Earworm: The Clams' “Big Bug”

Back in the early days of Twitter (long before I got bounced from the platform for daring to link to my Mastodon handle), I got in the habit of posting a regular “Song of the Day” highlighting my latest earworm. 

I’m not threatening to restore that habit, but I will share an earworm that, for me, takes me back to my college days. It’s a song that, sadly, was little heard outside of Fresno, Calif. 

“Big Bug” was the first song off The Clams’ self-titled 1982 EP and it’s a top-notch banger. The song would instantly fill the dance floor, often at the once-loved Wild Blue Yonder, where the lyrics — cryptic yet descriptive at once — would entice even the most inhibited of dancers. 

The vocals are the star here. George Rotalo’s lead vocals are quirky but inviting, reminding me of Wall of Voodoo’s Stan Ridgway. But this is a tour de force of group vocals from all five members: Rotalo, bassist Russ Reed, guitarists Tony Negrete and Jim Carter, and drummer Jeff Wilkins. Five-part harmonies weave throughout the song, but it’s after the springy guitar solo that we hear all five members barking and beeping here, shouting and ad-libbing there. 

Negrete and Carter’s guitar work is punchy yet nuanced, with lots of delicate flourishes sitting above and under a booming rhythm from Reed and Wilkins. 

The only downside of “Big Bug” has nothing to do with the song: It’s the pressing of the four-song EP, whose grooves started deteriorating after 10 plays. Not a good mix with a song so magical. 

The rest of the EP is solid, with a mix of new-wave styles emphasizing the band’s harmonies, but "Big Bug" is the keeper fo the bunch. 

Thanks to YouTube, you can listen to “Big Bug” and the rest of the EP without any erosion. If you do want to track down a copy, Discogs.com has a copy for sale from someone in Greece, of all places. 

And if you’re in the mood for another Clams’ dance gem that didn’t make the cut for the EP, check out the band’s “Shark,” which was recorded separately and, to my knowledge, was never released at the time. 

And with that, "Let's get this shindig going ..."