Fun w/Atoms: Rick Smith: vocals and guitars Dan Collins: vocals and bass guitar Curt Lefevre: drums and percussion Recorded and mixed by Butch Vig in 1985 at Smart Studios (Madison, Wisconsin). Long out of print and hard to find, this classic twangy-pop rock gem is once again available, now on CD format. Originally released on Boat Records, 'Main Street' received much critical acclaim and college radio airplay. The 10 songs are filled with catchy and melodic guitar hooks, and two-part vocal harmonies. A must for collectors of cool American indie pop rock music. REVIEWS: Absolute Wisconsinners Rob Tannenbaum goes for meltdown with Wisconsin’s hot new breed of hits from Fun w/Atoms. Fun w/Atoms ‘Main Street’ features a crisp, taut trio sound which complements guitarist/songwriter Rick Smith’s claustrophobic twitch: ‘Alaska’ invents a genre hereafter known as tundra blues (“Up here in Alaska, love is oh so cold/ Get this pipeline done before I’m old”), while ‘National Geographic Girl’ finds him in love with an indigene who may be on her way to a Siouxie concert (“She puts on her makeup/She puts a bone in her hair/She carries water in a bowl upon her head”). This is not to dismiss the Green Bay-based Fun w/Atoms as a novelty. Despite the harmonies, their ‘Summer’ is closer to Husker Du’s ‘Celebrated Summer’ than to anything in the Beach Boys catalog. -Rob Tannenbaum NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS (England) 1986 -RADIO FRANCE Top 10 Playlists 1986/1987 Le disque du siecle, ou: du Wisconsin faisons table rase, Superbe premiere album d’un trio quis’ingeie a retrouver les traces des Plimsouls ou celles des Byrds. Harmonies vocals classiquement enivrantes, guitars soyeuses et profondes, melodies catchy, tout est cans Fun w/Atoms et reciproquement. -NINETEEN (France) October 1986 The unpeggable Fun With Atoms sound is presented effectively on the group’s debut album, “Main Street”, a sometimes dark, sometimes punchy release on Madison’s Boat Records. The strength of “Main Street” did not go unnoticed by England’s New Musical Express, the world’s largest music tabloid. NME’s feature on the Green Bay group spawned a demand for the Atom’s album in Europe, where it is now distributed. -MILWAUKEE SENTINEL (Let’s Go section) With their debut album “Main Street” on Boat Records a popular selection for college radio stations nationwide, Fun With Atoms is gaining acclaim. Their twangy guitar lines and two-part harmonies promise a dance-filled event. -MID-COAST ARTISTS International Now the good news: “Main Street” – especially its wonderful first side – deserves to be played at parties from now until Labor Day and beyond. Fun With Atoms recycles at least some of their influences on Side 1, and the results are glorious. Examples: “Last Cigarette” is a Replacements-like raver with rapidly strummed guitar riffs a la Dave Edmunds. “I’ll Be There” features the missing bass line between “You Can’t Hurry Love” and “Touch Me”, while the chorus is pure Buckinghams. Best of all is “Alaska”, a pipeline worker’s lament that is a less-depressing relative of the Violent Femmes’ “Country Death Song”. -MILWAUKEE SENTINEL