Nashville Ramblers release party

(Ray Brandes alerts us to the long-overdue release of “The Trains,” with attendant parties in San Diego and LA.)

It is true that good things come to those who wait. The Nashville Ramblers’ song “The Trains,” which Steven Van Zandt once called “one of the most unspeakably gorgeous instances of romantic yearning disguised as a pop song,” will finally, after 25 years, get its own release.

Mike Stax’s Ugly Things Records will release “The Trains” at a special record release party on Friday, Jan. 21, at the Til-Two Club at 4746 El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego.

The train keeps-a-rollin’: The story of the Nashville Ramblers!

The Ramblers will play two sets, beginning at 10:30.

 The party continues on Saturday, Jan. 22, when they’ll play at Mind Machine at The Bordello, 901 E. 1st Street in Los Angeles. DJs Tony the Tyger and Jason Pandora will lead the festivities.

— Ray Brandes

Music history from Ray Brandes:

• It’s 1985: Do you know where your bell-bottoms are?
• ‘Sweet Kisses from Mommy’: An introduction to an old friend
• The Mystery Machine in motion!
• ‘You’re way on top now’: Gary Heffern meets Iggy Pop
• Tell-Tale Hearts take on New Colony Six!
• The train keeps a-rollin’: The story of the Nashville Ramblers
• Hallelujah! The story of Glory
• The Tokyos over San Diego
• The Hitmakers’ hit that never was
• Sensational: The All Bitchin’ All Stud All Stars and the roots of Country Dick Montana
• The Penetrators: Walking the Beat
• Dream Sequence: The history of the Unknowns
• Let the Good Times Roll: The untold history of the Crawdaddys
• The Zeros: I Don’t Wanna Be a Hero, I Just Wanna Be a Zero
• Lend Me Your Comb: A short history of the Hedgehogs

Music and culture by Ray Brandes:

• Remember Walking in the Sand? Sunscreen, lemonade and summer radio
• No Particular Place to Go: Four-wheeled memories
• Everybody Is a Star: The ideal supergroup
• Radio days
• “Puberty Principle”: First sonic crushes
• Helter Skelter: Tate-LaBianca at 40
• Guess who’s coming to dinner?
• My favorite things: What are you listening to?
• Footloose: Rockin’ the ’80s
• “I don’t get it”
• Me and my monkey: Guilty pleasures
• Man-eaters and mad crushes
• Our Lady of Chula Vista
• You Never Give Me Your Money: IOUs and the Che Underground