"No, Joy" was perhaps the Pale's signature song. Driven by Mitchell Swann's ringing, unmistakable 12-string guitar hook and Luis Lerma's insistent bass line, singer Jeffrey Bright's wistful tale chronicles a bittersweet, collegiate affair — doomed to be fleeting. As much as anything, "No, Joy" is an anti-rock anthem, antithetical to what had then become a vocabulary of tired love-'em-and-leave-'em clichés.
This restored version has been transferred from 2-inch master tape, restored, complimented with additional recording, and given a modern mix. It will be included in the forthcoming Most Precious Things album, a selection of similarly restored and remixed tracks from the band's 1986-87 Refraze Studio sessions.
{44k 24b file}
lyrics
It's another allegory
But not the same story
And now you're just another old friend
You had a trusting heart
You were a wholesome love
But I hear you were ripped apart
By the red glow of your hair
I said "yes" when your said "dare"
In a convertible car ridden with rust
And in that brick house by the river
Academia didn't matter
But we did learn that life was for the living
No, Joy, no
Joy, it was fine while it lasted
No, Joy, no
Now I wish I could see you again
No satisfaction nor the thrill of reaction
Joy, you can't deny the things we tried
No happiness inside, no agony of defeat
Just something I swallow bittersweet
No, Joy, no
Joy, it was fine while it lasted
No, Joy, no
Now I wish I could see you again
It's another allegory
But never the same story
And now you're just another old friend
You had a trusting heart You were a wholesome love
Too bad we are miles apart
No, Joy, no
Joy, it was fine while it lasted
No, Joy, no
Now I wish I could see you again
credits
released March 24, 2023
voice – jeffrey bright
6- & 12-string guitars – mitchell swann
bass guitar – luis lerma
drums – jeff keating
additional sounds – jeffrey bright
words – bright
music – swann & lerma
fugitive music publishing (BMI)
initial recording:
gary king
refraze studio
dayton, ohio
1986–1987
tape transfer:
gary king
refraze studio
dayton, ohio
2019
additional recording, mixing, mastering:
JABMA
studio la casa
san francisco, california
2019-2023
The Pleasures Pale was an influential indie quartet based in Dayton Ohio active from 1985 to 1987. Oft-compared to anglo
groups such as The Smiths, TPP's influences can now be read as more diverse — taking cues from postpunk, rockabilly, swing, Motown and Dayton funk. A band for misfits, their extensive, lyric-driven output sought to light a way through the rust belt's post-industrial bleakness....more
Team Void is Pleasures Pale bassist extraordinaire Luis Lerma's current focus. In TV, Louie is an underworld Lucha hero wielding a zombie robot-killing surf guitar. How cool is that?! The Pleasures Pale
After the break up of The Pleasures Pale, singer Jeffrey Bright relocated from Dayton to San Francisco where he fronted Myself a Living Torch from 1991 to 1993. The Pleasures Pale
Pleasures Pale vocalist Jeffrey Bright's singing career began in Dayton, Ohio with B Pictures, spanning roughly a year between late 1984 and late1985. The Pleasures Pale
Throwback pop with gleaming synths, chiming guitars, solid melodic hooks, and a cinematic sense of scale from North Carolina's Rachel Kiel. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 22, 2020
Market, from Melbourne, fuse soul and chillwave on a wonderfully woozy song with rubbery guitars & breathy harmonies. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 19, 2020