Mad At The World - Mad At The World (1987)

One of the best things about producing my own blog is that it gives me the opportunity to mention albums that very few people are likely to be familiar with. A good example is the self-titled debut from alternative Christian band Mad At The World. In a year when synthpop acts such as Erasure and Pet Shop Boys were dominating the charts and modern rock was awash with lyrical themes of alienation and doubt, it was refreshing to listen to music that addressed humanistic concerns in a positive way, without being preachy. The album's production values were top-notch, and it still stands up twenty years later.

The core of the group were the brothers Roger Rose (vocals, guitars) and Randy Rose (vocals, drums) and on their debut album they were able to synthesize rock, pop, electro and gospel in a quite original way. "Taking The Easy Way Out" is probably the best song ever written about the contemplation of suicide; "All The Lonely Sheep" and "It Can't Rain Forever" address the fear of teenage loneliness. "I Want To See Heaven", perhaps the standout track, discusses a fear of making bad moral choices, as does "Here We Go Again" and "Bad Motives". If the Christian content doesn't put you off, then all you need to know it that this album flat out rocks. Roger Rose's idiosyncratic vocals are a mildly acquired taste but ultimately serve to strongly differentiate this album from anything else in the CCM genre, or anywhere else, for that matter. The cover art was also striking and sold the package effectively.

Released on the US Frontline label, the album proved to be something of a one-off. Unable to replicate the unique studio arrangements in a live setting, the group began to incorporate increasing amounts of rock guitar into future productions, ultimately to the detriment of the initial fan-base.

I initially owned a cassette copy of the album, which became so worn that eventually the shell was replaced and held together with sticky tape. It's possible to find the original CD, but you'll probably have to pay more than the $6.00 I paid for mine on eBay seven years ago.

UPDATE: Happy to report that the entire Frontline Records catalog is now available through digital sources.

Also check out some footage of the band recording in the studio at Roger's YouTube channel.

Mad At The World - Mad At The World (1987)

1. Living Dead
2. All The Lonely Sheep
3. I Want To See Heaven
4. No Room Left
5. Taking The Easy Way Out
6. Bad Motives
7. No More Innocence
8. It Can't Rain Forever
9. Here We Go Again
10. Dry Your Tears
11. Mad At The World
12. Chance Of Luck

Legal Download at Amazon

I still get chills just typing out the song titles. What a great album.

The best MATW website
Wikipedia Entry

Random 80's Wednesday

[mp3] Koo De Tah - Too Young For Promises (from Koo De Tah, 1986)
[mp3] Bill Nelson - Wildest Dreams (12" Single, 1986)
[mp3] Fake - Warm Ice (from New Art, 1984)
[mp3] Benjamin Orr - In Circles (from The Lace, 1986)
[mp3] Planning By Numbers - Lightning Strikes (from 1, 1982)

Nostalgia Trip: Radio Times

I was going to mention a couple of British TV shows from the '90's before I came across a spread of Radio Times covers, which really takes me back. In our global cross-pollination and instant information overload age, it is hard to describe the attraction of a thin, incomplete, fragile TV magazine which, if nothing else, was ludicrously mis-named for the television age.

Yet back in the day, when there were only two BBC channels (and the ITV listings were, if my memory is correct, only available in another listings magazine) it seemed very important to consult the RT (as it was affectionately known) before planning a night's TV viewing. This was, of course, also before the widespread availability of VHS, and many years before inventions such as DVD and TIVO. Back then, if you missed a show, it was gone for good. Fortunately, the magazine also served as an Entertainment Weekly of sorts, including snippets about new productions, what the actors were up to, and radio listings to boot.

There was no TV at all between midnight and 6 a.m., and BBC 2 was usually stuffed with arty, "educational" programs and the odd documentary. Therefore, viewing was usually concentrated on BBC 1 and whatever shows were being broadcast throughout the day or evening. Many of my TV memories were shows that it was impossible to avoid - and I'm sure my US born friends would have been appalled at the lack of choice, of freedom, of TV democracy back in those heady days - but now I can only look back fondly on Saturdays with Dusty Bin (That's 3-2-1, folks) or The Generation Game, Dallas on Wednesday nights, Panorama on Tuesdays, Tomorrow's World on Thursdays and Eastenders every bloody day of the week.

Next time I hear a child complain that there is nothing on the TV that they like, I will feel sorry for them. Perhaps, choice is sometimes overrated.

The Radio Times is still going strong, although I'm sure it is now wonderfully interactive and modern. There is an official web site. Like me, you can discover a wonderful gallery of all the old magazine covers here. There is, of course, a wikipedia entry as well.

One other interesting memory is this. In our house we did not have any air conditioning or central heating system. When my parents laid out some carpet mum would always use old magazines for insulation, usually the Radio Times or the other TV Guide. Years later, when we pulled up the carpet, I'd always find some old thing to read underneath. Even today, there are some things you just can't do with the internet.

Random 80's Wednesday - Album Tracks Special

This week, I have opted for lesser-known album tracks by well known acts.

New Order - Mr. Disco (from Technique, 1989)
Howard Jones - Why Look For The Key (from Dream Into Action, 1985)
Ultravox - We Stand Alone (from Rage In Eden, 1981)
Thompson Twins - Love Is The Law (from Here's To Future Days, 1985)
The Cure - The Holy Hour (from Faith, 1981)

Terry Hoax - Freedom Circus (1992)

Watch out for hard-to-find, deleted, out of print or critically ignored compact discs released in the last 20 years...

I don't know anything about this band, except they are German (I think) and only had hits in their native country. I really like their cover of "Policy of Truth".

Terry Hoax - Freedom Circus (1992)

1. Freedom Circus
2. Insanity
3. Sick
4. From Love To Hate And Back
5. Live All
6. Hot Heyday
7. Touch The Sky
8. When Love's Gone
9. Goodbye
10. Someone Somewhere
11. Another Face
12. Policy of Truth
13. Fish Named Napoleon

[UPDATE] October 2013 - links have been re-upped by request. I was fortunate to find a physical copy of the CD in Baltimore earlier this year.

Download Part 1
Download Part 2

Personnel:
Oliver Perau - Vocals
Marcus Wichary - Guitar; Backing Vocals
Hachy M. Hachmeister - Drums; Percussion
Martin Wichary - Guitar; Backing Vocals
Armin Treptau - Bass

Link-O-Rama

Ever hear of the band Modern Eon? Apparently, if you want a new-wave blog these days, you have to mention them. For example (deep breath) Music...Isms mentioned them in some detail last year during an ongoing tribute to the Liverpool post-punk scene.
The curiously named Sheerinertia's Engine also featured the band's LP Fiction Tales, and the links are still active.
More recently, Systems of Romance also featured the LP and a short biography. Mention is also made at Scratchy Buckles, and in April Raiding The Vinyl Archive also highlighted the single "Euthenics", the first time I came across the group. Had enough yet? No? Back in 2006 Island Monkey dramatically called the Modern Eon LP "the greatest album ever made" during a likeable review. Not to be outdone, a perennial favorite of mine, Rho-Xs, also said "Fiction Tales is one of the greatest albums ever made in my opinion" and his download is in the ogg-vorbis format.Little Hits featured the song "Child's Play" a couple of years ago, and my good friend Mikey at It Should Have Been A Hit also featured "Euthenics" just last month. There's also a quality fan tribute page here. Needless to say, I won't be mentioning them at all - not even a peep - at least for a while.

Saving A Buck When Libraries Don't Suck

I'm going to try something new. We are lucky to have a decent public library here in town, and I'm rather partial to rummaging about to see what might be interesting to listen to. This new series will be based around a selection of albums I have never heard before, mostly new, with a short, simple review and the best track or two being highlighted. Here we go:

Duran Duran - Red Carpet Massacre (2007)
The only Duran albums I've ever owned are the singles compilation Greatest and (briefly) the comeback album Astronaut. Given the complete lack of interest in the band in the late 90's, I was surprised that a new album was marketed so strongly. It's obvious that the band is trying hard, because the new album rocks hard in a very contemporary, dance floor orientated fashion. My all time favorite track is Save A Prayer, and I did miss somewhat the languid build up and plangent synths of that signature piece when listening to the new material. By comparison, the first single Falling Down included a less subtle melody line that proceeded to irritate and overpower the lyrics, so I wasn't thrilled. What I did like, however, were tracks like Nite-Runner and Box Full O' Honey which went off in unexpected dynamic directions and sustained a cryptic mood. Overall, a good listen and possibly a grower.

Madonna - Hard Candy (2008)
A similar story with Madonna, who also enlisted Justin Timberlake to assist with her new album. I'm a big fan of the dance grooves on her first album (now 25 years old!!) and although I have liked many of the subsequent singles, never really cared for an individual album. Hard Candy includes a bevy of "hot" producers who power up the BPM without really crafting anything with nuance or subtlety. While Candy Shop and the single 4 Minutes take off like rockets, it takes a couple of listens for the melodies of my favorite tracks Give In 2 Me and Miles Away to achieve the desired effect. Is it too much to ask for another "Live To Tell" or even "Crazy For You"?

Fortunately, it's not hard to remember why Madonna became such an icon in the first place.

BTW does anybody else think both these album covers suck hard?

R.E.M. - Accelerate (2008)
Another bloody awful album cover, and an incomplete review. Apologies to devotees of the band (and there are many), but I'm not sure what it will take to interest me in an R.E.M. record again. I suspect it includes mandolins, slow songs about death, suffocation and bitter loss and weird titles like "Country Jackal Lament" and "Rhapsody Green". Credit the band with sticking to it, but when the touchstones include Green ("World Leader Pretend") Out Of Time ("Losing My Religion") and Automatic For The People ("Find The River") my ears are going to be dragged kicking and screaming through this album, based on the first handful of tracks. I have a nagging feeling that R.E.M. have never been more than the sum of their parts. To borrow from other reviewers: Accelerate is the best R.E.M. album since, well, since the last one. Probably.