Thomas Dolby: Aliens Ate My Buick (EMI Manhattan/1988)

I first discovered Thomas Dolby in the Spring of 1989 on a program called Classic MTV. It was a thirty-minute show that showed 5-6 music videos and was hosted by returning-VJ Martha Quinn. I discovered a lot of artists via this show. The video was "She Blinded Me With Science" and Thomas Dolby made a big impression twelve-year old me. The song had an insanely catchy, quirky hook and Dolby generally sounded like the younger brother of Gary Numan and Andy Partridge. The low melodic synth line that precedes the "Science!" sounded vaguely sinister and the understated funky, chorused guitar was (and still is) a favorite pet guitar sound of mine. Quintessential new wave with a decidedly quirky bent. I was sold on Mr. Dolby.

I went out and bought the 7" single and Golden Age Of Wireless cassette at Record World later that week. MTV had done its job. There was another cassette tape in the Thomas Dolby section too; Aliens Ate My Buick. The cover was an homage to classic, campy B-Movie posters (although, I didn't know this at the time). It just looked sort of dopey and silly and twelve-year old me was not interested. I eventually picked up the album many years later. In the interim I'd fallen in love with both The Golden Age Of Wireless and its underappreciated follow-up The Flat Earth.

I had no knowledge of what had led-up to this album. Dolby scored a few films, moved to Los Angeles and married an actress. The album - produced by Bill Bottrell (Madonna, Sheryl Crow and Michael Jackson) - definitely sounds like an L.A.-album from the later 1980's (I don't think I've ever heard that description be used in a complimentary way) which, it in fact is. It spawned three singles; the Caucasian-funk of "Airhead", which has cliche-ridden observations of dumb Hollywood blondes and sounds like it could've been the theme to Earth Girls Are Easy. "Hot Sauce" which was written by George Clinton of all people and employs a definite Prince-influence. The song sounds like it might've worked if it was handled by another artist. The thin production - and mastering of the day - sort of deflates the whole thing. and "My Brain Is Like A Sieve" which isn't a bad song, but the arrangement sounds vaguely wrong and is, again, sabotaged by a weird mix and/or ill-suited production.

The remainder of the album is all-over the place. "The Keys To Her Ferrari" has a self-consciously wacky big-band arrangement with unpleasant keyboard sounds. "Pulp Culture" sounds like Beck about ten years before his excursions on Midnight Vultures. In general, Dolby comes off lyrically like the smartest kid in the class being humored by the teachers, as he attempts to be humorous; it just comes off as embarrassing. But here, Dolby sounds like he's impossible to embarrass. Ouch.

The final two songs on the album proper are both excellent and makes me wish Dolby had recorded more straight-forward tracks like these instead of attempting to sell an overripe, wacky-persona with misguided funk exercises. Co-written with sometime-collaborator Matthew Seligman of The Soft Boys, "The Ability To Swing" has a low-key jazzy shuffle. And despite Dolby's curiously affected vocals, the lyrics are direct and effective. Random aside; the chorused bassline also reminds me of that scene in The Breakfast Club where the detentioned teens are all bored and falling asleep.

The last track on the album is the positively excellent "Budapest By Blimp". At over eight-minutes long, what could be an overlong exercise in atmospherics, turns out to be a sublime soundscape with wonderful musical and lyrical imagery. It singularly displays what makes Thomas Dolby such a special artist; unexpected depth and surprising poignancy wrapped in quirky packaging with casually intelligent lyrics. Some wonderfully understated vocals from Dolby and ethereal female backing vocals on this track as well. Absolutely beautiful

The final song on the compact disc and cassette editions of the album is "May The Cube Be With You", which was originally released in in 1985 under the moniker Dolby's Cube. It's a flat, rote P-Funk-styled singalong featuring George Clinton himself and Lene Lovich (the latter of whom Dolby wrote "New Toy" for, about his desire for a new synthesizer). It ends things in a rather unspectacular fashion.

Aside from the two tracks mentioned toward the end of the album, an unfortunate collection of material by an artist whose work is generally excellent.

Fun Boy Three: Waiting (Chrysalis Records/1983)

The Fun Boy Three was an offshoot project of ex-members of The Specials; Terry Hall, Lynval Golding and Neville Staple. After The Specials' single for “Ghost Town” peaked at number one on the UK charts, Golding, Hall and Staple left the band to form The Fun Boy Three.

The band had near-instant success in the U.K. with their first few singles which all reached the Top 20 and their self-titled debut album which reached the Top 10. The album had a spare sound with tribal drumming and chanting, Terry Hall's deadpan vocals and background vocal support from Bananarama. The band also returned the favor by contributing to Bananarama's “Really Saying Something” single.

The Fun Boy Three's follow-up and would-be final album, Waiting , was produced by Talking Head David Byrne. It featured full-arrangements in a significantly more classical-pop vein. It features David Byrne on guitar and ex-Specials trumpet player Dick Cuthell as well. Byrne's production really does suit the songs well. And the results are a cohesive, satisfying listen.

There are a few tangos (“The Tunnel Of Love” and “The Things We Do”) a few socio-political songs (“The More I See The Less I Believe” and “The Pressure Of Life”), a few darkly comical autobiographical songs (“Well Fancy That” and “We're Having All The Fun”), music hall via reggae (“The Farmyard Connection”) and the bands' arrangement of “Our Lips Are Sealed”, which was co-written by Hall with Jane Wiedlin. It's a poignantly darker version of The Go-Go's classic bubblegummy rendition.

All in all an awesome record. Definitely a sleeper of an album. Highly recommended.

Here's the video review:

Shriekback: Oil And Gold (Island Records/1985)

Shriekback's third album finds ex-XTC keyboardist Barry Andrews, ex-Gang Of Four bassist Dave Allen and ex-Out On Blue Six guitarist Carl Marsh's collectively greatest vinyl moment. Oil And Gold is the perfect transition from quirky outsider minimalist funk band to alternative commercial band. The album is perhaps their most diverse offering. It contains their most well-known hit in “Nemesis”, which is something of a mid 80's classic. “Fish Below The Ice” is also a fairly-successful single.

“Faded Flowers”, “Only Thing That Shines”, The Big Hush” and “Coelcanth” form something of a quiet calm suite. “Malaria” (which came this close to being issued as a single) and “Everything That Rises Must Converge” are both winning songs.

This was the last album to feature Marsh as lead vocalist, before the role was taken by creative leader Andrews. His whispering vocals are effective within the context of the bands inner logic.

This is a very good album and something of a forgotten mini-classic.

Here's the video review:

Adam Ant: Charline McCombs Empire Theatre San Antonio, TX (2/15/2017)

New Wave icon Adam Ant has been touring on the U.S. performing his classic Kings Of The Wild Frontier album. The tour hit San Antonio, and Ant came ready to (Stand &) deliver the goods. Armed with two drummers (just as The Ants had), a bassist and a guitarist, the band was well-rehearsed and you'd be forgiven for thinking this was a brand new band and not an exercise in nostalgia. Although his fans know that he's covered so many bases and very well, it seemed like maybe Ant (nee Stuart Goddard) had something to prove. He's always been an energetic, charismatic performer, and at age sixty-two, he still is.

He performed the U.K. version of Kings Of The Wild Frontier album from beginning to end (which included the U.K. Top-Five hit singles; "Antmusic", "Dog Eat Dog" and the title-track). He tackled plenty of early material ("Zerox", "Cartrouble" & "Never Trust A Man (With Egg On His Face)"), mega-hits ("Goody Two Shoes", "Stand & Deliver", "Prince Charming"), a few shoulda-been mega-hits ("Vive Le Rock", "Desperate But Not Serious"), approximately six early Ants B-Sides and a cover of T.Rex's "Get It On".

All-in-all it was an amazing performance. His backing band were loud and present and were fine de facto replacements for the Kings-era Ants. The man is still as capable as he ever was and it seems like he has more fire under his belly than the average 80's new waver. Mellow is not a word one would use to describe his current edginess.

A perfect show.

The Plimsouls "Resouled" at Bowery Electric, New York , NY 2/3/2017

I've been a fan of The Plimsouls since I first heard "Zero Hour" in the classic 80's comedy The Last American Virgin. Not too long after that I saw Valley Girl, which not only had three of their songs but the band itself playing "live" in a club scene. This was when was a preteen, sometime in the mid/late 1980's. The original band broke up in 1984, but reformed (unbeknonst to me at the time) in the mid/late 90's. And I managed to miss them when they toured yet again in the mid 2000's.

This time The Plimsouls have been reformed (or "Resouled", if you will) by lead guitarist Eddie Munoz with a new backing band. Original Lead singer and rhythm guitarist Peter Case and bassist Dave Pahoa are not in the current line-up (original drummer Lou Ramirez hasn't been part of the band since their initial break-up). The new members, whose names I do not know, were all fine and well and they replaced the absent-member's parts admirably. However, anytime a band replacs such important members like the lead singer, who wrote all the lyrics, etc. with new band members, I feel like I'm giving points for effort when I'm not only watching the band's performance but reviewing their set/performance.

The Plimsouls "Resouled" are a fine cover band that also happens to feature a member of the band they're playing tribute to on lead guitar. They played all the classic Plimsouls songs; "Now", "Zero Hour", "Hush, Hush", "I'll Get Lucky", "Lost Time",  "Oldest Story In The World" and the band's biggest hit "A Million Miles Away". I love these songs, so it was nice hearing them all in alive context. The Plimsouls - the original band proper - have always had a reputation as a great live band. After all, the band have as many live albums as they do studio albums.

I'm glad I (finally) got to see "The Plimsouls Resouled", but I really hope I do get to see The Plimsouls reform one day and see
Peter Case sing these songs he wrote with the band he wrote them for.

The Dream Syndicate: The Dream Syndicate EP (Blue Rose Records/2013)

Los Angeles, California's The Dream Syndicate were one of the leading lights from the early 1980's Paisley Underground scene. The poetic songs of guitarist/vocalist Steve Wynn seemed to successfully update the psychedelic garage rock of The Velvet Underground. The band existed from the early 80's till the late 80's and released five albums and one EP in that time. My personal favorites being their The Days Of Wine And Roses album and The Dream Syndicate EP.

The band had been together for less than one month when they recorded this. It was recorded in an afternoon, ostensibly as a four-song demo to get booked to play shows in the LA-area. "Sure Thing" has distinct Lou Reed feel to the vocals. While "That's What You Always Say" has a really nice late 60's fuzztone guitar part. "Some Kinda Itch" recalls Television. The recordings have a nice, homemade quality to them with controlled feedback and purposeful distortion outlining much of the proceedings.

The Dream Syndicate EP was first released in 1982 on Wynn's own Down There label and was reissued in a limited pressing of 1,000 copies for Record Store Day 2013 on the German label Blue Rose Records. It's a really nice pressing and the artwork is nicely restored and it features liner notes from Steve Wynn himself.

I love the record and would recommend it to anyone interested in the LA scene of the early 1980's.

Here's the video review:

Adam And The Ants: Kings Of The Wild Frontier (CBS/Sony/2016)

Kings Of The Wild Frontier was the album that started “Antmania” in the United Kingdom. It also contained “Dog Eat Dog” (UK #4), “Kings Of The Wild Frontier” (UK #2) and “”Antmusic”” (UK #2). The album itself reached #1 in the UK, #44 in the US and earned the band a BRIT award for Best Album and a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

It featured the Burundi dual drumming of Chris Hughes (aka Merrick) and Terry Lee Mail. The glam meets art rock guitar of Marco Pirroni. There's shades of Ennio Morricone all over the album and images of American Indian meets American Cowboy of the old West. All delivered in a knowingly cam, post-art school way. By all accounts it is a classic album.

Sony has just reissued the album on vinyl. It's absolutely 100% faithful to the original UK release. It even includes the Adam And The Ants Catalogue, which is basically an awesomely cool magazine all about the ants and features a ton of photos and paraphernalia of the time.

Highly recommended for all New Wave lovers. And loves of post-punk and garage too.

Special Thanks To Tee-Vee Game's Dave Rerecich.

And now, here's the video review:

The Cure: Seventeen Seconds (Fiction Records/1980)

The Cure's sophomore release, Seventeen Seconds was released in April of 1980. It is the first album to mark a distinct path away from the faster of edgy pop of their debut, Three Imaginary Boys or Boys Don't Cry as it was released in the US. The minimal, precise pop the band plays on Seventeen Seconds had been present on Three Imaginary Boys in the songs “Another Day”, “Accuracy” and the classic “Three Imaginary Boys”.

The album is amazingly successful in creating a definite mood and is psychedelic in a downbeat way. The drums of Laurence Tolhurst and keyboards of Matthieu Hartly are very minimal and precise. Robert Smith's guitar lines are bright and nicely chorused while Simon Gallup's bass lines generally provide the melody lines. “In Your House” is a psychedelic, new wave classic. “Play For Today” although a promo video clip was made for the song and it's appearance on the Staring At The Sea Compact Disc led many to believe it was a single, it was not. Although it does sound like a long-lost classic single.

“A Forest” in fact was a classic new wave single - it was a UK Top 40 hit and reached number 47 on Billboard's Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart. It's repetitive four-note bass-line, echoing vocals, backwards snare and chorused guitar all combined with a memorable Smith vocal performance make for a very memorable track. “Secrets”, “M” and the title track are effectively moody, lightly gloomy atmosphere pieces. “At Night” is a nocturnal mini-masterpiece. While “Three”, “A Reflection” and “The Final Sound” are basically instrumental exercises.

This is my favorite album by The Cure and I can't say enough good things about it.

Recommended. Highly.   

Here's the video review:

A Very Special Thanks To: Stephen Worth. 

Elvis Costello & The Attractions: Get Happy!! (Columbia/1980)

Get Happy!! is the fourth album by Elvis Costello, third with the Attractions. Unlike his other albums with The Attractions, it has a distinctly R&B feel. It is also, in my humble opinion, Elvis' most cohesive creative statement with The Attractions. Produced by Nick Lowe, who had produced all of Costello's albums to date, does a wonderful job with achieving the perfect balance of getting a suitable R&B production on many of the tracks, while getting the best out of the band and what makes them great.

The album contains twenty-tracks, which is unusual for a non-double album release. Fearing audiophile fears of “groove-cramming”, producer Nick Lowe wrote a disclaimer instructing listeners to fear not as there is no loss of quality as the record nears the end of each side. The album also contains some of his best tracks; “New Amsterdam”, “High Fidelity” and “Love For Tender”. Other standouts include “Secondary Modern”, Riot Act” and the Sam & Dave cover of “I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down”. Truth be told all of these songs display Costello's seemingly easy talent of bending phrases to phrases to perfectly fit the rhyme schemes for his always insightful lyrics.

The sleeve has nice retro cover art by the late, legendary artist Barney Bubbles with some editions having ready-made ringwear on the sleeve. It peaked at #2 on the UK charts and #11 in the US, also reaching #11 on Rolling Stone Magazine's 100 Greatest Album Of The 1980's list in 1989.

I personally cannot recommend this album high enough.   

Video Review, anyone?:

Magazine: Play (Virgin Records/1981)

Manchester's Magazine were one of the finest bands to come out of the post/punk movement. Forming in 1977 after leader Howard Devoto left The Buzzcocks, the band released three excellent albums on Virgin Records. In mid-1980, guitarist extraordinaire, the late-John McGeoch left the band to join Siouxsie & The Banshees. He was replaced by Robin Simon for the Correct Use Of Soap tour (he can also be seen with the band in their appearance in the film Urgh! A Music War). Considering Simon had big shoes to fill in replacing the ever-innovative McGeoch, he fares pretty well here. 


Recorded in late Summer of 1980 at Festival Hall in Melbourne, Australia opening for XTC, Play is something of a neat little sampler of sorts. It contains the classic Magazine cuts “Because You're Frightened”, “The Light Pours Out Of Me”, “Model Worker”, “Permafrost”, “A Song From Under The Floorboards” and their deconstructionist take on Sly And The Family Stone's “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”. The only glaring omission here is the classic debut single “Shot By Both Sides” (which was the band's only real UK hit). The band sounds in fine form and they certainly have more command than your average opening band.

 Recommended for fans of The Buzzcocks, post-punk and new wave.

 This is the video review:


 

Prince & The Revolution: Parade (Paisley Park Records/1986)

Parade is Prince And The Revolution's third and final album. It's also Prince's eight and also doubles as the soundtrack album to the motion picture Under The Cherry Moon. After the Revolution's dayglo psychedelic experimentation on the Around The World In A Day album, Prince took a step back in terms of excessive arrangements. Parade is Prince's minimalist funk album. The album went platinum in the US, was a top five album and made many critic lists' Album Of The Year. The album also spawned three great singles - the masterpiece “Kiss”, the lightly psychedelic pop of “Mountains” and the more r&b flavored “Anotherloverholenyohead”.

The album is unsuspectingly a heavy listen while simultaneously a light, minimal affair. The album starts with the triumvirate of “Christopher Tracy's Parade” (which was originally titled “Wendy's Parade” and is the name of Prince's character in Under The Cherry Moon as well as his pseudonym for “Manic Monday”), “New Position” (a sexy double entendre) and “I Wonder You” (a psychedelic offering with lead vocals by keyboardist Lisa Coleman). “Do U Lie?”, “Venus De Milo” the title track are all cut from a similar light jazzy pop cloth. “Sometimes It Snows In April” is arguably Prince's greatest ballad and given his untimely death being in April, it now carries and additional weight. The funky “Girls & Boys” was a UK-only single and reached #11 there.

The album, as well as Prince's entire Warner Brothers discography is more than overdue for a proper remastering and reissuing. And if that ever happens, the outtake “An Honest Man” and the B-Sides “Love or Money” and “Alexa de Paris” are begging to be included in said reissue. Parade is an unsuspectingly pleasant, welcome and understated addition to his wonderful catalog. Although Parade ended up being de facto final album by The Revolution, they did record one more. Dream Factory was a double album and eventually morphed into the brilliant 1987 Prince solo album Sign O The Times.

Parade is a highly recommended album.   

Here's The Video Review:

The Suburbs: Credit In Heaven (Twin/Tone Records/1981)

The Suburbs were one of the greatest bands to come from Minneapolis in the 1980's. Originally a jumped-up, noisy new wave quintet, and later evolving into a more moody, danceable outfit. The band's first record in 1978, was also the first ever released on the Twin/Tone label (later home to Soul Asylum and The Replacements) and would serve as the band's label until 1983. In that time they released two albums, two EP's and three singles.

The second of those albums was Credit In Heaven. An ambitious double-album platter, with a nice and varied track selection and clear production via Paul Stark (who would later produce The Replacements' Hootenanny album). The album's lone single “Music For Boys” reached number 66 on Billboard's Dance Music/Club Play singles chart. And it became something of a new wave club staple.

While there is a singularly originality to The Suburbs and their material; a few points of references are Roxy Music, Talking Heads and David Bowie. Beej Chaney's vocals point to Iggy Pop, while Chan Polling's voice recalls Bryan Ferry. “Cigarette In Backwards” sounds like a boozy Roxy Music. “Drinking With An Angel” sounds like Iggy Pop fronting Talking Heads. “Idiot Voodoo” and “Dish It Up” sound like absolute new wave dance classics, while “Tape Your Wife To The Ceiling” and “Spring Came” sound like they should be alternative radio classics. Being that it is a double-album there are a few lesser tracks (namely “Macho Drunk”, “Postcard” and “Girlache”). But even those tracks don't detract from the overall cohesiveness and general effectiveness of the album.

The band's playing is tight and the arrangements accentuate the excellently understated rhythm section of bassist Michael Halliday and drummer Hugo Klaers. Lead guitarist the late Bruce C. Allen is shown to be an original player and effective foil to Chaney's spare, quirky parts. And Polling is an a master at knowing what to piano parts to play and what not to play. There is a shared sense of understatement which is common to all.

A highly recommended album.  

Here's the video review:

Special thanks to: Doug Mashkow of New Music Scene and CD Island.

ABP: Something To Believe In (Link Records/1985)

Aberdeen, Scotland's APB was a fairly obscure band until their second single “Shoot You Down” began getting significant airplay on Long Island, NY's WLIR-FM. Their story is the kind of thing that generally speaking, just doesn't happen anymore. The bands' brand of danceable Gang Of Four- inflected funk was hugely popular in dance clubs in the early 1980's, so it's not that big of a shock that they'd appeal to an audience. Only according to the band, it was completely shocked when a major station in the US started playing the bands song, unprompted by anyone, simply because they liked it.

College radio had been generally more open to this sort of thing. Yet major stations with Alternative formats which embraced New Wave were becoming more and more influential. In short, this basically gave APB a career and their largest following was in the New York tri-state area.

The band issued eight singles from 1981 to 1985. They're all compiled on this 1985 compilation album on Link Records Something To Believe In. The tracks are “Shoot You Down” (and its' B-Side “Talk To Me”), “Palace Filled With Love”, “Rainy Day”, “One Day”, “What Kind Of Girl”, “Danceability”, “Summer Love”, “Something To Believe In” and its' B-Side “So Many Broken Hearts”. In my opinion, half of the album is great and holds up well. The other half, less-so.

The album was reissued on Young American Recordings as a double disk set in 2005 with many other unreleased tracks. Recommended if you see it in a used bin for $5 or under.   

Here's the video review:

Special thanks to: WLIR-FM. 

The Oysters: Green Eggs And Ham (Taang! Records/1985)

The Oysters are a band that came to my attention via an entry in The Trouser Press Record Guide (1991 edition). It basically said that if Paul Westerberg had increased his drinking and Bob Stinson remained in the band, this is what The Replacements would sort of sound like. The Oysters were a band from Boston, MA and were signed to the TAANG! label (who released record by Gang Green, The Lemonheads and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones). In fact, Dickey Barret from the Bosstones is responsible for the cover art for Green Eggs And Ham. The band only released this one album and a single (Mine Caroline also on TAANG!) before breaking up.

Lead singer and guitarist Richard McKenzie sounds like a decidedly off-key Paul Westerberg. “Make It All Up To To” sounds like a mash up of The Replacements “Mr. Whirly” and “Never Been To College”. Other highlights include “Ballantine Stomp”, “On Special”, “Headhunter” and “Reeperbahn”. While the band does have their own sound, they certainly channel The Replacements more than anyone else. Highly recommended for fans of The Replacements and fans of boozy garage rock.  

Here's the video review:

The Replacements: Boink!! (Glass Records/1986)

Minneapolis' The Replacements are one of few bands on a personal shortlist of a half-dozen or so bands that changed me as a preteen. They informally introduced to American post-punk rock, American alternative rock, and boozy proto-alt country. They are what The Smiths from the United Kingdom, were to American teens in the 1980's in that they were a beacon for disaffected, alienated youth looking for a spokesman to speak for them. And they found on in Paul Westerberg. Or so I've always believed in any case.

Boink!! was an eight-song compilation album released in 1986 for the UK market on Glass Records.

In consists of three songs from Hootenanny - “Color Me Impressed”, “Within Your Reach” (which had it's widest exposure in the Cameron Crowe film Say Anything... and “Take Me Down To The Hospital”. Three songs from The Replacements Stink (the should've-been-a-single “Kids Don't Follow”, the bluesy rave-up “White And Lazy” and the mini-epic “Go”) albums. Plus the B-Side to their debut single “I'm In Trouble” (the fantastic, would-be-Merle Haggard song “If Only Your Were Lonely”) and the previously-unreleased Alex Chilton - produced “Nowhere Is My Home”. Alex Chilton was almost the producer for the band's Tim album, however Sire Records wanted someone with more name-recognition so they in-turn went with Tommy Ramone. Who did a fantastic job. “Nowhere Is My Home” is a fantastic song and also appears on the 2008 reissue of Tim.

Boink!! is a wonderful, if seemingly random selection of tracks and the album is pretty rare. In fact I've only ever seen it in record stores maybe five times tops.

Here's the video review:

Erasure: She Will Not Be Home For Christmas (Sire Records/1988)

Erasure's holiday offering comes from their Crackers International EP. It's basically a song that takes at the holidays as opposed to being a Christmas song, per se. It's decent little song. Musically it sounds like quintessential Erasure; bright and danceable synth-pop.  The B-Side is a version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman". I'd say, avoid this and gravitate towards lowest-common denominator Erasure; the hit singles.

The Fleshtones: Speed Connection: Live In Paris 85 & Speed Connection II: The Final Chapter (IRS Records/1985)

New York's The Fleshtones are one of the longest-running CBGB's era bands. They've continued for the last 39 years (since 1976) without a single year of inactivity. Their blend of freakbeat soulful garage rock has always resonated with live audiences throughout the world. In 1980 they signed with Miles Copeland's legendary I.R.S. Records. They released two magnificent studio albums (Roman Gods and Hexbreaker), two EP's (Up Front and American Beat '84), about a dozen American and European singles and two live albums; Speed Connection: Live In Paris 85 and Speed Connection II: The Final Chapter(Live In Paris 85).

The album was recorded live at The Gibus Club, Paris, France on March 7, 1985. The band were booked to play nine shows at the club over a two-week span, in two segments (March 5–9 and March 13–16). The band had recorded the first show (March 5, 1985) and - at the urging of the French division of I.R.S. Records' vice-president (and original Police guitarist) Henri Padovani - subsequently rush-released it to sell at the venue during their two-week stay. The record was titled Speed Connection: Live In Paris 85 (ILP 26412) and was only released in France. The cover art was by famous French illustrator Serge Clerc. However the band was unhappy with the record as lead singer Peter Zaremba had a severe case of laryngitis the night that show was recorded.

The band owed the American I.R.S. Records one more record to fulfill their contractual obligations. In September 1985 the label released Speed Connection II - The Final Chapter (Live In Paris 85) - a recording of their third night (3/7/85) at the Gibus Club. "Return to the Haunted House" was actually a studio recording with canned applause taken from the live album Rock Will Never Die by Michael Schenker Group. The same recording also later appeared (minus the canned applause) on the Angry Years 84-86 compilation album on Impossible Records in 1993. The cover artwork was by organist and lead singer Peter Zaremba. Both albums were produced by ex-Strangelove Richarard Gottehrer of “I Want Candy Fame, who had also produced albums by The Go-Go's & Blondie.

The album contained many cover versions of songs by other artists. "Trouble" and "Haunted House" by The Kingsmen, "Wind Out" by R.E.M., "La La La La Reprise" by The Blendells, "When the Night Falls" by The Eyes, "Twelve Months Later" by The Sheep (who were actually The Strangeloves under a pseudonym) and "Hide & Seek" by Bunker Hill. 

In critical terms, Speed Connection really only hints at what a Fleshtones show was like in the 1980's (as sadly the horn section hasn't really been a fixture of live shows since the mid 90's). Peter Zaremba's laryngitis is only partially to blame for the lack of success of the record. A comparatively limp recording is basically what mars the proceedings. Speed Connection II is far and away the superior of the two recordings. Although both albums have nearly identical tracklistings, everything sounds slightly better on SC:II and Zaremba's voice is in fine, wild form. The band is tight as it generally always was at the time (and still is for that matter). R.E.M.'s Peter Buck makes a special guest appearance on two songs on guitar and the horn section sounds nice and appropriately sloppy. The album received uniformly excellent reviews at the time of its' September 1985 release but the label did literally nothing to promote it.

I'm wondering if this is the best starting place for a Fleshtones novice to start looking into what the band sounded like in the 1980's. This is possibly the best representation of the band's live prowess. As it has a loose, sloppy and sweaty soundtrack to a mid 80's party appeal.

Here's The Video Review:

Special Thanks: Joe Bonomo & No Such Thing As Was, Maxwell Max, Robert Barry Francos and Zorro Zero & The Warlocks.

Social Distortion: Demo '81 7" EP (Bootleg/2011)

Social Distortion is one of few bands from the late 70's/early 80's Los Angeles punk scene that is still actively releasing new music and touring. Their debut album Mommy's Little Monster and their early compilation album Mainliner (Wreckage From The Past) are two of my favorite albums punk rock albums to come out of Los Angeles. Both of those are jam-packed with riff-driven emotionally-alive material. Lead singer and guitarist Mike Ness's sneering vocals have always resonated with me.

So it should come as no surprise that I really like this bootleg 7" EP artlessly titled Demo '81. It features material to later appear on early compilation albums Hell Comes To Your House  and Someone Got Their Head Kicked In. In fact, it's basically the recordings that later appeared legitimately on the Mainliner (Wreckage From The Past) compilation in 33 1/3 RPM on a seven-inch single. The sound quality is fairly good and I'd highly recommended fans of this band's early material so seek it out. My personal favorites are "Moral Threat", "All The Answers" and their blazing cover of The Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb"(which later appeared as the B-Side to their "1945" single).

Here's The Video Review:

The Time: Ice Cream Castle (Warner Brothers/1984)

Minneapolis' The Time are known to the layman for their appearances in the films Purple Rain and Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back. They are also known for their two top forty hits “Jungle Love” and “The Bird”. They are also a tight r&b combo that have released four albums are still touring to this day. Ice Cream Castle is their third album which was released in tandem with Prince & The Revolution's Purple Rain and the Apollonia 6 self-titled album in the Summer of 1984.

While an enjoyable album, the album only has six songs. Three of which are basically, for all intents and purposes, filler. The three non-filler songs (“Jungle Love”, “The Bird” and “Ice Cream Castles”) were all released as singles and are all excellent 80's R&B dance tracks. All tracks except for “The Bird” were basically performed by Prince, all by his lonesome. Multi-tracking all the instruments, himself, with a few select contributions from members of The Time. All of the other Time albums (The Time, What Time Is It? And Pandemonium) are far better albums, but this one has the well-known hits.

Here's the video review:

Van Halen: Diver Down (Warner Brothers/1982)

After the game-changing monster that was their self-titled debut album, Van Halen took a few years to successfully become a household name with 1984. In between they released their most-consistent and most-loved albums. 1982's Diver Down is far and away Van Halen's most diverse album offering. It contains five cover versions, three instrumentals and four proper, original Van Halen songs. On paper it kind of sounds like a half-arsed affair, however the results are excellent. The band sounds phenomenal and David Lee Roth is well-accounted for. Michael Anthony and Eddie Van Halen's backing vocals are wonderful and all over the place on Diver Down.

The album came to be when, at David Lee Roth's suggestion they cover “Oh Pretty Woman” and release it as a stand-alone single. They did, and it became a surprise hit. Subsequently, Warner Brothers pressured them to record a full-album to capitalize on this and quickly. The album reached #3 on Billboard's Hot 200 and had six songs to chart in the Mainstream Rock charts as well.

“Little Guitars”, “The Full Bug”, “Hang 'Em High” and the understated single “Secrets” are the best songs on the album. “Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)” is a nice showcase for Roth but it's the Van Halen brother's father Jan Van Halen who steals the show on clarinet. The David Lee Roth-directed music video for “(Oh) Pretty Woman” managed to be one of the very first banned videos on MTV. And “Dancing In The Street” became an unlikely staple of classic rock radio for many years.

I personally like the album very much and I'd recommend to anyone who hasn't yet heard this overlooked album in Van Halen's album cannon.  

Here's the video review: