Interview: The Bings
Unearthing A Power Pop Time Capsule From The Early '80s
Los Angeles was a hotbed of power pop activity in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, giving the world some of the genre’s most-revered acts including The Nerves, The Beat, The Plimsouls, 20/20, and The Knack, to name a few.
But for every band that made it into the power pop pantheon, hundreds of others got swallowed by the sands of time. Aside from the die-hard vinyl collectors who chased after their rare 1981 single, The Bings were one of those forgotten bands.
That is until 2020 when bassist/lead vocalist Mark Randle unearthed the band’s 16-track master tapes 40 years after their final recording sessions.
“I found the tapes in the middle of the pandemic when I was doing some deep house cleaning,” he said. “I’ve had this 4-drawer filing cabinet with a bunch of stuff in it. In the very back of one of the drawers with band memorabilia in it, behind some band photos and fliers, I found these two boxes of tapes.”
That unlikely discovery led to the impressive 11-track album, Power Pop Planet (The Lost Tapes). A few standout tracks include the Beach Boys-y rave up “Please Please Please” (the A-side for the band’s 1981 single), the chugging new wave pop of “Don’t Stop Dancing,” and chiming, charming “Close Your Eyes.”
“The goal was to remain true to the 16-track recordings. It’s just we had a few more technical tools these days,” said rhythm guitarist/lead vocalist (and Mark’s brother) Quint Randle. “There aren’t a gazillion tracks of overdubs like you have today. The core of it was only 16-tracks. That doesn’t include the last track on the album, which is listed as a new bonus track (recorded in 2010).”
If The Bings’ story was the plot of a Hollywood script, you’d probably say it wasn’t believable—but power pop fans like me can’t resist the obscure stuff. So, I connected with the Randle brothers and rhythm guitarist/lead vocalist David Chrenko by email to discuss the series of events that led to a debut album 40 years in the making.
The Bings Interview
When I first heard The Bings' incredible story part of me thought it was too good to be true. Have you gotten that reaction from anybody else?
Quint: Yes, we’ve gotten that reaction. Been on a number radio shows and podcasts. The written reviews have been flattering, and yes, often mention how great the album sounds. One review called it “almost bittersweet.” It is an unbelievable story; the album is old and new at the same time. But this all part of the band’s story and how the decades played out.
Dave: I worked for Bomp! Records and their magazine in the late ‘70s. There I became a proponent of punk and new wave. I had been doing some singing and session work at Warner Brothers Studios, along with friend and drummer, Paul Chaffee. Paul was in a band called Fable who were playing Gazzarri’s on the Sunset Strip.
One night, I invited Paul to hear my home demos. The next night, Paul brought his friend and guitarist Don Salmen over—and he came onboard. Then, Paul invited Fable’s bassist Mark Randle to hear the songs. Thus, The Bings were born in 1980. Mark’s brother Quint joined the following year.
Mark: There were some ups and downs and different configurations. We put an ad in The Recycler for a drummer and Chris Ralles joined. (Ralles went on to play with Pat Benatar and Kenny Loggins, among many others). We had about $10,000 worth of gear stolen from my garage rehearsal space.
We did our last recordings and final attempts to pitch the record labels in 1982. We all went our separate ways but remained friends and in touch.
Quint: Then 38 years go by…
Dave: Next thing you know Mark calls me, “Dave, you’re not gonna believe what I just found!”
We approached the album like a restoration, in a similar spirit to some of the remixes that Giles Martin has done with The Beatles. We used the songs on the 45 as the models cause we had to rebuild those exactly how they were.
—Quint Randle
The tracks sound almost too perfect for fans of early '80s power pop. Were the original tapes this clean, or did digitizing them add polish?
Mark: The original recordings were pretty clean, but we didn't even have the ¼” stereo masters; just old cassettes that we had sent to labels. Nothing we could think about releasing. The new mixes obviously sound better than the original tapes. But not THAT different.
We had all been keeping the flame alive in our own way. Dave had been posting content on the web here and there. We saw the old 45 for sale on Discogs and eBay. Quint even got a phone call from some random person looking for tracks that didn’t exist publicly. At the same time we were becoming more aware of all the different (power pop) podcasts. So when I found the tapes, we decided to go for it.
Quint: We worked with David at The Thin Brown Line in Long Beach to transfer the 16-track analog tapes to digital. Most of the recording and mixing credit goes to my and Mark’s older brother Guy at Rosewood Recording in Utah. He did the new mixes, but he also did all the original recordings. So he knew the material. Back in ‘81/’82 we’d drive up from L.A. to Provo (south of Salt Lake) to record. So that’s another part of The Bings’ secret sauce.
We approached the album like a restoration, in a similar spirit to some of the remixes that Giles Martin has done with The Beatles. We used the songs on the 45 as the models cause we had to rebuild those exactly how they were. We used those and an Elvis Costello track from the era as the EQ model for the overall mix. But we had some leeway on the songs that had never been officially released.
Capitol Records showed up…and they hated us. Their people were stuck in the hippie rock of the early ‘70s. They accused us of bringing in ‘ringers’ because the teenage girls in the balcony were screaming their lungs out.
—David Chrenko
Where did you guys fit in on the LA music scene in the early '80s?
Dave: We played a few Hollywood club gigs, but there was no money in it. Most of our gigs were at colleges and high schools where we actually got paid good money. We also performed on Catalina Island, The Queen Mary, the San Fernando Valley Fair.
The Bings were pooling the best underground songs into a 3-hour show and taking them to the suburbs. Hundreds and hundreds of Southern California teens hearing live versions of songs by The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Ramones, Oingo Boingo and The Plimsouls for the first time.
Mark: At those shows we would add a few of our original songs in each of the three sets. It was pandemonium—and they screamed just as loud for our songs as they did for the covers. But we had a full set of originals for the clubs.
Dave: We were saving the Hollywood clubs for the band's BIG "push"—but that time didn't quite come. We did Madame Wong’s and Doug Weston’s Troubadour (twice). Their sound crew loved The Bings because they could try out the new sound system on our vocal harmonies, but Weston was not thrilled because a lot of our fans were underage and could only order a 7-Up.
Capitol Records showed up…and they hated us. Their people were stuck in the hippie rock of the early ‘70s. They accused us of bringing in “ringers” because the teenage girls in the balcony were screaming their lungs out.
Quint: I remember doing the things any working band was trying to do. A few weeks before the first Troubadour gig we took a bunch of Bing cherries, put them in a bowl with a thank you note for Rodney Bingenheimer with our vinyl 45 right on top. Then me and my younger sister Gigi drove from Northridge over to the KROQ offices in Pasadena where she bravely walked in to deliver it.
The myth of “making it” and going to shows was part of growing up in Southern California. We all saw different bands back then in the L.A. scene. Together or separately we saw The Twisters and The Plimsouls. I saw The Runaways in ‘76/77 at some little room at CSUN with no stage and like 10 people there.
Dave: While I was working at Bomp! a lot of new bands made their pilgrimage to L.A. I remember England’s Eddie & The Hot Rods performed on the back of a flatbed truck in the parking lot, but it was late and there was no lighting system. It was almost pitch black. I ran to my ‘59 Dodge Seneca (with fins that could slice a man in half), pulled in front of the stage and hit my high beams. That was their light show. Island Records’ A&R man, Spencer Davis, jumped on the truck and sang “Gimme Some Lovin’.” It was amazing.
Quint: All those things created the mix of the music scene we were in.
I always loved and still listen to Raspberries, The Plimsouls and The Primitives. You could say I’m a big fan of the Rickenbacker sound as well. I still own a number of Ricks.
—Mark Randle
Dave mentioned working at Bomp! Why didn't they release The Bings?
Dave: I left Bomp! in late 1979. The Bings began in mid-1980. We didn’t have our single out until January 1981. By then, Greg Shaw was into signing (different bands)… so I sensed The Bings weren’t where he was heading. Next, Greg got involved in the Paisley Underground—and we didn’t fit there, either.
Quint: But a fun little “full circle” moment is that Bomp! is carrying the album now. And Suzy Shaw was kind enough to put a nod to Dave in the album description.
Who were some of The Bings' major influences?
Dave: My taste in music evolved dramatically during my years at Bomp! Everyone in The Bings had their own musical tastes. Rather than “reprogram” the guys, I just turned them onto the better songs of the punk-new wave scene.
Mark: Early influences for me would be bands like The Beatles, The Byrds, The Beach Boys, and Dave Clark 5. I really gravitated to music with a driving melodic sound, catchy guitar riffs and vocals with great harmonies. I always loved and still listen to Raspberries, The Plimsouls and The Primitives. You could say I’m a big fan of the Rickenbacker sound as well. I still own a number of Ricks.
Quint: I would say The Beatles and then some other bands like Cheap Trick and Tom Petty. Raspberries were big for me too. In 2007, Mark and I saw them at House of Blues in L.A. We met the band and got to thank them personally for their legacy.
Who are some of your favorite power bands of the last 40 years?
Mark: Listening to some of the newer power pop bands is one of the things that triggered all this. In Deed is a Swedish band I saw when they came to Los Angeles for a mini tour that included Fresno as well. And Alvvays. I love their sound. Sort of jangly melodic guitars and vocals with a dreamy sound—very clever lyrics. Golden Richards too.
Quint: Over the years I’ve tended to gravitate towards more mainstream music with power pop components. I’m a big fan of The Killers; I feel like there are new wave/power pop influences. The Click Five didn’t really go anywhere, but that first album was amazing power pop. “That Things You Do” (by fictional band The Wonders) is gospel in our house!
I’ve heard some great newer stuff by The Tisburys (“When Love Knocks You Down”), Ryan Allen (“Start a Band”), and Ransom and the Subset (“Perfect Crime”). The Airport 77s are right up my alley.
What's next for The Bings? Are you playing any shows?
Quint: Playing out live was not officially part of the original plan, but we’ve been invited to play some things and we are in the middle of putting that together. We are working on the final details with a label and hope to announce a special edition vinyl LP soon.
We’ve looked a bit at recording some new material. There are demos of songs we’ve never recorded. Maybe we’ll write some new stuff. Dave’s got some live recordings we are looking at releasing digitally.
We are just taking it a day at a time and enjoying the ride. As amazing as the story is, the reception by the power pop community has been just as amazing. We’re very thankful.
This is a new one for me! Listening as I type this, and really digging it.
Also a huge +1 for The Tisburys. Great sound, and really down to Earth guys. I was lucky enough to interview them earlier this year, and it was a blast.