaway Child (Minors Beware) [Alternate Version]
18. Detroit Tonight (Alternate Version)
19. Snake Dancing
Disc 2
1. Working
2. Back To You
3. My Baby’s Explosive (Alternate Version)
4. Born Yesterday
5. Paceways (Alternate Version)
6. Big Sky
7. The Dark Side Of Me
8. Tachito In The White Meredes Benz
9. New Strangers In Town
10. Skylife
11. The Dancing Girls Of Windsor
12. My First Idea
13. 3rd Generation
14. The Exterminator
15. A Detective Story
16. Jerry Leaves The Small Town
17. Mona Lisa On My Arm
18. The World Is Loud