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NOTHING PRETTY
(Norton)
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Nobody was paying much attention to the Real Kids’ frontman in 1988, and as a result one of his best records went all but unnoticed. (The Ace of Hearts label was going through its own problems, so the domestic vinyl was hard to find and the import CD near-impossible.) This Norton reissue thus fills a major hole in Felice’s catalogue. Don’t expect any "All Kindsa Girls" sound-alikes: true to its title, Nothing Pretty is Felice’s dark confessional album, with songs that deal with drug problems, trashed relationships, and all-around bitterness. Which doesn’t mean it’s not a lot of fun, thanks to a solid band (with Real Kids guitarist Billy Borgioli), sharp production (Rick Harte), and songs as catchy as anything on the Real Kids’ famous debut. But this batch cuts a lot deeper than Felice’s Real Kids material. "Ain’t We Having Fun" looks unflinchingly at junkiedom, with a suitably ragged ’70s-Stones sound. "I’ll Never Play that Song Again" is a haunting kiss-off to the Boston scene, twisting the knife by quoting the "All Kindsa Girls" guitar lick. Elsewhere he bawls out a coke-smoking girlfriend (on "Don’t Be Telling Me"), disses the young bands moving into his turf ("Nowadaze Kids"), and delivers a couple of good if incongruous love ballads. The closest thing to an upbeat anthem here is the closer, "Can’t Play it Safe," with its wry chorus "Now you’re talking about responsibility/That’s one word that bores the shit right outta me." The reunited Real Kids aren’t currently playing any of these songs, but maybe they ought to be.
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