THE ROOKS The Rooks 1993

 

Discogs 

 

The Rooks Biography by Steve Huey

The Rooks gained a cult following among power pop fans in the 1990s with a style drawing its main inspirations from the Beatles, Big Star, and the Replacements. Leader and co-founder Mike Mazzarella (vocals, rhythm guitar) formed the group in New York with drummer Patrick Yourell in 1990 after their previous outfit, a Connecticut band called the Broken Hearts, dissolved. An early incarnation of the Rooks featured Mazzarella's friend and fellow power-popper Richard X. Heyman, as well as Heyman's wife Nancy on bass and guitarist Michael Fernbach. However, this lineup was short-lived, and several demos were recorded with guitarist Kristin Pinell (also of the Gripweeds); Mazzarella had intended to record one album only, but Pinell convinced him to make the unit a full-time operation. Yourell left the group in 1992 and was replaced by Jim Riley, while the bass slot was filled by Annmarie Gatti. This lineup completed the Rooks, which was released in 1993. Yourell rejoined the band in 1994 for an Eastern European tour, and the Rooks signed with Not Lame Recordings that fall, also adding Anne Benkovitz on bass. The band split an LP with Twenty Cent Crush, contributing nine songs to the release titled A Double Dose of Pop! in 1995, and that year also released the more melancholy EP Chimes. The Rooks returned in early 2000 with Wishing Well on Not Lame Recordings.

 

Tracklist

1		Love Said To Me
2		Reasons
3		Apology
4		Steeplechase
5		Night Writer
6		Down
7		Look
8		Circle Of Fools
9		Always You And Me
10		Better Start Right Now
11		Monday Morning

THE WORLD'S BEST POWER POP COMPILATION...REALLY! Various Artists 1997

 

Discogs 

 

Volume One of power pop compilation released by Not Lame Recordings

 

Tracklist

1	The Mop Tops (2)–	Plastic Moon Rain
2	dt's–	Exit To Stay
3	This Perfect Day–	It's A Shame
4	Twenty Cent Crush–	Just Another Day
5	Walter Clevenger–	Love You Like A King
6	Martin Luther Lennon–	Brenda Revisited
7	The Rooks (3)–	Colors (Remix)
8	Micah Gilbert–	Waking From A Dream
9	Brad Jones (2)–	Miss July
10	Kenny Howes–	Easy On The Eye
11	Barely Pink–	What Goes Around
12	Willie Wisely–	Go
13	Wunderband–	Yes, Yes, Hey, Hey
14	Big Hello–	Today Will Be Yesterday
15	Heavy Into Jeff–	Waterfall
16	The Beatifics–	Almost Something There
17	Living Daylights*–	Wave To Ride
18	Cool Blue Halo–	Throw Me Down
19	D.G.S. Younger–	Try Not To Care
20	Stellaluna (2)–	Nervous Man
21	Dead Flowers (2)–	So Low
22	Time Bomb Symphony–	Take Me Or Leave Me

PURE POP FOR COOL PEOPLE (A COMPILATION OF NOT LAME 1999 RELEASES) Various Artists 1999

 

Discogs

 

Tracklist

Not Lame Recordings
1	The Rooks (3)–	A Wishing Well	7:35
2	The Shazam–	God Speed The Shazam	6:22
3	Michael Carpenter–	Baby	5:34
4	Myracle Brah–	Plate Spinner	6:21
5	Martin Luther Lennon–	Escape To Paradox Island	7:18
6	Idle Jets–	Atomic Fireball	6:20
7	Bobby Sutliff–	Bitter Fruit	5:42
8	Ken Sharp–	Happy Accidents	4:40
		Not Lame Archives
9	Dwight Twilley–	Between The Cracks	5:53
10	The Rubinoos–	The Basement Tapes	4:36
		Not Lame Limited
11	The Black Watch–	The King Of Good Intentions	5:30
12	The Rockinghams–	Makin' Bacon	3:57
13	Flamingo (10)–	Flamingo	3:44
		-
14	Various–	Untitled	0:54

THE ROOKS From the Shelves of Soundscape Studio 2002

By request

Biography

by Steve Huey

The Rooks gained a cult following among power pop fans in the 1990s with a style drawing its main inspirations from the Beatles, Big Star, and the Replacements. Leader and co-founder Mike Mazzarella (vocals, rhythm guitar) formed the group in New York with drummer Patrick Yourell in 1990 after their previous outfit, a Connecticut band called the Broken Hearts, dissolved. An early incarnation of the Rooks featured Mazzarella's friend and fellow power-popper Richard X. Heyman, as well as Heyman's wife » Read more

THE ROOKS Wishing Well

Found this request over at Best Kept Secrets, a Romanian blog. Please leave a thanks to him for the up!