jsREVIEW: 

The press loved Bittersweet Alley in 1983, these big-haired lads from Detroit who were a “return to rock.” They got similar press to the White Stripes today, which is kinda an odd thing to think about, both in what it says about rock criticism and rock in general. Us writers are always looking for a return to some halcyon days of yore, ain’t we?

And in 1983, they were found in these pouting divas with big hair and prominent crotch-bulges.

Their press pack is a time capsule from that time, with the girls in the BSA tees looking like those print ads from old Rolling Stones; the breathless puff pieces referring to bars long since shuttered (RIP Lili’s 21); the red 45 in a small paper sleeve…

As for the music, well, That’s a-side “Time to Move” (helpfully hosted offsite by Motorcityrock). There’s also the b-side, Society Girl, which is a bit weaker.

In my mind, they sound mostly like The Tubes making out with Duran Duran during a coke binge, and I like that. I like the power pop, I like the easy sense of rock and warmth they bring to the occassion. If I had heard this band in 1983, when I was a wee four-years-old, I’d have believed that there was something in the Detroit water to give bands like The Romantics, The Knack and Bittersweet Alley such great pop songs.

But the first two of those are now barely remembered by “kids these days” (offa my lawn), and BSA’s best google hits come from this article, a Metafilter post that I made, and an absent-minded bit of nostolgia from one of the guys in Porchsleeper.

This is fun memorabilia, maybe never worth that much to resell, but a great forgotten part of Detroit rock. If you buy it, take care of it, OK?

CLICK TO VIEW eBay LISTING