She’s So Bad

SHE’S SO BAD

“Sad Sad Love” by the Poppees is one of those achingly emotional songs at which John Lennon excelled; two versions of this song are included, and the spare demo version that closes Side 1 of Pop Goes the Anthology might be even better than the studio version. “Since I Fell for You” sounds like a lost Beatles track and is one of the “obscure R&B tunes the Fabs would surely have envied” (as Greg Shaw put it). But the Poppees really hit the mark with their hot fast songs; “She’s So Bad” (recorded live at CBGB) and “She’s Got It” (the "B" side of their second single) recall the fury of the Beatles’ “Twist and Shout” (their biggest cover song; the original was by the Isley Brothers). They also turn in a wonderful live version on Side 2 of the instrumental hit from ages ago, “Apache”.

(December 2010)