ROCKIN' with Nikki and the Corvettes, out on tour in Europe this early summer

As ROCKIN's esteemed editor, Dennis Pernu, recently put it to me, you'd have to be a MNPLS boy to know that the names both "Nikki" and "Corvette" figured largely in the life of one "Prince."

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Because, Dennis also sent me this alert, published in HARP Magazine this month:

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Fred Mills reporting (edited by Grushkin)

NIKKI CORVETTE & the STINGRAYS GET READY FOR AN APRIL-MAY EUROPEAN TOUR

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"Raise your hand (or pogo in place) if you remember Nikki & the Corvettes, femme-punk/powerpop queens whose 1980 self-titled Bomp! Records debut [shown above--the cartoon art] is as legendary as it is seminal.

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"Without that record, there arguably would have been no Go-Go's, no Bangles, no Donnas (whose song "Gimme My Radio" bore the telling lyric, "I wanna be like Nikki Corvette!" Its hi-nrg but tuneful blend of a myriad of influences--think Ramones on a surfing date at the beach with the Shangri-La's--has [mostly - - my note here] stood the test of time.

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"Nikki came up in the Detroit scene, weaned on MC5 and the Stooges, eventually putting together an all-girl band and releasing her first single (as Nikki Corvette & the Convertibles), the appropriately named "Young and Crazy" in 1978. Soon the band was opening for the likes of the Ramones and hometown heroes the Romantics [whose guitarist, Peter James, became the Corvettes' producer]. A 1980 name change to Nikki and the Corvettes accompanied rising star status on the American new wave scene. As with many bands of the era, however, they eventually slid into obscurity. But those of us who cherished the record never forgot 'em.

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"Nikki got back into the business in 2002, and now fronts the Stingrays, whose 2006 slbum, "Back to Detroit" was issued by Dollar Records. The Corvette's 1980 album was reissued on CD in 2000 with additional singles from the pariod included."

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other worthy discussion:

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from Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide, writing about the Corvettes' CD reissue: "Nikki and the girls storm through 12 quick power poppers about time-honored subjects like boys, cars, and summertime. The backup is closer to the Ramones than to Blondie, the vocals closer to Blondie than the Ramones [but] the songwriting, production, and performance aren't up to the standards of either. Not bad, but on the lightweight side."

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from Sleazegrinder, commenting on Nikki's 2003 single, her first since 1980: "No Corvettes in sight, but this is Nikki's first since she was the reigning, gum-snapping power pop queen of the nu wave scene. There's a signature Corvette sound, which involves a neo-punk guitar chug on the verses and a full-on dreamy chorus, and that's in full effect here, as if rock & roll was just standing around smoking Kools for 23 years, waiting for Nikki's return."

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from www.SonicNet.com: "Did you ever wonder why Riff Randell, the teen-songwriter heroine of the '79 Ramones flick "Rock 'n' Roll High School" didn't start her own group instead of giving her songs to the Ramones? If she had, the result might have resembled Nikki and the Corvettes with their brand of late '70s, early '80s bubblegum punk. Corvette and backup singers Lori Jeri and Sally Dee caked on the bad-girl mascara, but most of their lyrics deal in quaint, romantic sentiments; even the cheekiest song, "Back Seat Love," is more sweet than raunchy."

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from www.epinions.com: "Any fan of the Bangs, Bobbyteens, or Donnas will hear some remarkable coincidences in the Corvettes' sound and lyrics. But who really cares? There's plenty of room in the record collection for girly, sleazy pop music."

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from Caustic Truths! #76: "It's new wave Betty Boop!"

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from VMag: "if you like tunes reminiscent of girl bands of the '50s dabbled with the abruptness of the Ramones, then Nikki & the Corvettes is exactly what you need to pop into the car stereo as you hop onto the highway in the morning."

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from www.uk.real.com: "What makes them so great is their ability to make you feel like you're kicking around on the beach with your friends."

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from www.scrammagazine.com: (I recommend the entire interview):

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NIKKI: "I get stuff in the mail and e-mails from girl bands, bands I've never heard of, saying I'm their biggest influence. These girls weren't even alive when [I put our record] out! The thing I like is that since Bomp! re-released it on CD, it's finally at the right speed--I don't sound like a chipmunk--well, not as much. (laughs).

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BETSY (interviewer): "I grew up with the speeded-up LP version."

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NIKKI: "We were on the road [when the LP came out], and it was too late to do anything about it. I was like, "no way! I'm NOT the Archies!"

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KIM (interviewer): "So what was that you used to do when you saw your album in the record stores?"

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NIKKI: "We put one in front of each row, so all you'd see was our record when you walked in! Uh, that is, the BACK cover facing forward. [We HATED the cartoon of us in the Corvette], which was supposed to be the back."

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There's an excellent interview with Nikki at www.bomp.com/Nikki/html (unfortunately, the link may not be working currently) in which she also noted, "If you look at the original cover, [you'd think] maybe Bomp! just wanted a cartoon band." But every article done on Nikki also is clear that she was--and still is--a stone cold Detroit-raised, L.A.-based rock & roll hellion who could stand up to the likes of Stiv Bators, and who found her own way with escapist, punky pop sound and mixed in everlasting sex appeal. Or, as one fan put it in a review on www.Amazon.com/Nikki-Corvettes/dp/B00004SZGD, "it's perfect for the teenager in all of us and the teenibopper in some of us."

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And if you're not convinced by all of this (whew), try looking up the near-x-rated lyrics to "Darling Nikki," by Prince (thank you, Dennis).

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