VIA PRESS RELEASE | The DIY post-punk, new wave, and ska pioneer Kate Fagan shares “Say It,” the second previously unreleased song made available from the forthcoming I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool (Expanded Edition). Originally a coveted self-released single put out in 1980, this version of I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool has been re-mastered and made into a full-length vinyl album featuring four additional, previously unreleased, ahead-of-their-time tracks, due out February 24th, 2023 via Captured Tracks. The release of “Say It” comes with a new video edited by Timothy Watson with archival footage by James Pasta.
The reggae-tinged “Say It” features production from the reggae legend Peter Tosh and Bob Marley’s guitarist Donald Kinsey who flew in from Jamaica to record with Heavy Manners (the seminal ska group that Fagan co-founded) after witnessing their impassioned live show. “Say It” is among 4 previously unreleased songs originally composed for Fagan’s rock opera The Kissing Concept, a semi-autobiographical love story inspired by the ‘70s/’80s nightclub scene that Fagan had explored during her time in New York, which premiered at Park West and Limelight nightclubs.
Fagan shares the following about “Say It”: “Emotions become overwhelming when lovers’ expectations collide and the lyrics of the song express a sad reckoning.” Further adding: “Peter Tosh and Don Kinsey locked in the groove and accentuated the reggae bubble. This is a stripped down mix with a clap track added by Peter. He intended to make this the bottom floor of a dancehall dub.”
“Peter Tosh‘s greatest contribution to our sessions was that his presence made us focus, really listen to what was going down, and he motivated us to give our best performances. My recollection about Don Kinsey is he knew how to enhance a groove; he doubled guitar and bass tracks throughout the song to give the bottom a heavier feel.”
Kate Fagan took the Chicago punk rock scene by storm in the early ‘80s with her self-released single “I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool, ” which became the best-selling single ever by a local artist at the legendary Wax Trax! Records. In 2016, Manufactured Recordings (an affiliate of Brooklyn’s Captured Tracks) reissued the coveted 7” with the original B-side “Waiting for the Crisis” and two bonus tracks, which quickly sold out.
Fagan appears in the new book Hit Girls: Women of Punk in the USA, 1975-1983 by Jen B. Larson that was just released Jan 10th. The Chicago Reader recently did a great piece on the book that features an excerpt focusing on Kate that is a must-read.
“Say It” follows “Cover It Up” which came with the early January announcement of the expanded reissue with a lyric video featuring archival footage taken at The Vic Theatre in Chicago, about which Kate shared: “The song is about a stalled seduction; I want to move past mutual stalking and intense eye contact; I want to accelerate the passion.” She goes on to say, “The setting is the Crisco Disco in the Battery; the throbbing-synth reflects the urgent freedom-seeking drug and dance scene of the ‘70s,” adding “The vocal expresses the potency and stamina of sexual ambition.”
Fagan wrote “I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool” after moving to Chicago from New York in the late ‘70s. The track is a critique of the emergent “hipster” attitude of the disco crowd and the posturing she was witnessing among her peers in New York. “The idea of ‘cool’ seemed shallow to me, cheap, store-bought, and manipulated. My song responded with a whoop, plucky bass line, and a heavy backbeat,” Fagan explains. “The lyrics are meant to poke fun at elements of what was becoming hip in the celebutante era.”
She found the authenticity she was searching for in Chicago’s punk scene. Fagan dove in headfirst; opening for The Ramones as the frontwomen of punk group BB Spin and organizing a series of “Rock Against Racism” concerts. It was here that she’d meet the artists with whom she would form the Disturbing Records label, which released the “I Don’t Wanna Be Too Cool” single and dozens of notable new wave and punk records.
With its surf-inspired drum machine, irresistible melody, and defiant lyrics, “Too Cool” was immediately embraced by club DJs, radio stations, and independent record stores. Its b-side, “Waiting For The Crisis,” also gained notice for its raw musical style and politically charged Reagan-era lyrics, which still resonate today (gaining recent notice from MOJO’s monthly playlist column).
In the years that followed, Fagan continued to break new ground. In 1980, she co-founded the enormously popular ska band Heavy Manners (whose dance parties are still legendary), and with them opened shows for The Clash, Grace Jones, Peter Tosh, The English Beat, and many more. With her arresting live show and passionate songwriting, Fagan was voted Chicago’s top female performer numerous times.
The “Too Cool” single became a sought-after rarity among record collectors for decades after its initial release, until Manufactured Recordings (an affiliate of Brooklyn’s Captured Tracks) gave it a proper reissue in 2016. The 7” vinyl release featured both tracks from the original single, as well as two unreleased songs from the same period. “Master Of Passion” and “Come Over.”
Over the years, Fagan has remained a stalwart in her local music scene, and she continues to perform and organize shows in her new home of New Orleans. She’s even helped shape new generations of musicians through the several chapters of Girls Camp of Rock. While the 2016 reissue re-established Fagan’s cult-classic status for a new audience, this new expanded release solidifies her place in a tradition of trailblazing, powerhouse frontwomen.
