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I like insane bands
Oct. 1st, 2009 11:07 amAnyone who knows me knows that I have a musical taste which can be described as (a) eclectic; (b) non-mainstream. I also have a great love for two categories of rock music in particular, which until recently were considered drastically unfashionable; (a) 70's prog; (b) 80's synth-pop/New Wave.
These are two categories that until recently were laughing stocks and the butt of jokes among all mainstream critics. Recently this has begun to change, as hip, modern bands start sounding like their predecessors - the Mars Volta and Muse are doing their best to bring prog-rock kicking and screaming into the 21st century, whereas just about all the hip music on the radio these days (not restricted to the usual suspects like Ladytron, Ladyhawke, Lady Ga Ga and probably a bunch of other lady-related bands) sounds like either Gary Numan or Duran Duran.
But there are probably two bands which will never be redeemed from either camp, two bands which really do sum up the most ridiculous, cheesy aspects of prog and synth-pop in particular - and two bands that I have a guilty fondness for. I've spoken about Emerson Lake and Palmer before, so I won't bore you. Today I want to talk about A Flock of Seagulls.
Yes. I know. They had one massive hit - "I Ran" - a catchy but not outstanding song. Their lead singer had the most retarded haircut ever imaginable. And that's all that anyone knows about them.
But I encourage you to find their Greatest Hits album and learn a bit more. Things you probably didn't know about AFOS:
1) their earliest demos were produced by the mad genius Bill Nelson (ex-Be Bop Deluxe, later to work with Gary Numan). Their early songs ("It's not me talking", "DNA", "Telecommunications") are self-conscious space-pop of the kind that Bill's later band, Red Noise, also got into. In fact, one plausible analysis of the lyrics of "I Ran" is that it's about alien abduction.
2) their later songs ditched this kind of tinfoil-and-Thunderbirds vibe for a very sad, romantic image. I invite you to Google the lyrics of "Transfer Affection", "Wishing" or "Space Age Love Song". Mike Score's plaintive voice and Paul Reynold's Pink Floyd-inspired eternal-echo guitar get the point across - these are songs for deeply, deeply lonely and sad people. In some cases, the outsider vibe gets taken all the way into the realms of mental illness - "Windows", "Committed", and what I think is their greatest song of all - "Nightmares", a musical take on Joan Crawford's Mommy Dearest.
3) Guitarist Paul Reynolds and prog-synth-pop maestro Trevor Horn - separated at birth?
4) Their third album, Story of a Young Heart, is actually a concept piece about romantic disappointment which ends with the protagonist's suicide. The final track which was relegated to a B-side, "Living in Heaven", is downright creepy and therefore cool.
5) Their last album, Dream Come True (without Paul Reynolds), is an unredeemed abomination and you should never listen to it or any tracks from it. (Skip tracks 6 and 11 on the Greatest Hits.)
None of this changes the fact that, even at their best, their music comes across as naive and unsubtle - all the flash and "vibe" overwhelms the very tenderness at the core. But at their best they were certainly up there with more fashionable outfits like the Durannies or the Human League. They weren't a great band, but neither were they the worthless abomination that you might expect from the memories of popular culture. So check out some of the above songs and tell me what you think.
These are two categories that until recently were laughing stocks and the butt of jokes among all mainstream critics. Recently this has begun to change, as hip, modern bands start sounding like their predecessors - the Mars Volta and Muse are doing their best to bring prog-rock kicking and screaming into the 21st century, whereas just about all the hip music on the radio these days (not restricted to the usual suspects like Ladytron, Ladyhawke, Lady Ga Ga and probably a bunch of other lady-related bands) sounds like either Gary Numan or Duran Duran.
But there are probably two bands which will never be redeemed from either camp, two bands which really do sum up the most ridiculous, cheesy aspects of prog and synth-pop in particular - and two bands that I have a guilty fondness for. I've spoken about Emerson Lake and Palmer before, so I won't bore you. Today I want to talk about A Flock of Seagulls.
Yes. I know. They had one massive hit - "I Ran" - a catchy but not outstanding song. Their lead singer had the most retarded haircut ever imaginable. And that's all that anyone knows about them.
But I encourage you to find their Greatest Hits album and learn a bit more. Things you probably didn't know about AFOS:
1) their earliest demos were produced by the mad genius Bill Nelson (ex-Be Bop Deluxe, later to work with Gary Numan). Their early songs ("It's not me talking", "DNA", "Telecommunications") are self-conscious space-pop of the kind that Bill's later band, Red Noise, also got into. In fact, one plausible analysis of the lyrics of "I Ran" is that it's about alien abduction.
2) their later songs ditched this kind of tinfoil-and-Thunderbirds vibe for a very sad, romantic image. I invite you to Google the lyrics of "Transfer Affection", "Wishing" or "Space Age Love Song". Mike Score's plaintive voice and Paul Reynold's Pink Floyd-inspired eternal-echo guitar get the point across - these are songs for deeply, deeply lonely and sad people. In some cases, the outsider vibe gets taken all the way into the realms of mental illness - "Windows", "Committed", and what I think is their greatest song of all - "Nightmares", a musical take on Joan Crawford's Mommy Dearest.
3) Guitarist Paul Reynolds and prog-synth-pop maestro Trevor Horn - separated at birth?
4) Their third album, Story of a Young Heart, is actually a concept piece about romantic disappointment which ends with the protagonist's suicide. The final track which was relegated to a B-side, "Living in Heaven", is downright creepy and therefore cool.
5) Their last album, Dream Come True (without Paul Reynolds), is an unredeemed abomination and you should never listen to it or any tracks from it. (Skip tracks 6 and 11 on the Greatest Hits.)
None of this changes the fact that, even at their best, their music comes across as naive and unsubtle - all the flash and "vibe" overwhelms the very tenderness at the core. But at their best they were certainly up there with more fashionable outfits like the Durannies or the Human League. They weren't a great band, but neither were they the worthless abomination that you might expect from the memories of popular culture. So check out some of the above songs and tell me what you think.