“Leave The Biker” made me an
instant fan of the band. My appre-
ciation for the band hit its zenith
with the release of Welcome In-
terstate Managers in 2003. Years
later when I listened to 5,000 re-
leases by New Jersey artists for my
book, Are You Listening? The Top
100 Records by New Jersey artists
from 2001-2010, that album came
in at #1. Here is what I wrote:
Simply put, Welcome Interstate
Managers is one of the most bril-
liant pop albums of all-time. From
high school kids lusting after their
friend’s mom, workers in dead-
end office jobs, waitresses that
never return to a table, and kids
partying while their parents are
away on Fire Island, this is the sub-
urban Sgt. Pepper. Songs include
the witty lyrics and word plays of
Elvis Costello with melodies and
choruses that mirror The Beatles.
The album represents what Top
40 would sound like if the music
industry had any taste. How good
was it? Well, it earned Fountains of
Wayne a Grammy nomination for
Best New Artist even though the
band’s first album was released
nearly 7 years earlier! While Foun-
Listen to “Leave The Biker” by Fountains of Wayne
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 70
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