In the summer of 1976, recording engineer-slash-songwriter Barry Knoedl was asked to play bass and sing backup at a recording session. When the work was done, Barry asked if he could record one of his own songs, ”Baby Don’t Give Up.” Backed with ”I Just Want To Make You Happy,” the resulting single became the second release on Jim Antonucci’s Death Records, home of Cracked Actor’s classic KBD single, ”Nazi School,” and Jimi LaLumia’s ”Death to Disco” movement.
Sourced from Barry’s own digital remixes, ”Baby Don’t Give Up” sounds better than ever. Catch the limited version on translucent red vinyl -- just like the original.
”You’d never know it from the cartoonish picture sleeve or the name of the record label, but both sides of New Yorker Barry Knoedl’s obscure, self-produced single (on red vinyl ) offer a light, sweet pop sound fortified by piano and guitar and Knoedl’s white-bread vocals.” -- John Borack, Shake Some Action: the Ultimate Power Pop Guide
”Sweet-tasting powerpop longing at the softer side of Badfinger’s repertoire.” -- Bubblegum the Punk
”Knoedl plays American power-pop with a nod to ‘60’s bubblegum pop and ‘70’s AM radio. ’Baby Don’t Give Up’ is as if 1910 Fruitgum Company decided to go power-pop. I can only imagine what the original listeners thought after dropping the needle after reading the big Death Records logo on the label? My guess is surprise to say the least...” -- Audio Ammunition
”So I throw the needle down and…and...FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT?!?! Oh, I guess I should have figured out the label was called DEATH and the name of the artist was actually some guy named Barry Knoedl! Silly fuckin’ me! It happens to the best of us, I guess!” -- glorifytheturd.com
