New Release
Four Eyes
Anthology
1977-1990
anthology
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NOT LAME RECORDINGS
not Lame
notlame.com

FOUR EYES - ANTHOLOGY 1977-1990

"Another lost skinny tie, power popping band that so few have heard of but sure do merit attention now. Mark DeCerbo`s band Four Eyes has a rich, deep legacy - much of it captured here on this anthology of 22 songs, a very healthy sampling I have put below because I want to make sure you check this unknown treasure out. Like recent reissues like The Wigs and Doug Derek & The Hoax, even the most ardent power pop fan `back in the day` might not have heard of Four Eyes but if distribution of information had been different in the late 70s, we sure would have. Well, sometimes these things take time and in 2009, that problem is rectified. Listen to the samples below and hear the sounds of Shoes, The Deal and Phil Seymour(listen to track #1 below) and The Romantics (Listen to #5). As the band moves into the 80s, the embrace the indie rock sounds of the times(echoes of, say, The Rainmakers in some areas) with skill and good taste(anotherwords, they avoid the nasty gated drum sounds wisely). There is mention of Greg Kihn and Dane Conover of the obscure early 80s fave futu-pop band, Trees, appearing on some of these tracks, too. Beginning To End, Four Eyes is a really wonderful find for many of you there. Listen for yourself right here, right now!"

SWEET ON THE VINE

"This is classic, pitch perfect power pop, the kind that we love, goes down smooth with a smile and points us to want to share with others. It`s not just that the music is bright and catchy, the sound of a top pop tunesmith working at full strength.

"He has been described as being part of that elite fraternity of popmeisters whose ranks include Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, Eric Carmen, Nick Lowe and Glenn Tilbrook." - San Diego Magazine."

 

Jam Records
Jam Records

jamrecordings.com


FOUR EYES - ANTHOLOGY 1977-1990
Wow! This is a really exciting cd and a *must have* for all serious power pop fans! This 22 track anthology clocking in at 77 minutes is a double albums worth of material for the price of one cd. Fans of The Knack, The Beat, The Plimsouls, 20/20, The Scruffs, Pezband, The Shambles, The Raspberries, The Romantics, The Records, The Spongetones, early Beatles, etc..will appreciate the incredibly strong melodic hooky music of FOUR EYES. An added plus is that the vocals are really quality with nice harmonies. Why this band wasn't HUGE is a mystery to me. Songs like "Contagious" are examples of just how contagious the music of FOUR EYES really is. GRADE A Pick this up, you'll be glad you did.


MARK DECERBO AND FOUR EYES - LOOK SEE
Excellent 8 track EP from Power pop legend Mark DeCerbo and his band Four Eyes. Besides 4 new excellent originals, the ep includes rare covers of Paul McCartney, and Neil Diamond tunes, along with 2 really rare live tracks. Now 8 songs for 5 bucks with nice packaging included will give all the down loaders a real run for their money! If you've never bought anything from this power pop legend, here is an affordable introduction to his wonderful music.The nice price!


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Pre 2009 News

"SWEET ON THE VINE"
by Mark DeCerbo & Four Eyes

Nominated for Best Pop Album-San Diego Music Awards 2006
will be held Monday, September 18th at Viejas Concerts in the Park. Come support local music and know that all the proceeds will go to benefit Taylor Guitars for Schools.

The Reviews are In!!!

ICE Magazine [Greg Camphire, New Release Editor]

As you may have noticed, we here at ICE occasionally like to turn the spotlight away from the usual well-publicized fare and onto some interesting music that may have fallen through the industry’s cracks. Much deserving of this attention is San Diego-based artists Mark DeCerbo & Four Eyes. Their latest, Sweet on the Vine, ripens and drops into stores on August 9 courtesy of Zip Records, and offers listeners a lesson in finely-tuned, modern pop crafted with DIY appeal and wide-eyed, crystal-clear production

While the Beatles are the first and most obvious touchstone, the DeCerbo-fronted band also references the sounds of such ultra-catchy acts as XTC, Squeeze and Soundtrack of Our Lives. The smart and sunny SoCal hooks of tunes like "Green Grass Girl" and "Artless, Heartless" combine lush vocal harmonies, intricately intertwined guitars and rock-solid rhythm section performances for a sound that leans toward classic rock but sparkles with a contemporary edge.

The enhanced CD’s 12 basic tracks are also bolstered by three bonus tunes: "Emily" and "Cool with Me," which were recorded with assistance from fellow artists Popgem, plus a live video performance of the non-album track "I Need to Have My Baby," as directed by David Peck.

Mark DeCerbo & Four Eyes :: Sweet On The Vine
2005/Zip Records GREAT!!!! $11

Talk about a long time releasing the followup to your debut! How about 14 years! But the best news of all about Mark's jangly, hook-filled, Zip debut is that it's as chock full of Beatles/Crowded House/Squeeze-isms (as in McCartney/Neil Finn/Tilbrook) as his stellar debut! His excellent, out-of-print, 1991 Bizarre/Straight Records' "Baby's Not In The Mood" is well worth seeking out (we do get used copies in from time to time) - you won't be disappointed! All we can say is welcome back Mark! Please don't make us wait as long for your next release! If you're a fan of the aforementioned greats you're gonna love this! - Bart Mendoza

 

About Mark De Cerbo & Four Eyes - Sweet On The Vine
Not Lame Recording Co. - www.notlame.com

Mark De Cerbo has been around the San Diego music scene for decades. He`s got a story to tell and there`s going to be a compilation here soon from Wizzard In Vinyl that will tell the story of Four Eye`s skinny tie power pop days of the late 70`s/early 80`s. But "Sweet On The Vine" is new material from De Cerbo and band and it`s, thankfully, there`s not a lot different than what the older material sounds like. This is classic, pitch perfect power pop, the kind that we love, goes down smooth with a smile and points us to want to share with others. It`s not just that the music is bright and catchy, the sound of a top pop tunesmith working at full strength; it`s that the songs themselves are often lark. "He has been described as being part of that elite fraternity of popmeisters whose ranks include Paul McCartney, Cliff Richard, Eric Carmen, Nick Lowe and Glenn Tilbrook. They dont just write songs, they craft them; they mold them into neat little packages that find their way into your ear and take up permanent residence. San Diego Magazine. Yes, indeed, there`s plenty of Squeeze here(more Glen than Chris) and the writer is on the right path but you can add lots of Michael Penn, too. Also, he reminds us of Idle Jets/Pat Buchanan in that these are sophisticated, carefully crafted, extremely well produced songs that have had a lot of thought put into them to yield the delights here. There`s an intimate feel to all this gorgeous material and it`s never in a rush to get to that catchy chorus. This one that will reward and grow extreme pleasure, rest assured. Big Time Extremely Highly Recommended!

 

Spring Ahead!!

The new album by Mark DeCerbo & Four Eyes, "Sweet On The Vine," on Zip Records will be released on 8/9. Also, a retrospective compilation album by Four Eyes featuring Mark DeCerbo on Wizzard In Vinyl Records will be released later this summer.

Happy 2005!!

Four Eyes is currently recording the McCartney penned "Six O'Clock" for a Ringo Starr tribute album at Knight-Time Studio. We were invited to contribute our version of the song which was originally released on the "Ringo" album in November of 1973 in the US. We've done quite a bit of reworking of the song to make it a more Four Eyes sounding tune. Fans of the original may not recognize it right off the bat, but we tried to keep the integral parts of the song while making it our own. It was fun recording it and we hope it sounds that way when you hear it. The tribute album, due out in spring 2005, will be on Jealousy Records.

Our own rockin’ version of “You Got To Me” will be released in February 2005 on the new Neil Diamond tribute album Diamond Forever: A Tribute to the Music of Neil Diamond (Delirium Records) 2005. It features John riffing out ala Jeff Beck, Lee thumping cool fuzzed-out bass, Larry on blistering, popping drums, Marks’ best Elvis-cum-Neil vocals and the powerfully monotoned performance of the often imitated but never equaled Marine Corps-Good Ol’ Boys-Locker Room Vocal Ensemble.

We're also recording a brand new Four Eyes album which will feature new versions of old FE songs as well as new songs and a cover or two. Basic tracking has already begun at bassist Lee Knight's, Knight-Time Studio. The album will hopefully be done and released this summer, 2005.

The Four Eyes compilation album which was due out in fall of 2004 on SNAP! Records has obviously been delayed due to internal problems with that record company. We are currently negotiating with the Japanese label Wizzard In Vinyl to release it some time in 2005. The compilation will feature 24 re-mastered original recordings of songs from the bands' extensive catalog of pure pop gems spanning their 13 years of recorded output. A CD release party, featuring all Four Eyes alumni, is being planned.

The long-awaited and long-titled "Mark DeCerbo with Four Eyes and Friends..." album will finally see the light of day soon. After lengthy digitizing, recording, rerecording, writing, engineering, mixing and picking it to death, Mark and Lee Knight are more than ready to say, "it's done." Mark is, also, most ready to say to Lee,"Dude, it would never have gotten done without you" and " I am totally not worthy." That is not to say, that it's completely finished. There is talk of Earle Mankey (Beach Boys, 20/20, Sparks, and Concrete Blonde) doing a re-mix or two before it goes to mastering and finally, pressing. Speaking of pressing, negotiations are going on with Zip Records to release and distribute the album, as well.


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