Music Distribution

We are currently experiencing some short-term hiccups with our physical CD distribution: in the meantime please click on the album links on our Albums page and hit the Amazon buying links to check if your title is available .
Download sales continue to be available via the usual services and you can also still stream our music as usual.

Stereo Society - albums, artists, archives - page banner
Music Distribution

We are currently experiencing some short-term hiccups with our physical CD distribution: in the meantime please click on the album links on our Albums page and hit the Amazon buying links to check if your title is available .
Download sales continue to be available via the usual services and you can also still stream our music as usual.

 

BETTY On The Rocks

December 2016

We’re delighted to share the most recent BETTY album, which launched on Monday 12th December 2016. Here you’ll find everything you need to know – or hear – about it.

BETTY and The Stereo Society go waaay back. Thorne first met the grrlz in 1986 when they were On Beyond Zebra at the Pyramid Club in New York’s East Village. In Thorne’s own words: ‘ three raucous women singers supported by a drummer and a guitarist. One was a statuesquely tall bass player, one had the quickest stage wit I’d heard in years, and the other, also voluble, played various things including timbales which fell off the stage at one point.’ They went on to make BETTY’s very first album together. More here.

BETTY On The Rocks album cover

Recorded by Mike Thorne at The Stereo Society, New York City.
Drums recorded by Ross Petersen at Avatar Studios, New York City
Mixed by Ross Petersen at Avatar Studios, New York City
Mastered by Joe Lambert at JLM Sound,
Produced by Mike Thorne

Alyson Palmer: vocals, bass
Amy Ziff: vocals, cello
Elizabeth Ziff: vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion, sequencing/programming, additional production

The Uptown Horns:

Crispin Cioe: alto, baritone saxophone
Larry Etkin: trumpet, piccolo trumpet
Bob Funk: tenor trombone
Arno Hecht: tenor saxophone

Sarah Dawn Finer: guest vocal
Mino Gori: drums
Lyris Hung: violin
Allison Miller: drums, percussion
Hadar Noiberg: flute
Lake Salvatore Palmer: spoken word
Tony Salvatore: guitar
Mike Thorne: keyboards, sequencing/programming

Find out about the tracks, and listen to some tasters

Sticky Rice

Art for Sticky Rice, live drawing by Flash Rosenberg

 

lyrics & music by BETTY

alyson palmer: vocals, bass
amy ziff: vocals
elizabeth ziff: vocals, keyboards, sequencing/programming
allison miller: drums
mike thorne: sequencing/programming
larry etkin: trumpet
crispin cioe: alto, baritone saxophones
arno hecht: tenor saxophone
bob funk: trombone

Lyrics
honey, be a mystery
spice our love, exotically
sugar, get an appetite
are you ready for juicy and ripe?

sticky, sticky rice sticky rice and mango
thai tongue tango
sticky, sticky rice sticky rice and mango
sweet time

put some money in the coconut
eat to the beat
blow the roof off the BETTY hut
hungry people, hungry people

dumpling, sink a long tooth
it’s better than a baby ruth
cookie, your fortune’s right
are you ready for juicy and ripe?

roll the cart and rock the tray
eat to the beat
dinner’s not over till i say
hungry people, hungry people

sticky sticky rice
don’t get up from the table yet
sugar, sugar, sugar, what you’re gonna get
sticky sticky rice

Best Kind Of Perfect

Art for The Best Kind Of Perfect

 

lyrics by amy ziff
music by BETTY

alyson palmer: vocals, bass,
amy ziff: lead vocals
elizabeth ziff: vocals
allison miller: drums
tony salvatore: vocals, guitar
mike thorne: keyboards, sequencing/programming

Lyrics
you had your friends at the bar
when you walked away from your friends at the bar
you stood almost too tall
when you walked away from your friends at the bar

you came over to say
did i want something cold
a nightcap or two
were you being too bold
did i say your name?
was i waiting for you?
was i thinking of you?

for this kind of love
this kind of perfect
this kind of love
happened that night
drinks at first sight
the best kind of perfect

i must have done something right
or done something good
i must have done something right
did i give up my seat or help an angel to fly
i must have done something right

i could have just stayed at home
or found some other date
i could have waited too long
and thought it was too late
i could have just given up
thought it was too late

did stars fall from the sky
did the ground start to shake
did the earth hold her breath
was it pure luck or fate
a simple look and a smile
just the right time and place
changed the way i was

now i can embrace
the best kind of perfect

you had your friends at the bar
when you walked away from your friends at the bar

the best kind of perfect

Cold As Ice

Art for Cold As Ice

 

lyrics & music by lou gramm, mick jones
additional lyrics & music by BETTY

alyson palmer: vocals, bass
amy ziff: vocals, cello
elizabeth ziff: lead vocals, guitar
allison miller: drums, percussion
tony salvatore: guitar

Lyrics
i wonder why your love for me
keeps growing colder
i would die for you
why won’t you die for me?

you are cold as ice
and you’re willing to sacrifice
our love

you never take advice
and some day you’ll pay the price
i know

i’ve seen it before, it happens all the time
closing the door, you leave the world behind
you’re digging for gold, you’re throwing away
a fortune in feelings, but some day you’ll pay

how i wonder why

you are cold as ice
you were cold when i saw you on the boulevard
you were cold when i had you in my bed
i wonder why you’re growing cold

Little Boi

Art for Little Boi, live drawing by Flash Rosenberg

 

lyrics by amy ziff
music by BETTY

alyson palmer: vocals, bass
amy ziff: lead vocals
elizabeth ziff: vocals, keyboards, sequencing/programming
mino gori: drums
tony salvatore: guitar
mike thorne: keyboards

Lyrics
come here little boi
run as fast as you can
i’m gonna help you grow up
gonna make you a man
come here little boi
lay right by my side
you’re gonna feel like you’re tripping
gonna feel like you’re high

did you know somebody loves me
but they live so far away
did you know somebody loves me

let’s just throw it all away
little boi

come here little boi
don’t think twice
let’s play naughty
it’ll feel real nice
come here little boy
don’t be shy
your sweet mama’s gonna make you cry

sing for your supper
mess me up right
be my son in the day
and my daddy
be my daddy at night

come here little boi
i know a game we can play
i’ll be december
you be may

come here little boi
run as fast as you can
i’m gonna help you grow up
gonna make you that man

i said it was ok
little boi

Unbound

Art for Unbound

 

lyrics & music by alyson palmer & BETTY

alyson palmer: lead vocals, bass
amy ziff: vocals
elizabeth ziff: vocals
mino gori: drums
tony salvatore: guitar
mike thorne: sequencing/programming

Lyrics
full moon this morning
outside my window
staring me in the eye
while the sun is rising
so surprising
daring me
be wild

songbirds circling every rooftop
spreading tales in the trees
something’s rumbling up over downtown
tumbling in on a breeze
I’m getting ready

fly! jump up and down
don’t look at the ground
soar the speed of sound
gravity unbound

this time my time
no time like mine
dead eye aim for the moon
dropping bags dropping ballast
hopping on a hot air balloon

troubles come fast but
troubles don’t last

fly! jump up and down
don’t look at the ground
soar the speed of sound
gravity unbound

Sue’s With Stevie

Art for Sue’s With Stevie

 

lyrics & music by elizabeth ziff & BETTY

alyson palmer: vocals, bass
amy ziff: vocals
elizabeth ziff: lead vocals, keyboards
allison miller: drums
tony salvatore: guitar
mike thorne: keyboards, sequencing/programming
larry etkin: trumpet
crispin cioe: alto, baritone saxophones
arno hecht: tenor saxophone
bob funk: trombone

Lyrics
sue’s with stevie
laying on the floor in dc
coke and jack, kicking it back
it’s 1983

girlfriends waiting downstairs, she don’t give a damn
wanna stay forever locked up in a slow jam

it was only a moment, a moment in time
and she’ll always remember smoke in the sky
wrapped in each other, music on high
with stevie

sue’s with stevie
sweating underneath the broken ac
sinsemillia, starting to chill ya
on p street

telephone is ringing, don’t worry about a thing
all is fair in love and she’s falling as she listens to him sing

talk about taking back the night, tonight

it was only a moment, a moment in time
and she’ll always remember smoke in the sky
wrapped in each other, music on high
with stevie

Jerusalem

Art for Jerusalem

 

lyrics by amy ziff
music by BETTY

alyson palmer: vocals, bass
amy ziff: lead vocals
elizabeth ziff: vocals
hadar noiberg: flute

Lyrics
half asleep nights
melting into
half awake days
i wish i knew what faith was
or how to pray

try and try and try again and try
try to remember what to live for
or die to reason why

you could be my jerusalem
helping me believe again
teaching me to dream again

safe in shadows
almost afraid of light
i wish i knew what brave was
or how to fight

try and try and try again and try
try to remember when love left
or die to reason why

every breath you and i have taken
with every breath
you could be my jerusalem

helping me believe again
teaching me to dream again

Penelope

Art for Penelope

 

lyrics by alyson palmer
music by BETTY

alyson palmer: lead vocals, bass
amy ziff: vocals, cello
elizabeth ziff: vocals, guitar
lake salvatore palmer: spoken words
allison miller: percussion
mike thorne: keyboards, sequencing/programming

Lyrics
poor penelope centipede
rubs her eyes but she cannot sleep
she drinks warm milk but to her surprise
no sand fairies come to sprinkle her eyes
oh penelope

so penelope centipede
opens a book and begins to read
of slumberville in sleepytown
where all sand fairies can be found
oh penelope

giant flowers paint the ground
where sand fairies wear cloud nightgowns
and dance the sea and swim the sky
while calling out sweet lullabies

breathe deeply
sleep sweetly

all through the village all through the town
all through the night fly the quiet sounds
of wishes whispered over beds
floating over sleepyheads

soon penelope centipede
is drifting off so happily
she sinks in her pillow and sleeps so soon
she doesn’t see the sand fairy
still in her room

good night penelope centipede
sleep tight penelope centipede
sweet dreams penelope centipede
sleep well penelope

don’t let the bedbugs bite
good night

Everybody’s Somebody

Art for Everybody's Somebody

 

lyrics by amy ziff
music by BETTY

alyson palmer: vocals, bass
amy ziff: lead vocals
elizabeth ziff: vocals, percussion
sarah dawn finer: guest vocal
mino gori: drums
tony salvatore: guitar
mike thorne: keyboards

Lyrics
you used to be a somebody
i thought it from a mile away
that’s what he said to me
that’s what he saw in me
that’s what he said to me

you used to be a somebody
i knew it just a moment ago
that’s what he said to me
that’s what he saw in me
that’s what he said to me

but you’re wrong, you know

he’s just a nothing little nobody
you said when I told you
what he said to me
what he saw in me
what he said to me

but you’re wrong, you know

a nobody is a somebody
that somebody calls a nobody

everybody is a somebody

so maybe take a second look before you pass by
or take a second chance before you say goodbye
even if a difference seems way too big
just take the time to look someone in the eye
when they serve up your burger and your fries
you could walk away or look away or stay away

you could say it doesn’t matter
that nobody matters
but it won’t be me that says so

but you’re wrong, you know

everybody is a somebody

New Year’s Eve

Art for New Year's Eve

 

lyrics by elizabeth ziff
music by BETTY

alyson palmer: vocals, bass
amy ziff: vocals, cello
elizabeth ziff: lead vocals, guitar, percussion
allison miller: drums
mike thorne: keyboards, sequencing/programming
larry etkin: piccolo trumpet
arno hecht: tenor saxophone
bob funk: trombone

Lyrics
ask you to stay
want you to stay
for one night
just tonight

i
want you to be, need you to be
like the first time, the best time, this time
let’s pretend it’s new year’s eve

you’re the holiday
i’d take just one more day with you
let’s celebrate

i
feel that you know
know that you feel
it’s over
we’re over

hold me for now, hold on to what we had
in the falling, in the beginning, o it’s the ending
let’s pretend it’s new year’s eve

let’s celebrate
now

you said you’d love me and you’d never let me go
you said you’d love me and i’ll never let you go

but tonight, just tonight
i wanna have you

Barnyard

Art for Barnyard

 

lyrics by amy ziff
music by BETTY

alyson palmer: vocals, bass
amy ziff: vocals
elizabeth ziff: vocals, keyboards, sequencing/programming
allison miller: drums
tony salvatore: guitar
lyris hung: violin
mike thorne: sequencing/programming

Lyrics
don’t put me out to pasture, pony
mama wants to ride
how about a little sugar, sugar?
for my hungry hide

poke me in my pen now piggy
mama wants to squeal
how about a little sloppy sugar
for my happy meal

EIEIO
yo
EIEIO

i’ll grab you by the horn now, bully
mama likes to buck
how about a little snort now, sugar
for some ringside luck

scratch me if you can now, pussy
mama likes it rough
how about a little licking, sugar
for my furry stuff

EIEIO
yo
EIEIO

Remarkable (For Anne)

Art for Remarkable (For Anne)

 

lyrics by elizabeth ziff
music by BETTY

alyson palmer: vocals, bass
amy ziff: vocals, cello
elizabeth ziff: lead vocals, keyboards, guitar, percussion
mino gori: drums
tony salvatore: guitar
lyris hung: violin
mike thorne: keyboards, sequencing/programming

Lyrics
imagine your life, fully lived
what if you’d stayed?
grown old and laughed with your kids
a beautiful fade

think of it all
just getting small
nothing at all
remarkable

what if you’d stayed?

what could have been
should have never been taken away

picture the books you’d have written
if you had survived
more than a beacon of hope
more than just light

i can’t explain what was done
to all, to some
now you’re the one
who paints meaning into oblivion

think of it all
just getting small
nothing at all
remarkable

Rise

Art for Rise

 

lyrics by amy ziff & BETTY
music by BETTY

alyson palmer: vocals
amy ziff: lead vocals
elizabeth ziff: vocals
mino gori: drums
ross petersen: sequencing
mike thorne: sequencing/programming

Lyrics
up get up dance
up get up sing
up get up
change everything

silence must stop
violence must end
broken body and spirit
will rise again
strength in numbers
take a stand
right the wrongs
don’t ask, demand

if one woman hurts
if one woman cries
if one man bleeds
rise

brother, sister
woman, girl
time is now
change the world
no story forgotten
no soul erased
no promise left empty
we’re taking our place

get up get up
what time is it?
time to rise up
rise

up get up and dance
up get up and sing
up get up
change everything