Available in stores: Canada: Dec. 19th, 1997 OTHER: tba Not signed up to PayPal? Want to pay with a credit card? Buy this cd now at CDBaby.com UPC: 7-6700-31957-2-9 Catalog number: 1957-2 Retail: Canada: Outside Music. USA: Burnside. UK: Proper. Germany: New Music. Holland: Sonic Rendezvous EXPORT ORDERS: please contact Ralph Alfonso directly at

1 Parlez Vous Jazz? 2 Halifax 3:AM 3 The Thirsty Club 4 Venus In Violets 5 Spoken Intro 6 Roman Guitar 7 Sophisticated Boom Boom 8 Private Detective 9 If I Could Forget You (You Know I'd Be Glad To) 10 The Girlfriend's Club 11 Ocean At Night 12 Say Whatever You Want 13 Charlottetown Is Burning Down 14 Gene Vincent Died In My Arms Last Night 15 Happy With Nothing 16 Record Collectors 17 I'll Remember 18 Jangly Love Song 19 Maybe Ontario 20 Angels Going Home 21 Prince Of The Miramichi 22 C'est Jolie Noel/Christmas Is Nice 23 My World Of Suede 24 Tired Of Waking Up Tired 25 St. John's Beautiful Daughters 26 Early Morning Cold Taxi 27 I've Gone Blind and I Gotta Drive All Night 28 This Song (Is Just Like Every Song On The Radio) 29 Invisible Life 30 Saturday's Angel Third album, originally released 1997 31 tracks ENHANCED CD (3 bonus videos & bio / audio content) Group's first full studio effort covers a wide ground of jazz, garage rock, acoustic roots and many detours in-between Top Ten Canadian college airplay plus MUCHMUSIC video airplay Includes "Gene Vincent Died In My Arms Last Night", "I'll Remember" (Kinks kover), plus title track (Shangri-Las cover) and more!

This disc features the following Bonus Multi-Media Material

6 extra audio tracks:

• When Astrud Gilberto Sings
• We Were So Pretty When
• That's The Drag About Love
• I Clean The Books That Nobody Wants,
• I've Gone Blind And I Gotta Drive All Night
• I Want More Of What They Call Amore

3 Videos:

• I Love You Baby, But You Gotta Stop Wearing Those Ugly Shoes
• Ooo La La, C'est Comme Ca
• Venus In Violets

Since the first Ralph CD in 1995, Ralph Alfonso's vision of 50s jazz, poetry, lounge, and 60s rock has established him as one of Canada's most unique artistic, musical and literary voices; garnering praise from such diverse sources as Peter Gzowski, Ross Porter, Lenny Kaye, The Toronto Star, The Vancouver Sun, Flipside, Calgary Herald, Grand Royal Magazine, MuchMusic, CBC TV, Alternative Press (USA) and way more. Years ago, after seeing him on the New Music punk special, Sloan chased Ralph into a Vancouver bookstore and asked his advice on whether to sign to a major or indie label (Ralph said go indie - but they signed to Geffen instead). Ralph is a Canadian institution unto himself, a real Beatnik whose stories of everyday life and joys appeal to all ages, all backgrounds, and all lifestyles. Fans of Jonathan Richman, Stompin' Tom, Ben Vaughn, Mose Allison, Ray Davies, Gene Vincent, Rita MacNeil, MC 900FT Jesus, Soul Coughing, Barenaked Ladies (their indie cassette), and weirdos in general, will understand Ralph.

Sophisticated Boom Boom is the 3rd Ralph CD. This time Ralph and bandmates Tom Harrison, Michael Rummen, Tracy Marks and Ron Stelting apply their patented Bongo Beat® to ska, jazz, folk, punk, reggae, spoken word, rockabilly and more. Highlights include a radical re-working of "Tired Of Waking Up Tired" (Ralph used to manage The Diodes), the title cut (an old Shangri Las b-side, re-done Beatnik style), "I'll Remember" (every Ralph cd has a Kinks cover or reference), "Jangly Love Song" (co-written with and featuring Dave Rave and Lauren Agnelli), "Gene Vincent Died In My Arms Last Night", "If I Could Forget You, You Know I'd Be Glad To", and "Saturday's Angel" a short tribute for Allen Ginsberg written and taped the day he passed away (this short piece was uploaded to the RALPH web page the day after it was recorded and has been widely distributed amongst beat sites).

• Cover painting is by Tom Bagley (aka Tomb aka Jackson Phibes of Forbidden Dimension). Recorded and mixed in a week with special guests Graham Brown of Happy Man (harmonica, guitar, bass) and Graham Howell (Ska-Boom) adding sax and swingin' jazz flute.
• RALPH (Coffee Jazz and Poetry), Ralph's monthly beat pop zine, has a circulation of 6000 and is available all over Canada, the USA, UK, etc. If you want it in your store, contact Ralph directly to get on his mailing list!

"Full of great songs it is... much more than just 'an album' - it is the very way the 31 tracks are programmed and sequenced (the latter now a lost art) that's more impressive still. Brilliantly sub-divided into 4 distinct sections, RALPH taps then guides the willing listener on a journey of almost cinematic qualities. A sprawling near masterpiece of a feast for all of one's senses." — Gary Pig Gold, SOUND VIEWS, New York