All Things Avril...and oh yeah, the Rubinoos too

Well, if you have been following the controversy involving the Rubinoos' accusations that Avril Lavigne's smash hit "Girlfriend" is actually a rip off of their 1978 song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend", you might be wondering the same thing I was... Who are the Rubinoos? (Which actually gives credence to Avril's claims that she had never heard of the band, because honestly, I think even most people fairly knowledgeable of popular music were in that boat.) Perhaps, the silver lining in this legal mess is that a whole new generation of fans will get to hear some of the Rubinoos' music, because actually "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" is a pretty darn good song. So who are they? All Music Guide's Chris Woodstra is quoted at artistdirect.com: "For a brief moment, the Rubinoos seemed to be the last hope for pure pop music, carrying on the tradition of the Raspberries with an engaging blend of innocent bubblegum and power pop. The band was formed in 1973 by teenage friends Jon Rubin (vocals, guitar) and Tommy Dunbar (guitar, keyboards, vocals) along with Royse Adler (bass) and Donn Spindt (drums), but it wasn't until 1977 that they made their recording debut for Beserkley Records. The single, a cover of Tommy James' "I Think We're Alone Now," made an appearance in the lower reaches of the U.S. charts, giving the indie label their first hit. The same year, their self-titled debut LP received rave reviews all-around but failed commercially. Back to the Drawing Board (1979), another solid collection of bouncy pop songs, again went ignored despite its classic single "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend." The band effectively broke up the following year." More information is available at the Rubinoos website rubinoos.com.


The Rubinoos - I Want To Be Your Boyfriend posted by t9i9 at youtube: