Right to Be Italian [Bonus Tracks]

• Artist: Holly & the Italians
• Rating:
• Release Date: January 22, 2002
• Type: Lyrics are included with the album
• Genre: Rock

Review

It's only fitting that Holly Beth Vincent of Holly & the Italians would eventually make a record with Joey Ramone (the pair revisiting "I Got You Babe" on a 1982 single). In many ways, Vincent could have passed for Ramone's younger sister (or maybe a kissing cousin). The Right to Be Italian providing the kind of three-chord punk-pop cheap thrills that Joey created with the Ramones. Vincent reinvents the '60s girl-group aesthetic with a snotty attitude and smoldering sexuality, her voice perfect for this sort of material, deep and throaty and uniquely endearing (much like Ramone's). Vincent's lyrics are a whip-smart mix of goofy punk nihilism, high-school romance, and pop-culture references, delivered with all the subtlety of a scorned girlfriend. Written during the band's lengthy tour of the U.K., "I Wanna Go Home" is an ode to the fast-food joints and all-night stores of America, a big drumbeat and great harmonies supporting fond memories of the "land of opportunity." Vincent's hard rock riffs drive "Youth Coup," her lyrics mixing John Lennon's "you say you want a revolution?" with the Stones' "Satisfaction" in a play on teenage angst, frustration, and boredom. The album's first single, the Brill Building-styled ballad "Miles Away," was written by bassist Mark Sidgwick and offers some of Vincent's most compelling vocals, the song's subtle construction requiring a greater range of emotion on the part of the singer. A remake of the Chiffons' "Just for Tonight" is spot-on with swelling musical crescendos and soulful vocals while "Means to a Den" is an edgy '60s-styled rocker with psychedelic studio gimmickry and a garage rock vibe. "Tell That Girl to Shut Up" is Vincent's shining moment of glory, however. It's the song that got the band signed, a three-minute slice of pop/rock perfection that should have been a hit (and did hit later for Transvision Vamp, Wendy James a pale copy of the vibrant Ms. Vincent). With just the perfect balance of vulnerability and self-righteous anger, an ultracool chorus, and a timeless, time-tested beat behind the lyrics, "Tell That Girl to Shut Up" is one of the great lost singles of rock music. The 2002 CD reissue of The Right to Be Italian includes a handful of bonus tracks. A spare radio edit of "Miles Away" was released as an early single, backed by the feedback-drenched, melodic "It's Only Me." "Fanzine" opens with the tinkling of a music box before crashing into a muscular reply to amateur rock criticism that could have been a monster college radio hit. "Poster Boy," a Trouser Press magazine giveaway, is a funny throwaway rocker with tongue-in-check lyrics, a cheese-grater riff, and Ronnie Spector-styled vocals. A spiritual godmother to distaff rockers like the Donnas or the Eyeliners, Vincent would never again make music as innocent, stylized and outright fun as she did on The Right to Be Italian. ~ Rev. Keith A. Gordon, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
I Wanna Go Home	Holly Beth Vincent	Holly & the Italians	(3:57)
Rock Against Romance	Holly Beth Vincent	Holly & the Italians	(5:41)
Youth Coup	Holly Beth Vincent	Holly & the Italians	(2:43)
Just Young	Holly Beth Vincent	Holly & the Italians	(5:24)
Miles Away [LP Version]	Mark Sidgwick	Holly & the Italians	(3:40)
Tell That Girl to Shut Up	Holly Beth Vincent	Holly & the Italians	(3:01)
Just for Tonight	Michiko Kusiki	Holly & the Italians	(2:39)
Do You Say Love	Holly Beth Vincent	Holly & the Italians	(3:16)
Baby Gets It All	Holly Beth Vincent	Holly & the Italians	(3:16)
Means to a Den	Holly Beth Vincent	Holly & the Italians	(3:30)
Fanzine [*]	Holly Beth Vincent	Holly & the Italians	(2:58)
It's Only Me [*]	Holly Beth Vincent	Holly & the Italians	(2:16)
Poster Boy [*]	Holly Beth Vincent	Holly & the Italians	(2:27)
Miles Away [7" Version][*]	Mark Sidgwick	Holly & the Italians	(3:27)

Credits

Steve Young (Vocals), Jerry Harrison (Synthesizer), Ellie Greenwich (Vocals), Holly & the Italians (Main Performer), John Brand (Remixing), Anton Fig (Drums), Lynn Goldsmith (Cover Photo), Richard Gottehrer (Producer), Paul Schaffer (Organ), Paul Schaffer (Piano (Grand)), Mark Sidgwick (Guitar), Mark Sidgwick (Bass (Electric)), Mark Sidgwick (Vocals), Mark Sidgwick (?), Uptown Horns (Brass), Holly Beth Vincent (Guitar), Holly Beth Vincent (Vocals), Torrie Zito (Conductor), Torrie Zito (String Arrangements), Thom Pananzio (Engineer), Mike Osborn (Percussion), Mike Osborn (Drums), Mike Osborn (Vocals), Mike Osborn (African Drums), Steve Young (Drums)