There are several bands that go by the name of The Atlantics.

1. The… Read Full Bio ↴There are several bands that go by the name of The Atlantics.

1. The Atlantics were an Australian surf rock band in the early 1960s and arguably Australia's most successful of the genre. Most well-known for their classic hit, "Bombora", their later recordings such as "Come On" are examples of 1960s garage rock. They were the first Australian rock band to write their own hits. In 2000 the group reformed with three of the original members, and they are still actively releasing new material and performing live.

2. The American powerpop band was formed in January 1976 by guitarist Tom Hauck and bass player Bruce Wilkinson, who were two students at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, just outside Boston. Erik Lindgren, a mutual friend, introduced them to drummer Boby Bear and lead guitarist Jeff Lock. To complete the lineup Bruce recruited singer Bobby Marron, a friend from his hometown in New Jersey. The Atlantics played their first gigs in the spring of 1976 at The Rat in Kenmore Square and at a concert at Tufts University with Willy Alexander and Foxpass. In May of 1976 they scored the opening slot for the Ramones, who were playing two nights at The Club in Central Square. It was one of the Ramones’ first Boston appearances, and the shows helped establish the Atlantics as one of the leaders of the emerging punk/new wave movement in Boston.

The band made their first trips to New York in the summer of 1976, playing at CBGB and Max's Kansas City. At Max's they met their first manager, Fred Munao. The following spring Ray Boy Fernandes replaced Boby Bear on drums. In the summer of 1977 the band recorded its first independent 45 on Jukebox Records, “When You're Young” by B Wilkinson, backed with “Where Would I Be Without Your Love,” by Jeff Lock. A thousand copies were pressed but never released, and the single is now considered a collector’s item.

In the spring of 1978 Jeff Lock left the band and was replaced by Fred Pineau. Fred Munao got the band signed to ABC Records that summer, and in December the Atlantics recorded their album “Big City Rock” at the Hit Factory in New York. Producer John Stronach vowed to make the band “the Eagles of the new wave,” but even before the record was finished the group realized that their Los Angeles producer did not share the band’s more contemporary East Coast viewpoint.

The record was ready in March, 1979, but a few weeks before the release ABC Records was unceremoniously sold to MCA Records. Consequently, some copies of ”Big City Rock” carried the ABC Records label, while later copies carried the MCA label. Their new label was notoriously adverse to punk and new wave, and made little effort to promote the group. The company, together with Premier Talent, put the Atlantics on tour with Roxy Music, but the record was not supported. The single “One Last Night” by Bruce Wilkinson received limited airplay, and the album, despite a glowing review in Rolling Stone, did not sell. By July, 1979 the band was back in Boston. MCA had dropped them like a hot potato, and drummer Ray Boy Fernandes had left.

Later that summer Paul Caruso joined the group as drummer, and the band came back in 1980 with what was to become one of New England's biggest indy singles, “Lonelyhearts,” by Tom Hauck, the flip side to “Can't Wait Forever,” a Motown-flavored song by Bruce Wilkinson. “Lonelyhearts,” a hard-driving dance tune, was originally the b-side because it was deemed by management to be too fast and too loud for mainstream radio. First played by Carter Alan on WBCN, “Lonelyhearts” rocketed to the top of radio and dance charts and stayed for months, and can still be heard on Boston radio stations including WFNX over twenty years later. “Lonelyhearts” had huge crossover appeal, and as a result the Atlantics appeared with such diverse artists as Prince (at the Metro in Boston on St. Patrick's Day, 1981), Foreigner (at the Cape Cod Coliseum), and Alice Cooper (at the Fitchburg Auditorium).

Unfortunately, the recording of “Lonelyhearts” deepened the growing division between Fred Munao and the band, and just before the single was released the band split from Munao. The timing was not good, because the band lost momentum until they joined up with Steve Paul and Teddy Slatus, who managed Johnny Winter and David Johansen. During the next two years the Atlantics released a few more songs on tape to Boston radio stations, including “Pop Shivers” and “Weekend.” The latter became a staple on WBCN, being played dutifully every Friday at lunchtime by DJ Ken Shelton.

Despite the band's ferocious live show and extensive regional radio play, by 1983 they still had not gained acceptance from the mainstream music industry. In June 1983 the band played their final show at the Channel in Boston. Tom Hauck and Bruce Wilkinson went on to form Ball and Pivot, Bobby Marron did a stint in Cut 299, and Fred Pineau worked as a producer with singer John Warren, and has since continued to perform in Boston-area rock bands. Paul Caruso opened a CD production company, Boston Disc, and later became the studio head for Aerosmith’s Joe Perry.

Bruce Wilkinson died in October, 2000 at his home in Florida. Paul Caruso passed away in May, 2006.

In September 2006 the surviving members (Fred Pineau, Tom Hauck and Bobby Marron) released “ATLANTICS,” a 13-track CD of archival recordings dating from 1979 to 1982.

When the band broke up in 1983, these tapes—mostly cassettes with a few ¼” safety masters—had been put into a storage for over 20 years. After Bruce Wilkinson died in 2000, Bobby, Tom, Paul and Fred got together and started planning a release. The band recovered the tapes, and Paul Caruso took the tapes for restoration and conversion to digital format. He produced 13 tracks at his studio in Kingston, and had just completed the job when he suddenly passed away in May, 2006.

The tracks on “ATLANTICS” are untouched, archival studio recordings from 1979-1982, with no contemporary overdubs. A few are 24 track recordings from Syncro Sound, while others are 16 track or even live-to-2-track recordings, probably from Downtown Recorders.

Come on
The Atlantics Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Work all day, get an aching back
Work so hard, my blisters turn back
Got to buy you everything
Should I buy you a golden ring?

Without your loving
I couldn't carry on
Without your kissing

How could my life go on
Without you baby
My dreams would never come true

So come on
And love me
Come on
And kiss me
Come on
And give me all of your charms
Because I love you baby
I need you baby
And I give you all the loving a woman can want

I'm gonna slave until the day
When I know that I can't say
Girl I love you when you wear my ring
I'm gonna buy you everything

Without your loving
I couldn't carry on
Without your kissing
How could my life go on
Without you baby
My dreams would never come true

So come on
And love me
Come on
And kiss me
Come on
And give me all of your charms
Because I love you baby

You know I need you baby
And I give you all the loving a woman can want

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to “Come On” by The Atlantics convey a message of a man's deep love for his partner, claiming he would do anything for her, even if that means working tirelessly and until he can't physically go on. In the first few lines, the singer describes his extremely taxing work schedule, including aching back and blisters. However, nothing is too much to give his partner the life she deserves, even if this includes buying her everything and presenting her with a golden ring. The chorus repeats the phrase "without your loving, I couldn't carry on" and expresses how he needs her to carry on living. The singer begs his partner to "come on" and love him, kiss him, and give him all her charms.

This song's interpretation is a prime example of the portrayal of love in the 1960s, with a man dedicating his life to his partner to show his love. In this way, the song is a representation of traditional values where men were the breadwinners and women supported their partners in other ways. The song is not just about love, but it's also about what people are willing to do for the ones they love.

Line by Line Meaning

Work all day, get an aching back
I work hard every day and it causes me physical pain.

Work so hard, my blisters turn back
I work so hard that I develop blisters that heal and then return.

Got to buy you everything
I feel like I have to buy you everything you could ever want.

Should I buy you a golden ring?
Should I express my love for you by buying an expensive piece of jewelry?

Without your loving I couldn't carry on
I need your love to make it through each day.

Without your kissing How could my life go on
Your kisses are what keep me going and give my life meaning.

Without you baby My dreams would never come true
You are the one who makes my dreams come true.

So come on And love me
Please show me your love.

Come on And kiss me
Please show me your affection through kisses.

Come on And give me all of your charms
Please share everything about yourself with me.

Because I love you baby I need you baby And I give you all the loving a woman can want
I love you, I need you, and I'm willing to give you all the love and support a person could ever need.

I'm gonna slave until the day When I know that I can't say Girl I love you when you wear my ring I'm gonna buy you everything
I'll work hard until I can afford to give you everything you deserve, including an engagement ring.

Contributed by Kaelyn G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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