The Nails – Cops Are Punks / Big Star / Another Lesson [7''] (1977, Screwball Records)

Formed in Boulder, Colorado, in 1976, The Ravers were a five-piece new wave band featuring Marc Campbell on vocals and guitar, David Kaufman on keyboards, Artie Freeman on lead guitar, Jon Cormany on bass and Al Leis on drums. The group was part of the first wave of American punk and new wave acts developing outside the better-known scenes in New York and California, combining straightforward rock ’n’ roll with sharp lyrics and an increasingly punk-oriented attitude. Their debut release, the three-track 7-inch EP 'Cops Are Punks / Big Star / Another Lesson', appeared in 1977 on the local Screwball Records label, credited to The Ravers on some copies and to The Nails on others. Recorded at Mountain Ears Studio in Boulder as part of a nine-song demo session in May 1977, the record captured the band just before its move to New York. 

The title track, “Cops Are Punks,” takes a confrontational approach to authority, while “Big Star” deals with the experience of playing in a band that might be relatively unknown beyond its immediate surroundings but can still feel like a major attraction onstage. The final track, “Another Lesson,” stretches out a little longer, with lyrics directed at an unpleasant woman. The three songs were reviewed in the January 1978 issue of Trouser Press, which placed the release among the growing number of independently issued American punk and new wave records. The EP was also pressed with two different sleeves, adding a small variation for collectors. 

Screwball Records was a small Boulder imprint associated with the local independent music scene, and the release reflects the DIY approach of the period, when bands could document their material without relying on a major record company. 

In June 1977, the musicians relocated to New York and began playing clubs such as CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. They soon adopted the name The Nails to avoid confusion with another local group called The Ravers. The original lineup subsequently changed, with Leis, Cormany and Freeman departing by 1978. The band continued under Campbell and Kaufman, recording another Screwball single, 'Back Street Boys / Rock & Roll Show', that year before moving on to further releases during the early 1980s.

 

 

Label: Screwball Records – SBX 001 

Format: Vinyl, 7", 33 ⅓ RPM, EP 

Country: US 

Released: 1977 

Style: New Wave 

 

Tracklist: 

A1 Cops Are Punks 2:32 

A2 Big Star 2:45 

B Another Lesson 5:12 

 

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