Proof

East Coast pop quartet the Proof crawled out from under a rock, recorded a terrific debut in 1980 produced by the legendary John Leckie (XTC, Lilac Time), then crawled back under that rock, never to be heard from again. Possibly one of the finest power pop debut albums of the '80s, It's Safe was conceived and created by the Proof: Tom Cohen (lead vocals, guitar), Michael Hommel (bass, vocals), Michael Newman (guitar, vocals), and Jeff Cohen (drums). Quirky, angular, and inventive guitar riffs sandwiched by melody-enriched songwriting rubs shoulders with a young, spirited attitude (as opposed to a punky attitude),creating an album as refreshing as the first shower of the day. Released on Nemperor Records (home of the Romantics, Gus, and Steve Forbert), the album didn't receive the promotion it deserved, and the LP and band sank without a trace. It would have been nice to hear a second album from this outfit to see the direction they were heading in, but at least their classic debut remains. ~ Steve Schnee