Holly Beth Vincent was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1956. In 1978, Vincent formed in Los Angeles the band Holly & The Italians with drummer Steve Young, who she knew from high school. The new band moved to London in early 1979. At the beginning of 1980 Holly & The Italians moved to the US and started recording their debut album, The Right To Be Italian.
Having found a copy of Transvision Vamp's compilation cd Baby I Don't Care (collection now complete!), I read in the liner notes that Tell That Girl to Shut Up was a cover version of a song originally written by Holly Beth Vincent, guitarist and singer of Holly and the Italians - so had to track down anything available by this band. Only 1 cd from 1980/81? Whatever happened to them? All I could find initially was this cd, then a 6 minute clip on Youtube from Whistle Test and the aforementioned song. Enough to whet my appetite - ok, the cd is a tad pricey, but as there is not a duff track on the cd - including 4 bonus tracks, well worth the outlay. (And it arrived pretty quickly too!) A great forerunner to Transvision Vamp style - pure trash pop (my words, meant as a compliment!), so if you have always liked TV, this cd by Holly & the Italians is a definite 'must have!'
This album (with the classic "tell that girl to shut up") has been a cult classic since it's 1981 release. Now, only 21 years later, it sees the light of CD. WHAT THE [HECK] TOOK SO LONG??? "Shut up" is not the only great song; check out "means to a den", "youth coup" and the best song "rock against romance" (which mixes punk rock with a string section!). Grab it now so you don't have to wait another 21 years!