Tomorrow Night - Shoes

[slugtoe]

GREAT BAND! the list is TOO long of the bands like SHOES who should have been HOUSEHOLD NAMES.

[OrisLover]

This brings back so many memories. Thanks for posting.

[mattaki]

the drummer is wearing the bands' own shirt. totally 80's.

[tp10488]

Great band and Hamer guitars. An Illinois staple.

[TrickyTolles64]

Wonderful!! Power Pop!!

[jayupstateny13650]

wow i used to love the shoes, brings back memories

[crosscatch]

I saw these guys play live at Millenium Park in Chicago. They just need to get out there and do it. I told ...? one of them they needed to find a band to tour with. They have excellent songs and a little touring will tighten up their show which already ain't bad.

[mellifiedman23]

The reason they never made it ultra-big is because Jeff Murphy looks like the white dragon from The Neverending Story. Regardless, I love Shoes and am the only person I know that still has the original Iron-On t-shirt transfer that came with my copy of Black Vinyl Shoes (the original private press that is).

[tryx33]

Man, I have been listening to Shoes since 1979. I bought Present Tense and it blew my mind. I had it on 8 track and I was afraid to play it too much, remember how those 8 track tapes always screwed up? I don't know why they didn't rule the airwaves. I have read that they didn't like to tour much and preferred the studio, but I don't know if thats true or not. Mybe that had something to do with it. Or maybe they just did what made them happy, not caring about the fame and money. They're great.

[lostmyshu]

@tryx33 There's a book coming out about them. Watch for it. : )

[ThePokiDude]

Great album! I saw them at UWGB campus in Green Bay, early 80's, they were pretty good live, too!

[silvergorilla]

My Grampa worked with the lead singer guitar player and I met him when I was a kid he lived in my home town , They remind me of CheapTrick but when I got the first record I had to have a guitar.

[kilts4u2]

I can't agree more. This band should have been HUGE. It just goes to show what good marketing will do. These guys fell into the same trap that ensnared many that should have made it big. Case in point, the Smithereens. I used to listen to an alternative station in Atlanta during the '80s and the Shoes got heavy airplay. Perfect sounds. Great chemistry.  They had a song called "The Yachting Type" I'd love to hear if anyone has it to post.

[lostmyshu]

@kilts4u2 Never Say Never..... : )

[expomick]

Agreed. Find the original version. Fantastic pop rock.

[BigStar303]

This is one of the greatest power pop songs ever. However, this version is inferior to the original version that appeared on a single on the BOMP! label. When they rerecorded "Tomorrow Night" for the Present Tense album, they made a couple of crucial errors...like singing the "off" note on the title phrase and ending this cold rather than fading out. I still love the song, but you must seek out the version on BOMP! to hear what it really should sound like.

[johnozed]

Classic

[KOSMICKEN09]

This lp is a classic....hooks, riffs, everything, it's up there w/ cheap trick, the raspberries, big star, etc...

[Drumguitarman]

what a great band i have ALL the albums

[mileshye]

Great band, great band -rock on ZIon Beatles!

[Msumner316]

I always liked they're sound. One of the first on MTV. Regret never getting a Shoes album.

[crapple009]

I want Skip Meyer's cool Present Tense tshirt!!

[captainleg07]

me too!! order for me too!! thats the first lp i bought by them. love this song

[pipedreamband]

Loved these guys!  I hope they had a sponsorship guitars...

[hollies65]

'Don't Do This To Me' from 'Propeller' is #1 in my car this week.

[keithrg1]

Woops, Mayday is from Boomerang~

[keithrg1]

So happy to find Shoes on You.tube! I was so into them in the '80s, especially the album Tongue Twister~incredible album! I still play them today~my current fave is Mayday from Propeller. Thanks for Shoes!

[staceintheface]

i used to play this album and sing along pretending to be on stage - ah, the good ole days~

[gellydg]

This album was on my turntable for at least one year...golden memories of carefree times.

[witchman1]

IMO this band was a product of thier origanal material which they wouldnt or didnt succumb to the labels. Best ever, cheers!

[captainleg07]

Absolutely fantastic song and an all time fave!!!!!!!

[JPGR66]

i had the original bomp 45 version of this song when i was 5 back in 1978 thanks to my older brother. and its one of my all time fave pop songs!!!

[robodoll]

one of the best pop songs ever!!

[kjpgs]

Great band!! They have a website - their record label is BlackVinyl.

[CatsLovePrints]

I just rediscovered this band thanks to a tribute album called Shoe Fetish. I have listened to several of their albums today and still can't believe this band didn't rule the 80's the way they should have. Awesome song, awesome performance.

[Moose4Choice]

Shoes has been described as The Beatles Meet The Kinks Meet the Raspberries. Power Pop Trio (sometimes foursome). They really are good and they wrote their own songs. Jeff Murphy came out with an album this past year called "Cantilever."

Always wondered why Shoes never really made it BIG time. They are a far better band than Styx, yet Styx is the group that made it big in the 70's from Chicago (along with the band Chicago, of course).

[crapple009]

@Moose4Choice Not forgetting the band who took powerpop to the arenas, Cheap Trick (okay, so they hail from Rockford- close enough).

Also not forgetting the great Pezband and Off Broadway USA, both stellar Chicago powerpop bands. It could be argued Pezband was the band that started the whole Chicago powerpop scene in the early 70's.

Agreed- Styx were so lame!

[iamautomaticman]

i remember singing this song to many girls. knees bent toes up. grrowwll

[orcgoddessspike]

I remember this band from MTV. I also remember my older sister having a huge crush on the entire band and daring anybody to touch the TV dial if the Shoes were on.

[mpc3po]

awesome!.. love hearing stories like this.

[rachel112263]

By the way, you might want to put the words Shoes and Tomorrow Night in your tags so that people can find this video.

[rachel112263]

Holy Moly! I never knew this video existed. I bought the album Present Tense in 1979 and this song got a lot of airplay in Rockville, Maryland. Then, nothing. Thank you so much for posting this. 5 stars and right into my favorites.

[mpc3po]

yeah...this song is SO solid...great groove.

[tiefhals]

Thanks for posting, isn't YouTube fabulous for stuff like this? Present Tense is solid (Now and Then was the song that got airplay in Seattle) but check out -- if you can -- their followup album, Tongue Twister, and the song "She Satisfies." Pretty rocking for power pop...

[Crackernui]

Actually, If you want a taste of New Zealand at this time, similar style, but just as long lasting, look at the original clip on utube of Th' Dudes, Be Mine Tonight. It rates and rocks.

[mpc3po]

God ..these guys are masters at the dream pop of the late 70's early 80's..amazing hits

[beatlefan64]

I have the BOMP 45 and picture sleeve as well!

These guys were fantastic!

I love Power Pop!!

[gibson3524]

Yeah, I have the single Bomp too. I think it's better than the album version. Greg Shaw was a really guy, used to buy records directly from him in the 70's, like the Badbeats and The Flamin' Groovies............. So sorry he died so young. He would never have "allowed" The Shoes to record such a "heavy" sound he was a real lover of jangling power pop.

[Msumner316]

This band really got a raw deal. They had the kind of sound that would have sold alot of cd's and got good airplay. I liked them in the first days of mtv and it made me feel like I needed to find the club they were playing and watch their whole set. They had it.

[harriet1954]

I also have the Bomp 45. Never saw them on video. Man, they're cute!

[Viznel137]

I first heard of these guys through a review in some magazine-when i heard PRESENT TENSE I was blown away!thanks!This should have been a bigger hit!Ive got the Bomp 45

[Crackernui]

As all have said before. Even in New Zealand, the song was played once............aaaaaaaaaaaaaa­nd spawned a following.

[juliano66]

Shoes undeniably great-- soothing, ethereal music predating The Shins(another great band) by 20 or so odd years--these guys had a lot going for them I appreciate the fact that they weren't popular--maybe they didn't make a lot of money but they sure have die hard fans! Shoes!

[triviaman4444]

Surf Rock at its best. Great post!

[witchman1]

When I was playin r&r in the 70's, these guys came to me in the form of a record. God they were so freaking good. Never knew why main stream didnt take to em. If I was a bitch I'd fuck em all.

[cungar]

In a fair world these guys and Big Star would be superstars and you never would have heard of The Knack.

[solimar95051]

I saw Shoes and Spooner (a Madison band of the same era) together in Madison about 1979, and it was a great show. It's a pity neither band ever had the success they deserved, but the record companies were pushing disco and bombastic rock at the time...

[polascerbic]

Best fucking song/band ever!!!

[KENVAIL]

i had gotten vh1 classic's rebroadcast of the first 24 hours of MTV from 1981 (on 12 dvds!) and they played a bunch of their videos, including this one. great stuff.

[lblMeDead]

This is cool stuff... I actually work with Jeff Murphy. Very funny to see him like this.

[Exmovil]

Probably the best POP song ever made!! the 45" single is a classic pop gem, one of my very fave ones. BOMP! lives!!!!!!!!!!!

[puppypoo1978]

Im really dissapointed that they werent bigger than they were I think the present tense album and off broadways " on " album were the best power pop had to offer. every song on the album was great. Both bands from the Chicago album that missed their mark.Now they both play at firefighter benefits in the suberbs of Chicago. Its a pity

[novapup2001]

Yes! This was one great power pop band. The softened vocals and harmonies are distinctive. I think I have this tune on a white vinyl BOMP compilation somwhere, probably melted by now ;-)

[mileshye007]

This was the sound that launched a thousand imitators. No other band had taken Big Star's invasion fixation a step further. Pezband & Off Broadway USA are equally glorious.....

Chicago had THE music scene!

[lubestain]

You second city myopic fool--there is a bigger world than Western Ave. Take a trip and see the world.

[mileshye007]

You obviously weren't in Chicago during the power pop glory days. on any given night you could see Pezband, Off Broadway, the Kind, Loose Lips, the Names, Cheap Trick and the Shoes. These were just the bands with Lps on national labels. The underground pop scene included Painterband, Bagshot Row, Troublemaker, The Idea and Batteries Not Included. Where'd you come from you whippersnapper? Crawford Texas?

[xxxBlakDragonxxx]

Sounded ahead of their time to me, that's why this song appeals to me so much. Comparing the sound of some songs from 1970 to some songs of 1979 presents a wave of musical change in Western popular music to me. Fascinating!

[klikoboef]

te gek om weer eens te zien

[JettBlackBerryX]

Best Power Pop Band EVER

[Soulnik]

I love this. Perfect power-pop in every way!!!

Robert Christgau (Village Voice) review of Present Tense:

"A formalist's delight--the three principals pursue their theme of Sad Love as obsessively as a cavalier writing sonnets to his lady. Their voices are interchangeably breathy, their tempos unflappably moderate, their guitar hooks unfailingly right. And when for a change of pace one of them sounds bitter the effect is as startling as a Johnny Ramone guitar solo. A-

[playdeadrecords]

In a perfect world, Shoes would have been as big as Cheap Trick

[jhrunion]

...and i liked those groups a LOT!

[jhrunion]

I liked Shoes better than the Knack, the Beat...any of those other power pop groups of the very late '70's!

[jhrunion]

Shoes were great! If they had more of a beach boys-style backing vocals it would be perfect! Thanks for posting this! It brings back a lot of memories! I have this on lp...but can't find it on CD! I was in 12th grade when this was released. I was the only person in my town that knew of or listened to Shoes...it was like they were reading my mind and writing songs about my thoughts! This is GREAT to find! Thanks again! My life is now complete!

[cashflagg]

Damn near perfect song.

[bluemulekicksass]

SHOES fell into a crack in an era that was new ground. However - they never broke up and have put out FANTASTIC records to this day. They just released "Double Exposure" Go buy it!!

[BradPittiful]

i totally agree old bean!

[bedfordforrest]

One great band who never got their due! Do you agree Bradptiful?

[jthommusic]

Love it! Thanks for the post.