Last Saturday I got the sad news that Marc Campbell of The Nails had died. Then that had me pulling my Nails CDs this weekend for a spin, with the expanded “Hotel For Women” making me dance in spite of the overall mood to its Ska leaning sound. Before the band grew into the sort of group that was running in parallel to Warren Zevon, just without any heavy L.A. session players putting their stamp on the sound. But the “Mood Swing” album was an all-time classic to these ears. One that I always felt scooped Zevon at his own game.
We can be said to adore The Nails; definitely the coolest band to ever come out of the Boulder, Colorado music scene. They had gotten their start as The Ravers in the mid-70s and managed a indie 7″ single under that name in ’77 [later reissued with that name printed on the sleeve instead of the stamp shown] before quickly pivoting to the new name of The Nails. They issued a single I still don’t have called “Cops Are Punks” that saw the band making a deep thumbprint on what existed of the Boulder punk scene in 1977. Local guy Eric Boucher [you know him better as Jello Biafra] was their roadie and was a big fan before going off on his own Punk Rock adventure.
By the end of ’77 they relocated to NYC and became part of a scene that was probably more congruent with their ethos. Having a NYC band named Raver prompted the name change to The Nails and they can be called Ska-adjacent at the time. At that time Neneh Cherry was singing with the band in ’78 before moving to London. Even though they were in NYC, their old Boulder label issued their second single, “Back Street Boys” in ’78. One more single, “Young + Wild” came out on their own City Beat label in 1980.
The following year their “Hotel For Women” 12″ was issued on City Beat/Jimboco records. On this 1981 12″ was their first version of “88 Lines About 44 Women,” which reached then-virgin ears. Once heard, the song is not soon forgotten. It was a almost a case of “New Wave Or Novelty,” but “88 Lines About 44 Women” skewed closer to Lou Reed’s NYC reportage than something similar like Trio’s “Da Da Da.” The band later issued the track as a 7″ A-side taken from the EP, also on their Jimboco label, along with a berserk sound collage B-side, “Real World [Beat Boys + B-Girls].”
This caught the attention of Bruce Harris, who helped them get signed to RCA Records for their 1984 full length debut, “Mood Swing.” The first I ever heard of this band in real time was the video for their cover of “Let It All Hang Out” on MTV. I then bought the LP of
Mood Swing” and have kept it through the years; intending to make my own CD of it until the bend reissued it on CD themselves after licensing the masters from RCA in 2007. That CD had the 12″ remixes of “88 Lines About 44 Women” B/W “Let It All Hang Out” as appeared on a 12″ single, remixed by Richard James Burgess, on it as bonus tracks.
I also managed to get the expanded “Hotel For Women” CD at the same time, when visiting the Amoeba chain in Cali on my visit there in 2014. I never saw another Nails release after that point, but by the time that The Nails website manifested, well into the new century, it revealed the 2nd RCA album, “Dangerous Dreams” was issued in 1986, but I never saw it…ever.
Then there was a Post-RCA album called “Corpus Christi” in 1993, that was on the obscure Safe House label. Let’s put it this way, in 1993, the only band I had material from the Safe House label was a Southern Culture On The Skids EP, “Peckin’ Party!” Beyond the size of the label, the band famously got burned on the album and claim to have never seen a cent so they admonish fans to never pay for a copy of it and host MP3s for free on their website instead!
Following that, the band split into its component parts. In the noughts I came to see that Mr. Campbell was a writer on Richard Metzger’s eclectic Dangerous Minds website; blogging on any issues of fascination for the next few years. In 2010, Campbell released a project as Tantric Machine; along with Hugh Pool. The album is hard to buy but it’s out there on Soundcloud where we can see it’s part wheezing Blues and part Beat poetry. Undoubtedly illuminated by the peerless lyrics which were Campbell’s stock-in-trade.
Our only run-in with Campbell was in 2015, after buying a CD of “Mood Swing” and reviewing it here on PPM, the one and only comment the post received was a note of thanks from the artiste himself. And now he’s gone, with nary an insight as to the reasons why. To be honest, his demise was so far under the mainstream radar, that until his former cohorts updated the home page of The Nails website, I had no idea what is birth year was for this obit and had put “195?-2024” in the title of this post! You had to be a fan to even know about it, but that’s probably how he would have preferred things. We send condolences to his family and friends and you’d better play the amazing “Home Of The Brave” tonight and I dare you to remain dry-eyed as it ends.
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Post-Punk Monk 
Hi. This is Mirgun, Marc’s wife.(Tanya Turkish) Thank you for your tribute to my love. On Friday night, early Saturday morning we were watching a movie when he had a heart attack and passed away looking into my eyes. I’m completely devastated. I posted his passing on his FB page and I’d like to post this obit also, He would’ve really appreciated it.
Thank you so much
Much love,
Mirgun
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Mirgun – Welcome to the comments. How I wish the circumstances were happier ones. We’ve just lost a treasured writer; you, so much more. Thanks for sharing with us here since there was almost nothing out there on his passing that I could find in the news. Yet I still had to write about it. It sounds like his death was sudden and unexpected which I would consider a gift. Especially since he did not die alone but with his loved one there with him. More we cannot hope for. Here’s wishing you love and strength for the road ahead.
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Great and nicely done. I am so proud to be the wife of Bruce Harris and to have stayed in touch with Marc after Bruce passed away
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Marion Harris – Welcome to the comments! Bruce was one of the hundreds of significant names I noted as I pored over the thousands of releases in my Record Cell. He mentored a good friend of mine who has regaled me with tales of the kindness and courtesy that Bruce showed him as he was starting out in his career. Let’s be thankful that Bruce also saw the high merit in The Nails so that they could have their shot at immortality on RCA; reaching ears outside of the NYC bubble. And finally, my condolences for your loss as a friend of Marc.
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oh thanks so much for your kind thoughts!
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Terrible, terrible news that I somehow missed earlier. Condolences to Mirgun and Marion for your loss.
I think it fitting to share Marc’s comment that he posted to the review section of the Mood Swing CD on Amazon (with the heading “MARC CAMPBELL OF THE NAILS SAYS THANK YOU”):
“Finally, MOOD SWING gets released on cd. Better late than never. I’m delighted and surprised that MOOD SWING has connected with so many people. And I’m really pleased that THE NAILS may be recognized as more than just the band that wrote and recorded 88 LINES ABOUT 44 WOMEN. My hope is that a new generation of listeners will discover MOOD SWING. Rock and roll is and will always be my religion and my passion. And at a time when rock has become more and more corporate and its message less and less provocative, I can say, absolutely, that I never got into rock and roll for money or fame. I got into it because I had no choice. When the spirits of rock and roll spoke, I listened and I made my move.”
But my favorite part of the review was the postscript. A guy named Andru was the first the review the CD, and Marc ended his own post with: “p.s. Andru, if you’re ever in Taos, New Mexico, look me up. The drinks are on me.” Sounds like Marc was just the coolest guy ever.
p.s. PPM you’re so right: regarding Mood Swing, I came for 88 Lines and stayed for Home Of The Brave.
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JayOnDemand – “Home Of The Brave” took residence in my skull for at least 10 days when I heard he was gone. Whether the disc was playing or not.
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I just learned of Marc’s passing from David Kaufman (keyboards). I was the guitarist for the Ravers/Nails in Boulder and NYC (1976-78). Marc’s prolific songwriting (poetry), intensity and humor were captivating. His imprint on my life continues to this day and I often think of him.
When my father died, Marc offered his “deepest sympathies,” and now I sadly offer mine to his wife and friends.
Sincerely,
Art Freeman
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Art Freeman – Welcome to the comments! Everything I read about Marc, or better yet, his own writing, suggested that he was one who burned brightly. You were fortunate to know such an individual in your life and the times spent with people of that caliber cast a long shadow for each of us.
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wow..I’m just w/o words; I had no idea he was no longer roaming the roads altho for some strange reason I’d been listening to Mood Swing cd in my car for the last months and laughing at how much it brought back memories from our time in Boulder and Berkeley w/Will. Always in my heart & deeply sorry for the loss his loved ones and other friends have endured. Nancy ( Mary Ellen)
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