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Biography
redirect|Seventy sevens|the concept in biblical prophecy|Prophecy of Seventy WeeksRefimprove|date=December 2010Infobox musical artist| name = The 77s| background = group_or_band| alias =| origin = Sacramento, California , USA| genre = Rock music|Rock , Christian rock , Christian punk , New Wave music|new wave | years_active = 1979& ndash;present| label = Exit Records|Exit , Island Records|Island , Broken Records (record label)|Broken , Myrrh Records|Myrrh , Brainstorm Artists, Intl|Brainstorm , Galaxy21 Music|Galaxy21 , Fools of the World , Lo-Fidelity Records|Lo-Fidelity | associated_acts =| website = URL| http://www.77s.com| current_members = Michael Roe Mark Harmon (musician)|Mark Harmon Bruce Spencer | past_members = Mark Proctor Jan Eric Volz Mark Tootle Aaron Smith (musician)|Aaron Smith David Leonhardt The 77s (alternatively spelled The Seventy Sevens or '''The 77's ) are an American rock music|rock band consisting of Michael Roe on vocals/guitar, Mark Harmon (musician)|Mark Harmon on bass, and Bruce Spencer on drums.
Band history
Scratch Band
Originally called Scratch Band , this ministry-based quartet formed in the late 1970s in Sacramento, California|Sacramento , California , by Roe, keyboardist/guitarist Mark Tootle, bassist Jan Eric Volz, and drummer Mark Proctor. Guitarist Jimmy A and singer Sharon McCall also performed occasionally with the band, whose repertoire contained a number of songs penned by English poet and fellow Exit Records musician Steve Scott (poet)|Steve Scott .
A& M years
Scratch Band changed its name to "The 77s" just prior to the release of their first album, Ping Pong Over the Abyss , in 1982. Proctor left the band and was replaced by former The Temptations|Temptations / Romeo Void drummer Aaron Smith (musician)|Aaron Smith , who first appeared on All Fall Down (77s album)|All Fall Down and remained with the band until the mid-90s.
Island years
After considerable success on Exit/A& M, The 77s soon found themselves signed to Island Records (which, like A& M would be bought by PolyGram in 1989) and on the road to what Mike Roe would refer facetiously as "teenage stardom." Their 1987 The 77s (album)|self-titled release was reviewed favorably by Rolling Stone magazine and produced "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes & the Pride of Life," the band's biggest single to date. "The Lust..." ended up being much more influential than the band originally thought. A decade-and-a-half later, the reggae-rock band 311 (band)|311 's hit single "I'll Be Here Awhile" "borrowed" several lines from "The Lust..." (i.e., "And if a person, place, or thing can deliver / I will quiver with delight"). Ironically, "The Lust..." itself borrowed musically from Barry McGuire 's song " Eve of Destruction (song)|Eve of Destruction ".
Unfortunately for The 77s, labelmates U2 (band)|U2 found a great deal of success with their The Joshua Tree|Joshua Tree album, thus distracting Island Records' attention from promoting what many fans consider The 77s' best album of their career.
Transition
On 13 March 1988, The 77s performed with The Alarm and House of Freaks at the The Fillmore|Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, California , entertaining patrons such as Neil Young . Despite riding a wave of popularity with the critics, Tootle and Volz left the band later that same year. While the band reformed in the early 90s with the addition of former Strawmen members David Leonhardt (guitar) and Harmon, the live album Eighty Eight|88 and Sticks and Stones (77s album)|Sticks and Stones , a collection of previously unreleased recordings and demos, were released. One song from Sticks and Stones ("MT") was later covered by Zoppi (featuring future 77s drummer Bruce Spencer) and featured a number of times on the popular FOX television series " Beverly Hills, 90210 ".
This new version of the band released a pair of albums for Word Records: 1992's Pray Naked|The Seventy Sevens (known by the band and fans as Pray Naked , the album's original title which was dropped by the record label without consulting the band due to Christian vendor pressures not to sell an album titled "Pray Naked") and 1994's critically acclaimed Drowning with Land in Sight . Leonhardt and Smith would leave the band soon afterward. Drummer Bruce Spencer , formerly of Vector (band)|Vector , was brought on board to fill Smith's vacancy. Roe chose not to replace Leonhardt, preferring to record and perform as a power trio; however, multi-instrumentalist Scott Reams was occasionally brought in to enhance the band's sound during their live performances.
Power trio
By the end of the 1990s, The 77s formed its own record label , Fools of the World , and re-issued several of its older albums. The 77s continue to record and tour.
Present day
In 2010, The 77's participated in a tribute album titled Mister Bolin’s Late Night Revival , a compilation of 17 previously unreleased tracks written by guitar legend Tommy Bolin prior to his death in 1976. The CD includes other artists such as HiFi Superstar , Doogie White , Eric Martin (singer)|Eric Martin , Troy Luccketta , Jeff Pilson , Randy Jackson (Zebra)|Randy Jackson , Rachel Barton Pine|Rachel Barton , Rex Carroll , Derek St. Holmes , and Kimberley Dahme . A percentage of the proceeds from this project will benefit the Jackson Recovery Centers. http://www.misterbolinslatenightrevival.com/ Mister Bolin's Late Night Revival, 2010
Discography
Studio albums
1982 - Ping Pong Over the Abyss (produced by Steven Soles )
1984 - All Fall Down (The 77s album)|All Fall Down (produced by Charlie Peacock )
2000 - 8ighty 8ight|88 /When Numbers Get Serious , re-release of 88 (album)|88 w/bonus disc containing various live tracks (1987–1998)
2007 - Ninety Nine (8-track remastered re-release of the 4-track limited edition EP; 1999 performance)
Fan club releases
2001 - '' Happy Chrimbo& #33; from The 77's
2003 - Guilty Pleasures (The 77s album)|Guilty Pleasures
Compilation albums
1989 - '' More Miserable Than You'll Ever Be '' (originally released under the 7& 7is moniker and later remastered/re-released under The 77s banner); features Mike Roe solo tracks, demos/outtakes from The 77s' The 77s (album)|self-titled album , and unreleased material from The Magnets (band)|The Magnets (Michael Roe & Larry Tagg)
1995 - 1 2 3 (album)|1 2 3 , boxed set re-release of The 77s' first three studio albums
2000 - Late (The 77s album)|Late , contains the entire ep (77s album)|ep album, alternate takes/mixes from A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows and Tom Tom Blues , and solo tracks from Roe's 1997 solo tour
Videos
2006 - 77s DVD Collection (2 DVDs, includes rare footage from The 77s' archives, including promotional videos for "A Different Kind Of Light," "Mercy Mercy," "Ba Ba Ba Ba," "Nuts For You," "Snake," "For Crying Out Loud," "The Boat Ashore," and numerous concert performances)
Special and limited editions
1980 - Rock & Religion Radio Show (06-01-1980), live cuts as Scratch Band
1992 - FlevoTotaal Festival - Live Tapes Volume 1 compilation, "I Can't Get Over It", live track, 1990
1995 - Bootlevel compilation, "Mercy Mercy," "Smokescreen," and "Good Directions," from 1984's All Fall Down (The 77s album)|All Fall Down sessions
1999 - When Worlds Collide: A Tribute to Daniel Amos and the Music of Terry Scott Taylor compilation, " Shotgun Angel (song)|Shotgun Angel "
2000 - A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows: Radioactive Singles—Related/Mr. Magoo , CD single
2001 - Related , 3-track CD single (released in DVD packaging for radio)
2007 - Ninety Nine (limited edition 40 produced 4-track EP; 1999 live performance)
2009 - Working on the Building (limited edition 6-track EP featuring unedited basic tracks and rough mixes from Holy Ghost Building , available only for a limited time with purchase of Michael Roe 's solo album We All Gonna Face the Rising Sun )
2000 - SmalltownPoets , Third Verse - "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes & the Pride of Life" (from The 77s (album)|The 77s )
2001 - 311 (band) , " From Chaos " Used lyrics from "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes & the Pride of Life" in the song "I'll Be Here A While"
2004 - Lost Dogs , MUTT (album)|MUTT - "The Lust, the Flesh, the Eyes & the Pride of Life" (from The 77s (album)|The 77s )
2004 - Lost Dogs , MUTT (album)|MUTT - "It's So Sad" (from Ping Pong Over the Abyss )
2004 - The Radiant Dregs , Send $2.00 And A S.A.S.E. To... - "Leaving" (from A Golden Field of Radioactive Crows )
7& 7iS
Members of The 77s have used the moniker 7& 7is to release projects that they do not see as fitting under their regular band name. The name comes from the title of a 7 and 7 Is|classic song by the 60s music group Love , called "7 and 7 Is."
The name was first used for Alternative Records ' 1989 collection of rarities and outtakes (later released as ''More Miserable Than You'll Ever Be ). The name was revived in 2004 for Fun With Sound , a collaboration between lead singer Michael Roe and bassist Mark Harmon (musician)|Mark Harmon . Harmon and Roe also toured that year under the name.
