A killer New Wave track from Holly and the Italians

Holly and the Italians : Tell That Girl To Shut Up

[Purchase]

In January of 1980 Holly and The Italians looked like the next big new wave band to break in the UK thanks to their debut single "Tell That Girl To Shut Up". The band was actually made up of Americans, including singer-songwriter Holly Beth Vincent. She convinced most of her LA bandmates they had a better shot on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean where she lived with Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. He introduced her to BBC disc jockey Charles Gillett who owned Oval Records and has been credited with discovering Dire Straits and Ian Dury. "Tell That Girl To Shut Up" has the era's requisite power pop chords and plenty of attitude. Mojo Magazine would later call it "one of the Top 20 Killer New Wave Tracks from the US." 

David Hepworth of Smash Hits sounded a bit like he was doing somebody a favor at the time when he wrote:

This first vinyl from a much-fancied new band comes on like early Blondie in a fighting frame of mind. The chorus, while tuneful and confident enough to get your attention, does overstay its welcome a little but it's a sound that promises good things to come.

  Released from a tour with The Selecter because audiences only wanted to hear ska bands, Holly and the Italians never fulfilled its promise. But "Tell That Girl To Shut Up" would return to the UK charts in 1988 when Transvision Vamp  took the song to UK#45.

Holly would team up with Joey Ramone for a new wave version of "I Got You Babe", outdone in sales by UB40 and Chrissie Hynde in 1985.

\

We'll see how long this link below stays up.