The Rubinoos
The Rubinoos formed when American power pop musicians Tommy Dunbar and Jon … Read Full Bio ↴The Rubinoos formed when American power pop musicians Tommy Dunbar and Jon Rubin were still in junior high school. By age fourteen, after playing a few school dances, Rubin and friends graduated to the club circuit. In 1975, they were signed as one of the original acts on the new Beserkley label. Since then, they've toured and released studio albums for decades, becoming massively influential in the power pop sub-genre and sometimes breaking into mainstream success such as with songs "Revenge of the Nerds" and "I Think We're Alone Now". They currently consist of the core duo of Dunbar and Rubin with Al Chan, Donn Spindt, Susie Davis. and David Rokeach.
Known for their melodic songwriting as well as their deliberately 'nerdy' public image, the Rubinoos made their public recording debut in 1975with the song "Gorilla" on the 'Beserkley Chartbusters' LP. By 1977, the boys had finished recording their first full album, an LP titled simply 'The Rubinoos'. Gene Sculatti of the New York Rocker called it "the best pop album of the decade." The band took influence from both contemporary rock music as well as from the bubblegum pop music of the past twenty-five years.
The first single was "I Think Were Alone Now", a cover of the Tommy James classic pop track, and it reached the top 40 nationwide as well as the top 10 in many major U.S. cities. Appearances on 'Dick Clarks American Bandstand', 'The Rolling Stone 10th Anniversary TV Special', and in numerous teen magazines of the era helped put the Rubinoos into the pop consciousness. At the same time, the group was receiving a lot of attention overseas: critical acclaim and airplay in Europe came alongside top tens in Japan and Australia.
In 1978, they left for their first European tour. The first show was an appearance on German TV's 'Rockpalast'. The rest of the tour took them through northern Europe performing concert dates and appearing on assorted TV shows such as 'Top Pop (The Netherlands)', 'Old Grey Whistle Test', and 'Rock Goes to College'. As there was no photo on the first LP, the British press sometimes assumed the group was a mere studio contrivance (similar to The Archies or The Banana Splits), but they were startled to find that the Rubinoos were the real thing.
During that summer the seminal power pop song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" was recorded and released as a single in England, ending up as number 4 in terms of the highest airplay song chart of that year. It was also chosen as Music Week magazine's "Record of the Year". The Rubinoos finished recording their second LP, Back to the Drawing Board, in late 1978 for release in early 1979. Because of their success in the UK, the Rubinoos were chosen to open the U.S. portion of Elvis Costello's 'Armed Forces Tour', playing fifty-six sold out shows to screaming encores and rave reviews. Meanwhile, Back to the Drawing Board was a breakout hit all over U.S. radio, selling over 100,000 copies and making a run for the gold which was unfortunately cut short by the bankruptcy of its distributor GRT/Janus, a harbinger to come of the band's difficulties maintaining commercial success from the late 70s onward.
In 1983, the Rubinoos were signed by the label of Warner Brothers and made the mini LP Party of Two. produced by fellow power pop musicians Todd Rundgren and his mega-band Utopia (their first production project as a group). The video for the single "If I Had You Back" achieved heavy rotation on the then fledgling MTV. Still, by 1985 the band members had decided to pursue other interests apart, leaving behind a reputation as one of the best pop groups of that era.
By the mid-90s, rekindled interest in power pop combined with The Rubinoos stature in the field earned the group major releases of two compilations containing previously unavailable material: Basement Tapes and Garage Sale. In 1995, Basement Tapes was picked by Billboard magazine as one of the years ten best CDs. In addition, "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", a contendor for being the band's 'signature song', has been included on many recent multi-artist pop compilation albums.
In the fall of 1999, the Rubinoos reformed to play at the I.P.O. (International Pop Overthrow) festival in Los Angeles. Their appearance was a major hit of the event. Along with the rare live performance, Rubinoos fans were treated to the debut of material from the May 2000 release Paleophonic. This stellar collection was produced by the late, great Kevin Gilbert.
The next couple of years were spent playing occasional pop festivals in the US and working on their individual musical projects. In 2002, the band, getting a little nervous and not wanting to spoil their streak of one CD every 10 years or so, headed back into the studio to record a new CD with a brand new idea, featuring only covers of bands that the Rubinoos have taken influence from. Titled Crimes Against Music, the group explored tracks by such diverse artists as Eurythmics, The Beach Boys, and the Raspberries, among others.
After finishing recording, they hit the road for two smash tours of Japan and Spain. The group has spent the past decade of so sporadically playing live, experiencing success in 2007 with their massive retrospective album titled Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Rubinoos. That 'best of' collection received rave reviews from the All Music Guide, praising it as "exhaustive" while giving it a rating of four and a half stars out of five. A legal run-in with pop punker Avril Lavigne of all people, accused of plagiarizing the Rubinoos, ended in a confidential settlement and also brought the group some sudden publicity. Fans hope for a new album as of 2013.
Known for their melodic songwriting as well as their deliberately 'nerdy' public image, the Rubinoos made their public recording debut in 1975with the song "Gorilla" on the 'Beserkley Chartbusters' LP. By 1977, the boys had finished recording their first full album, an LP titled simply 'The Rubinoos'. Gene Sculatti of the New York Rocker called it "the best pop album of the decade." The band took influence from both contemporary rock music as well as from the bubblegum pop music of the past twenty-five years.
The first single was "I Think Were Alone Now", a cover of the Tommy James classic pop track, and it reached the top 40 nationwide as well as the top 10 in many major U.S. cities. Appearances on 'Dick Clarks American Bandstand', 'The Rolling Stone 10th Anniversary TV Special', and in numerous teen magazines of the era helped put the Rubinoos into the pop consciousness. At the same time, the group was receiving a lot of attention overseas: critical acclaim and airplay in Europe came alongside top tens in Japan and Australia.
In 1978, they left for their first European tour. The first show was an appearance on German TV's 'Rockpalast'. The rest of the tour took them through northern Europe performing concert dates and appearing on assorted TV shows such as 'Top Pop (The Netherlands)', 'Old Grey Whistle Test', and 'Rock Goes to College'. As there was no photo on the first LP, the British press sometimes assumed the group was a mere studio contrivance (similar to The Archies or The Banana Splits), but they were startled to find that the Rubinoos were the real thing.
During that summer the seminal power pop song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" was recorded and released as a single in England, ending up as number 4 in terms of the highest airplay song chart of that year. It was also chosen as Music Week magazine's "Record of the Year". The Rubinoos finished recording their second LP, Back to the Drawing Board, in late 1978 for release in early 1979. Because of their success in the UK, the Rubinoos were chosen to open the U.S. portion of Elvis Costello's 'Armed Forces Tour', playing fifty-six sold out shows to screaming encores and rave reviews. Meanwhile, Back to the Drawing Board was a breakout hit all over U.S. radio, selling over 100,000 copies and making a run for the gold which was unfortunately cut short by the bankruptcy of its distributor GRT/Janus, a harbinger to come of the band's difficulties maintaining commercial success from the late 70s onward.
In 1983, the Rubinoos were signed by the label of Warner Brothers and made the mini LP Party of Two. produced by fellow power pop musicians Todd Rundgren and his mega-band Utopia (their first production project as a group). The video for the single "If I Had You Back" achieved heavy rotation on the then fledgling MTV. Still, by 1985 the band members had decided to pursue other interests apart, leaving behind a reputation as one of the best pop groups of that era.
By the mid-90s, rekindled interest in power pop combined with The Rubinoos stature in the field earned the group major releases of two compilations containing previously unavailable material: Basement Tapes and Garage Sale. In 1995, Basement Tapes was picked by Billboard magazine as one of the years ten best CDs. In addition, "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", a contendor for being the band's 'signature song', has been included on many recent multi-artist pop compilation albums.
In the fall of 1999, the Rubinoos reformed to play at the I.P.O. (International Pop Overthrow) festival in Los Angeles. Their appearance was a major hit of the event. Along with the rare live performance, Rubinoos fans were treated to the debut of material from the May 2000 release Paleophonic. This stellar collection was produced by the late, great Kevin Gilbert.
The next couple of years were spent playing occasional pop festivals in the US and working on their individual musical projects. In 2002, the band, getting a little nervous and not wanting to spoil their streak of one CD every 10 years or so, headed back into the studio to record a new CD with a brand new idea, featuring only covers of bands that the Rubinoos have taken influence from. Titled Crimes Against Music, the group explored tracks by such diverse artists as Eurythmics, The Beach Boys, and the Raspberries, among others.
After finishing recording, they hit the road for two smash tours of Japan and Spain. The group has spent the past decade of so sporadically playing live, experiencing success in 2007 with their massive retrospective album titled Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About The Rubinoos. That 'best of' collection received rave reviews from the All Music Guide, praising it as "exhaustive" while giving it a rating of four and a half stars out of five. A legal run-in with pop punker Avril Lavigne of all people, accused of plagiarizing the Rubinoos, ended in a confidential settlement and also brought the group some sudden publicity. Fans hope for a new album as of 2013.
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The Rubinoos Lyrics
Alright Without You You thought I was gonna sit and cry That's what you…
Altamont Dunbar Wasn't nothin' but a groovy time down in Monterey …
Amnesia Dunbar Time is ticking, I've been sinking Too much think…
Arcade Queen Dunbar-Gangwer I just got beat at a game of pong and…
Bend Me You are all the woman I need And baby you know…
Bus Stop (Bonus Track Single Version) Bus stop, wet day She's there, I say Please share my umbrell…
Cruisin' Music Carmen Get up in the morning, vheck out the weather If i…
Early Winter Dunbar Looking for some sign of life behind those baby bl…
Easier Lost Than Found Dunbar Holding a treasure There in your hands and You don…
Fireball Dunbar-Rubin I used to buy me a firecracker To get me…
Gone To Seed Dunbar I don't want you to see me like this I don't…
Gone Today Dunbar Stars light up the sky The same ones I Saw…
Handle With Care Dunbar-Jones I know it’s, so hard to Be sure just how…
Hard To Get Dunbar-Gangwer Hard to get But I’ll get you yet Hard …
Hey Rita Dunbar I know it hurts to be the last one to…
Hit The Nerve Dunbar Ooo girl, it's sort of frightening Like a little…
Hold Me When you're near me I feel so romantic When you're far…
Home To You Dunbar All the time away I wonder Does the distant heart…
Hurts Too Much Dunbar After all those things you said to me last night…
I Love The Way You Touch Dunbar I love the way that you move around the floor…
I Never Thought It Would Happen Ader-Dunbar-Gangwer We’ve been friends but that’s all we …
I Think We're Alone Now Cordell-Gentry Children behave That’s what they say whe…
I Think We’re Alone Now Children, behave That's what they say when we're together An…
I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend Sitting here so close, together So far we're just friends,…
If I Had You Back IF I HAD YOU BACK The wind is howling like a…
Independence Day Dunbar I know you're right, I know the situation You've …
It's a Shame Martin-Sharpe Now that you’re changing your mind It’s e…
Jennifer Phillips-Dunbar-Gangwer I use to sit at home Trying to …
Leave My Heart Alone Should I believe your lies You don't know how bad…
Let Me Hear You Say Yeah Dunbar Well it's three times running into you this week We…
Life In The Slow Lane Dunbar Call me the rat who left the sinking ship But I…
Lightning Love Affair Dunbar-Bimler-Gangwer Saw an air of mystery around you …
Like Candy Dunbar-Carlin-Seabury Here you come again, looking for fun …
Little Willy North side, east side Little Willy, Willy wears the crown, …
Make It Easy Dunbar Just last night, I was dreaming I dreamed that y…
Memories Dunbar-Gangwer Hey stranger don’t you remember me I’m t…
Mothers Always Know Dunbar-Gangwer-Phillips Sitting on your bed upstairs in you…
My Little Red Book I just got out my little red book The minute that…
Next Ex Dunbar Where was my mind It must have been asleep Oth…
No More Where She Came From Dunbar Woulda thought it'd be open season With a taste o…
Nobody Said That Life Was Fair Dunbar She's all dressed up with no place to go Sitting…
Not Just Another Pretty Face T. Dunbar-J. Dunbar I've seen a lot of posers dancing in…
Nothing A Little Love Won The sound of the rain Used to be inspiration But…
Nothing A Little Love Won't Cure The sound of the rain Used to be inspiration But…
Nothing A Little Love Won't Do The sound of the rain Used to be inspiration But…
Nothing A Little Love Won’t Cure The sound of the rain Used to be inspiration But…
Operator Dunbar-Gangwer Watch out she’s an operator ooh Watch ou…
Peek-A-Boo Hammer When you come home from the dance Sit in the…
Perfect Stranger Dunbar Love is just a flower that fades and dies And tur…
Pool Party Dunbar A B C D E F G H 2 O…
Promise Me Dunbar-Gangwer It’s getting late, it must be two or later…
Pump It Up I've been on tenterhooks, ending in dirty looks List'ning to…
Pursuit Of Happiness Dunbar-Mathews I've been knocking around a long long time…
Revenge Of The Nerds "Okay guys! Let's go!" Mom packs us a lunch and we're…
Rock I used to do the pony I used to do…
Rock & Roll Is Dead I used to do the pony I used to do…
Rock And Roll Is Dead I used to do the pony I used to do…
Ronnie Dunbar-Gangwer Just because I was only ninety pounds Th…
Saturday Morning Cartoons Dunbar-Gangwer When I was just a little kid Out of all t…
Someday Dunbar Someday, when you get lost in all that space you…
Thorn In My Side Thorn in my side You know that's all you ever were A…
Too Sweet Dunbar She said He was too nice He hadn't a prayer…
Too up to feel down Dunbar-Jones Who is that knocking at my door It’s the IRS…
When The Rain Comes Down Dunbar Listen to the raindrops falling on the window ledg…
Wouldn't It Be Nice Could you come over tonight? Nobody's home, nobody but me …
You Don't Know Her Dunbar You thought you'd try to beat my time By handing …
You Hit The Nerve Dunbar-Phillips Ooo girl, it's sort of frightening Like…