T.C. – Zoom City

T.C. –Zoom City/Long Way Home –Self released (1980 US)

Here is as truly wonderful unknown Powerpop gem out of Arizona. Although quite slick, the killer hooks and tough guitars make this a true classic. T.C.’S vocals are great with a strident edge that gab you on first hearing. It has been mentioned that it sounds like a tougher Rick Springfield playing with The Cars. T.C. was a big Cars fan, and that was the sound he was going for at the time, but this goes way beyond that!

Long Way Home is  less obviously a work of genius; sounding more like Supertramp covering Willie Nile! Surprisingly it was Long Way Home that became the plug side and garnered airplay in Phoenix, Springfield (MO), St. Louis and even in Bolivia!!! It appears that he performed there, receiving “star treatment”.

So who is T.C.? Well he is one Thomas Ben Chambers, he still has a Myspace page https://myspace.com/tcpoprok/music/songs with other stuff he has recorded. Not included on his site is the Morning Sunlight single he released in 1976; where the high pitch voice sounds like it was recorded when he was 13.

It’s folky and orchestrated and doesn’t gel at 45rpm, however when played at 33.3rpm Morning Sunlight could be a Forever Changes outtake with T.C. sounding like a dead ringer for Arthur Lee. These two records appear to be the only vinyl releases by T.C.

Thanks to Mark P. for turning me on to this wonder and for the background info

Hear a full version of Zoom City



Hear a full version of Long Way Home