MP3 Fun With Atoms - Main Street

This critically acclaimed, tight and twangy, catchy pop-rock classic circa 1985 Butch Vig production has been hard to find until now, remastered and finally available on CD format.

10 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Americana, POP: British Pop



Details:
Fun w/Atoms:
Rick Smith: vocals and guitars
Dan Collins: vocals and bass guitar
Curt Lefevre: drums and percussion

Recorded and mixed by Butch Vig in 1985 at Smart Studios (Madison, Wisconsin).

Long out of print and hard to find, this classic twangy-pop rock gem is once again available, now on CD format. Originally released on Boat Records, 'Main Street' received much critical acclaim and college radio airplay. The 10 songs are filled with catchy and melodic guitar hooks, and two-part vocal harmonies. A must for collectors of cool American indie pop rock music.

REVIEWS:

Absolute Wisconsinners
Rob Tannenbaum goes for meltdown with Wisconsinâs hot new breed of hits from Fun w/Atoms.
Fun w/Atoms âMain Streetâ features a crisp, taut trio sound which complements guitarist/songwriter Rick Smithâs claustrophobic twitch: âAlaskaâ invents a genre hereafter known as tundra blues (âUp here in Alaska, love is oh so cold/ Get this pipeline done before Iâm oldâ), while âNational Geographic Girlâ finds him in love with an indigene who may be on her way to a Siouxie concert (âShe puts on her makeup/She puts a bone in her hair/She carries water in a bowl upon her headâ). This is not to dismiss the Green Bay-based Fun w/Atoms as a novelty. Despite the harmonies, their âSummerâ is closer to Husker Duâs âCelebrated Summerâ than to anything in the Beach Boys catalog.
-Rob Tannenbaum
NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS (England) 1986

-RADIO FRANCE Top 10 Playlists 1986/1987

Le disque du siecle, ou: du Wisconsin faisons table rase, Superbe premiere album dâun trio quisâingeie a retrouver les traces des Plimsouls ou celles des Byrds. Harmonies vocals classiquement enivrantes, guitars soyeuses et profondes, melodies catchy, tout est cans Fun w/Atoms et reciproquement.
-NINETEEN (France) October 1986

The unpeggable Fun With Atoms sound is presented effectively on the groupâs debut album, âMain Streetâ, a sometimes dark, sometimes punchy release on Madisonâs Boat Records. The strength of âMain Streetâ did not go unnoticed by Englandâs New Musical Express, the worldâs largest music tabloid. NMEâs feature on the Green Bay group spawned a demand for the Atomâs album in Europe, where it is now distributed.
-MILWAUKEE SENTINEL (Letâs Go section)

With their debut album âMain Streetâ on Boat Records a popular selection for college radio stations nationwide, Fun With Atoms is gaining acclaim. Their twangy guitar lines and two-part harmonies promise a dance-filled event.
-MID-COAST ARTISTS International

Now the good news: âMain Streetâ â especially its wonderful first side â deserves to be played at parties from now until Labor Day and beyond.
Fun With Atoms recycles at least some of their influences on Side 1, and the results are glorious. Examples: âLast Cigaretteâ is a Replacements-like raver with rapidly strummed guitar riffs a la Dave Edmunds. âIâll Be Thereâ features the missing bass line between âYou Canât Hurry Loveâ and âTouch Meâ, while the chorus is pure Buckinghams. Best of all is âAlaskaâ, a pipeline workerâs lament that is a less-depressing relative of the Violent Femmesâ âCountry Death Songâ.
-MILWAUKEE SENTINEL