New Wave music reviews

I love Peter Kater and most of his music without occult or shaman titles in them, because the truth is, it is part of a cult thinking and spiritual darkness. I studied it for years as I did other cults and I know people firsthand who were involved with the illuminated cult and "ism. Otherwise he has an excellent talent and beautiful spirit in music and melodic creation on the piano and you cannot deny that he has a God-given gift, if and when he ever acknowledges that is truly where it comes from.

From a choice of thirty new age cd's, this is the one I feel the most.The instrumentation is brilliant.The harmon-ease are beautifly and unselfishly interwoven with a rise and fall like our four seasons.This is what thanking love(I feel) might sound like.

A work to explore a man's woman-like qualities... This particular CD has become one of my all time favorites. The music is hauntingly beautiful, but somewhat sad sounding. The interweaving improvisations of Native American flute, sax, oboe, and others are just amazing. Well worth your dollars!

I've loved this band since "Whisper to a Scream" was on the US charts in 1983. I was a teenager in the 80's, and have many favorite bands from that era, but the Icicle Works is one of the few that I still listen to all the time. It's a shame this gorgeous music was never more widely appreciated - it's brilliant! My favorites are "Love is a Wonderful Color," "Out of Season," "Chop the Tree" and "Waterline," which unfortunately is not included in this CD release. Amazingly I still have a cassette of the original US release which still plays, so for the time being I still have a copy of "Waterline"! All in all, this is a great album, and what good news to see that it's available on CD.

What a joy it is for me to have this incredible record on CD at long, long last. I was about 14 when I first discovered this band in the mid 80's and by then they were on the wane, alas. I was able to buy the single of "Whisper to a Scream", which had the awesome "Cauldron of Love" as it's B-side and I was hooked!

A year or so later I met some people from Manchester in Brisbane and they had this first self titled album on tape. It was not labelled and so I had no idea at the time what album it was that these songs came from, nor did I really know what the names of the songs were. I subsequently lost this tape, or I wore it out, and I couldn't find this album on vinyl and wound up buying all their albums post the first one. It seems this particular release was out of print at the time?

Finally after all these years...nearly 17, I have been re-united with some of the most powerful and uplifting music of a generation. The fact that this band were a three piece - Ian Mcnabb - Gtr and Vocal/Keyboards, Chris Sharrock on drums, the bass players name escapes me - and made such a huge, soaring and defined sound, is a testimony to their musicianship. Tragic then that they were overlooked among the usual milieu of mediocrity during the early 80's and were left to sink back into relative obscurity without ever being fully realised or apreciated globally, as they well deserved.

This first album is by far the strongest but "Small Price of a Bicycle" has some legendary songs on it also. The music written here by Mcnabb is beautiful, powerful, erudite, literary and tender all at once. How many bands can you say that about? This guy really influenced my songwriting growing up and I am thankful that this diamond has been put on display once more for other generations of listeners to discover.

5 stars is too low... 10!

The Icicle Works, brainchild of guitarist/songwriter Ian McNabb, had the blessing of a hugely successful single with which no doubt everyone is familiar ("Bird's Fly (Whisper To A Scream)"), and the curse of being lumped in with countless other bands during the early/mid-80's and dismissed as ultimately irrelevent. Either these groups were wrongly hailed the brilliant future (ask yourself, "Who but the most ardent 80's fan still listens to X, The Clash, Husker Du, the Violent Femmes, or any other band critics flipped over back then?"), or they were rightly relegated to the ash heap of sounding like "80's music" (again, pick your band, i.e. Culture Club, Ultravox, Echo & The Bunnymen) or being a "one hit wonder" (i.e. Men Without Hats). Of course, a few fulfilled their promise, at least commercially (i.e. R.E.M., INXS) if not critically, but most fit the 2 categories.

Neither of these apply to the Icicle Works, and particularly this their debut album. True, they were hailed for their powerful rhythms and McNabb's rich lyrical stories but after "Bird's Fly," they were forgotten...heck their second album wasn't even officially released in the US.

This album, however, still has it's place in my (and should have in your) CD player. It has stood the test of time because ultimately it is a very listenable album. How many albums have you purchased only to find out 1, maybe 2 or 3, songs were worth listening to repeatedly? Well, top to bottom, this album is made for repeated listening. Virtually every track has the intense rhythmic power of "Bird's Fly" without being repetitive, with "Chop the Tree," "As the Dragonfly Flies," and "Factory in the Desert" among the standouts. "Out of Season" is a touching and calming break from the action about a young man who's concluded he's met his future bride, asks his father for advice, and actually goes to ask for her father's permission! Quaint? Perhaps. But also timeless and very refreshing. The track listing on this version is the Canadian release in terms of the order of the songs and with "Reaping the Rich Harvest" replacing the rare US-only track "Waterline"--both are fine tracks (but find a copy of "Waterline" if you can, it's worth it).

I don't review a lot of albums. I only review those I believe should be in your collection because they have earned a place. The Icicle Works debut is one of those albums. You will enjoy it.

I saw The Only Ones in a new club in NYC in the early '80's and although I was familiar with the song "Another Girl, Another Planet", I didn't expect such a great rock and roll experience. They blew me away and that's that. Awesome band that never got the accolades that they had coming to them............

To me, it is something of a tragedy that so many will live and die without ever hearing (or even hearing of) The Only Ones. This is exemplified by the presence of only one (no pun intended) review prior to mine. I bought this CD about 6 months ago, so I could say that that is the extent of my relationship with the band, because I don't own any of their other recordings, and am (about 20 years) too young to ever have seen them play. I figured that since their career only spanned 3 albums then this collection would cover their material, by and large (anyone disagreeing with this please email me and tell me what else I ought to listen to :))).

The path that led me to The Only Ones started in about 1996 when I heard Goo Goo Dolls' "Name" on the radio. I bought the album that contained that song, and subsequently all the Goo Goo Dolls that had preceded it. And I loved it. Not because it was great songwriting, but because they really and truly sounded like they couldn't care less. About anything. Even the music. And I thought that was cool. And then, lo and behold, they sobered up and produced excrement such as "Iris" and....well, I will post a review where it belongs...
But, through my affinity for the Goo Goo Dolls, I learnt about The Replacements and Paul Westerberg. And if you are reading this and haven't heard of them either, then this really is turning out to be a tragedy. I suppose that's besides the point. As I was saying......my "research" into the 'Mats led me to The Only Ones, and figured that if they were mentioned in the same circles as the 'Mats, they couldn't be all that bad.

When I bought this CD, I was firstly pleasantly surprised (because the guitar riff of the first song, Lovers of Today, went straight into my head), then impressed (because the songs that followed were all so good), then shocked (because nobody that I knew had ever heard of these guys and I assumed not many others did either), then saddened (for the same reason I was shocked), and then eventually delighted that I had heard The Only Ones.

And, in spite of all that Paul Westerberg wrote that was SO brilliant, Peter Perrett of The Only Ones wrote perhaps my favourite lyric ever in The Whole of the Law. Short, sweet, to the point, and oh so true.

You might be thinking, if they were really THAT good, then they WOULD be famous. That sounds like a logical and reasonable argument .....and...hmmm....I don't know what to tell you........except that somewhere, something must've gone horribly wrong and so here we stand today - me trying to convince you.

So, seeing as this is The Only Ones that we are talking about, I think there is a very big chance that nobody will ever read this review. So, this may all be in vain. But let me still say this: whatever record you were going to buy next, skip it, or postpone it, and use the spare 10 bucks to buy this. If your musical tastes can be placed in the broad category of "music with guitars", then there are very few records that are better than this, and that combined with the sense of discovering a band as good as this will make this almost certainly one of the better music purchases you will ever make. I am pretty confident about that.

So, from here I will try to continue my musical journey back and forth in time, searching for ever better things (I will settle for equally good, or even not quite as good)....and I think New York Dolls is my next target. There may have been a beginning to it all that counts for more than all that came afterwards, but the great characters, whenever they appeared along the way, shouldn't be ignored. Peter Perrett is without any doubt whatsoever one of these great characters.....he would always have been so, but combined with a superb guitarist, made some very, very, very enjoyable songs.

I can't believe that these guys aren't hailed as gods and then put to the ritual sacrifice. 20 years after my first hearing of the only ones, I'm still stuck on their channel.

For those of us who follow all of wellers work from the jam to present day- we know wellers quality of songwriting (great lyrics- diverse music- and true belief in his own talent. For some the council betrayed the working class ethics of the jam but to some this was the bravest and lasting statement of the eighties. though the style council lost the plot"as weller would say" after the our favourite shop album- this live album which includes only few songs after that period" mainly "heavens above" which is excellent indeed. what you get here is all those older classics delivered in a horndrenched wah wah guitared juggernaut that is superbly recorded and played with a buyount energy seldom seen today. Live weller and crew sound better than the album versions- songs like my ever changing moods are delivered in a faster more passionate style- weller actually has abit of that anger lingering. Big boss groove actually grooves- ( the mantra of "get on up' is growled by weller in his best soul voice) the original sparseness of the whole point of no return is flushed out in a full jazz number that transcends the original. The playing and arrangements are all top class and guitar wise paul has never sounded more confident and skilled. there are a few tunes that dont work mostly cuts that are unfamilair in the first place or covers-though the move on up mayfield tune is great. most interesting is the guitar and voice driven version of a stones throw away (without the melancholy string arrangment) that comes off like a raw jam tune. Otherwise you get all the soulpopfunkr&b delivered with wellers sharpedged political tongue that sings bout love-uniting-about youth and self-empowerment with some bitterness and that angry young man vibe that made wellers experiment more success than failure. A very good if not great album that outshines any jam or solo weller live album ive heard( and ive heard most of them.) strings-horns-wah-social commentary- DC LEES soaring vocals- steve whites superb drumming- the fingerskills on the keys with mickey talbot- and a youthful weller who believed in it all without any regret. Essential for style council-weller fans- and proof that all eighties music wasnt synthsized soulless bombast.

If you're a Style Council fan you must own this album. Phony musicians stink when recorded live but The Style Council sounded even better live than in the studio ("Home and Abroad" is also a necessity). This disc spans several years and features covers of some soul gems along with their own songs. They groove so hard on One Nation Under a Groove, Meeting (Over) Up Yonder and Hanging On To A Memory to justify the cost. The only downers are some snippets of Mick Talbot singing lead (oy vey) and a couple mediocre tracks, but those are minor trifles with this gem for us Council fans.

The Style Council was one of the more difficult bands of the 1980's to categorize. A little bit new wave pop, some jazz, some house, some blues, some ballads, some rock and roll and all thrown together with excellent musicians and political lyrics. Band leader and singer Paul Weller has always been one of the more talented songwriters, from The Jam to his solo work today, his band the Style Council was his most experimental and unrestrained musical period. What more can you ask for from the 80's?

This CD is a compilation of hits and unreleased tracks recorded live. This is a gift in that the Style Council rarely played live in the States. Included are the super hits (in Europe anyway) like "Long Hot Summer", "My Ever Changing Moods", and "Money Go Round". This is the slow version of "My Ever Changing Moods" from the Cafe Blue album, as opposed to the pop US hit version.

What makes this a classic and wonderful release though are the unreleased tracks such as the blues inspired Curtis Mayfield hit "Move on Up", the Parliament song "One Nation Under a Groove" and the underrated classic "Heavens Above". The musical styles on this CD are typical of them, a little bit of everything.

In addition, the liner notes and insert are excellent. If you are unfamiliar with the Style Council, check out this rare chance to hear them play at their best, live.

After many years of waitng, Romeo Void's "Instincts" finally makes it's way on CD! What a treat too! Debora Iyall's voice is set against the familiar backdrop of Romeo Void's jazzy rhythms. This certainly makes "Instincts" one the best albums to come out of the 1980s. Ahh the days....

I loved this album when it first came out on vinyl. Wore that out, as well as a cassette copy I found a few years ago.

This is, in my opinion, the best Romeo Void album. This album is filled with many different moods, but the music and lyrics are both consistantly excellent.

Get it now - you won't be disappointed!!!

Yes ! Finally ! after all these years this lost and forgotten New Romantic/Wave album from one of the most underrated groups of the 80's has come to the digital format. Almost 20 years to be exact.

The catchy guitar riffs with the drums, synth work hooks, and the wailing saxophone (touch of coolness) made this band more of a cult classic new wave gem than a top 40 pop accessible cliche. Fronted by the smooth, lightweight, yet driving vocals of Deborah Iyall. Romeo Void had subliminal hints of pre-alternative before alternative would come to the forefront in the early 90's.

I strongly recommend this unearthed musical treasure to be listened to by some of the younger whipper snappers.They will realize there were new wave artists of the 80's who were a sort of blue print for the alternative scene of the 90's and beyond...

Many people seem to think rockabilly can't be done without slap bass. They also seem to think if you try to update it you are just messing it up. Many bands have tried to take a different approach and most of them get called posers and lame. I have heard this over and over about the Kingbees and I find it sad. They were not the Stray Cats, Rockats, Blue Cats, Polecats, Bop Cats, or any cats...the were the Kingbees and they played a form of 80's rockabilly with electric bass and with tons of energy. Rockpile probably would be a closer match to them and yet that still is not a good comparison. The stuff is a little dated sounding today and "Big Rock" shows it the most with some of the lyrics, but people really missed a great band that put out two really solid records that were different and kept things interesting. They were second sting I guess, a little new wave-ish, but maybe that was a good thing?

I first heard the Kingbees 23 years ago on a local college radio station.They were like nobody else,yet really rockin with the song "My Mistake".A true lost treasure.A real unique sound,a must have by anyone with interest in rock,punk or fast rockabilly.Awesome!

Plenty of bands tried, but the Kingbees did the best job of playing rockabilly with that punk attitude. Nobody rocked and thrashed harder than this band--in comparison, they make the Stray Cats sound like the Carpenters!

This double CD set is filled with great material, no doubt about it. However, I would highly recommend that if you're in the mood to buy some Big Country CDs, buy the three separate CDs of which this disc is made up. They're all currently available from this site.

The first CD of Kings of Emotion is made up of songs from the live electric Brighton Rock and the live acoustic Eclectic, both great individual CDs. Disc Two is most of the Why the Long Face studio CD which, again, is great in and of itself. Hardcore fans might want to pick up this set because it contains previously unreleased live versions of "Ships" and an inspired cover of Neil Young's "Rockin' in the Free World."

If you're not a Big Country fanatic, but you are looking for an overview of what Big Country was capable of, this CD is definitely worth picking up. If it looks interesting to you, click away. You won't be disappointed.

If you're a Big Country fan, this is a "must have" purchase. If you're not a Big Country fan, why not? While not well known in the US, this is a fabulous band. Stuart Adamson is a great singer, songwriter and guitarist, but he is by no means a solo act. Click on the sample of "Look Away" and check out the intricacy of Tony Butler's thundering bassline, or listen to the harmony vocals of "Chance". This band is a strong cohesive unit capable of great work. For fans of the band, the program on this album is just spectacular. It has enough of the hits to keep true believers happy, and then mixes in songs that you would NEVER associate with Big Country. How about covers of The Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen", Neil Young's "Rockin' In A Free World" and The Rolling Stones chestnut "Ruby Tuesday"? The album mixes live and studio, electric and acoustic. The acoustic version of my personal favorite Big Country song, "Where The Rose is Sown" was, to me, worth the purchase price all by itself. Don't waste time sitting there reading reviews. Reach into your pocket, pull out a credit card and buy this album before they run out! (While your at it, also pick up a copy of Big Country's "Without the Aid of a Safety Net", which I personally consider to be one of the greatest live albums ever! It's also available at an Amazon.Com near you.)

This band is unique... Covers of Springsteen's I'm on fire and Neil Young's Rocking in a free world are great. I liked it, always liked this band since I heard the crossing's song porrowman, which I still listen to.

Great lyrics, great music. Funny, upbeat music, that doesn't take itself too seriously. You'll laugh, you'll dance, you'll never regret purchasing this one.

...on second thought yes it would!

After consuming this wonderful bolus of post-punk pop, I scurried out into my backyard, there to Build a Mighty Tower of Rock and Roll Dolomite... This record echoed with Dick Dale riffs, surf rock riddims, and vocals that summoned the earnest/goofball aesthetic of Fred Schneider! Thank you German Art Students!

Funny, quirky pop-punk songs. Check out Civil War Re-enactor, Steve Vai Boyfriend, and Bionic.

If you like the Plimsouls, this is a must have. This album is one of those rare moments in music where great songs, a great band, great sonics and fun collide. It's such a treat to listen to, it's very hard to articulate.

I really enjoy the early records. I must have seen them 20 times when they were the hardest working band in LA. This disc is different however. It really showcases the maturity of Pete's songwriting, and somehow, the growth of the band as a unit. I don't really understand how it could have been anything other than a nostagia run, but it is nothing of the sort. The songs are fresh, the performances are world class and the entire package says *now*.

Pete's songs are some of his best. Hopeful, funny and deliberate. The open-tuned guitars have such a mysterious sound. The interplay between the bass, guitars and vocals is outstanding, and Clem tears the drum kit up as usual.

While each track is its own highlight, I was particularly entertained by the title track. Even though the lyrics are not included, I suspect the song is about a famous music critic at the LA Times. *You don't know what you're talking about, you don't seem to care if you ever find out*. Sorry Robert, but I think you deserved the sock on the jaw!

It's disappointing that this album was missed by so many. I hope they find a reason to record again. While Pete Case has done some remarkable stuff away from the Plimsouls, you get a sense of *coming home* listening to these songs. He's so genuine and original, it's hard to believe, given all the deriviitive stuff that's out there! This is a really great rock & roll band!

Check it out, and pray that they do it again.

Here it is! The Goo Goo Dolls idolized this band! Give a listen and you'll see why!

Yes.....It is an awesome album, but I think my cousin Dave and Clem Burke would wonder how much you really know about them if you think Dave is the drummer. Hint: 4 strings and slightly larger than a guitar.

As a Culture Club fan from the very begining, it pains me to admit this album has not aged well at all. The singles are great, of course. "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me" is one of the greatest singles of all time, an undeniable classic, as is "Time ( Clock of the Heart)". There might be one or two more songs here that hold up to repeated listening, but that's about it. The remainder are either underdeveloped or just plain bad. So: You've got your three hit singles ( the third being "I'll Tumble 4 Ya", which is only SLIGHTLY less annoying than "Karma Chameleon")all available on any greatest hits collection. You've got "White Boys Can't Control It" which is kinda cool, with its Spaghetti Western guitar riffs, horns and harmonica. And you've got your lurid purple album cover. That just about sums up Kissing to Be Clever.

Don't bother with the other reviewers who dismissed CC's brilliant debut album - along with COLOUR BY NUMBERS, it's their strongest, sexiest, and just plain addictive album ever! The writing, the production, the vocals, the groove, the design - they all really take me back to my early teen years circa 1982, a simpler, happier time when CC were charting a bold new world in pop music & beyond - once you hear WHITE BOY, I'M AFRAID OF ME, DO YOU REALLY?, TIME, and many more, you won't be able to get them out of you head...and trust me, they really get a party started right! BOY himself sounds naive, in love, and confident all at once - and who can forget the delicious shock of seeing him dominate early MTV with a string of cool videos that launched them around the globe? BONUS tracks here are a nice addition - hard to believe the first CD issue of this LP never even included TIME?! *I think it was recorded later as a stop/gap single, which explains its late inclusion. No matter, KISSING TO BE CLEVER is a bargain with stunning REMASTERED sound and BONUS cuts you won't find anywhere else - a must-have addition to any true CC fan's collection!

This album is one of my favourites.I think that Kissing To Be Clever is the best album by Culture Club.I got it from my grandma to my name day and I was surprised.
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me is my favourite song at this album.I think that this song is very good.It is melodical and peaceful.Murder Rap Trap feat.Captain Crucial is my second favourite song.The song sounds funny with voice of Captain Crucial.
Love Is Cold and Love Twist are also my favourite songs,because they are melodical and quite fast.The other songs are good too.You must own this album,if you're an old Culture Club fan.