(Another key San Diego music artifact courtesy of Ray Brandes.)
I recently acquired a copy of the Hitmakers’ “It’s Only Sad” (1978), the A-side of their second record, which followed their 1977 EP “America’s Newest Hitmaker.” That’s Jeff Scott on vocals, Ron Silva and Josef Marc on guitars, Steve Potterf on bass and Joel Kmak on drums. Ron and Steve had left the band to start the Crawdaddys when the single was released, so they are not properly credited in the sleeve notes.
What a monster this single is! Ron’s guitar playing is particularly impressive. In a year that the radio forced us to listen to Exile’s “Kiss You All Over” and Player’s “Baby Come Back,” this should have been a smash.
The Hitmakers play “It’s Only Sad”: Listen now!
— Ray Brandes
Also by Ray Brandes:
- Sensational: The All Bitchin’ All Stud All Stars and the roots of Country Dick Montana
- The Penetrators: Walking the Beat
- Dream Sequence: The history of the Unknowns
- Let the Good Times Roll: The untold history of the Crawdaddys
- The Zeros: I Don’t Wanna Be a Hero, I Just Wanna Be a Zero
- Lend Me Your Comb: A short history of the Hedgehogs