Sniff n' the Tears - The Game's Up

Sniff n' the Tears is generally regarded as a one-hit wonder. That may well be the case, as dagnabbit and boy howdy, their one hit "Driver's Seat" was an amazing song that cut through the heavy fog disco had settled over the musical landscape in the late '70s. As much as I like shitting on disco, the late '70s was also an incubator for some great rock to come. Besides, by 1979 disco was in its death throes, so as we approached the '80s things were looking up - if only I'd been aware that disco's rebranding sneak attack would come in the form of dance music and ten-minute extended club mixes.

I picked up a Sniff n' the Tears best-of CD years and years ago, and to be honest I didn't spend a lot of time with it. I wanted to have "Driver's Seat" and essentially ignored the rest. I did that a lot. So much stuff, so little time.

I'm bin diving the other day and there's The Game's Up. The jacket was pristine, there was no liner, and the vinyl, other than a divot on one track, looked like it would clean up nicely. The divot makes a nice pop or two on "Nightlife," which sucked, but it could have been worse.

I've played it through a couple of times now, and Sniff n' the Tears sounds amazing today. Honestly, that's one of the great things about spending time with music and intentionally listening to an album all the way through - you give yourself time to appreciate it, and I'm finding I surprise myself more often than not. I was hoping to hear something that equalled "Driver's Seat" (I don't think I was alone in that hope), and while a couple of tracks really stood out, nothing quite reached that level. Having said that, the album is cohesive and enjoyable all the way through, and there are some stellar tracks. The best, for me, is "Nightlife," clicks and pops and all. This song features absolutely killer guitar work. KILLER, I tell ya.

If I'm going to touch on the musicianship, and I may as well, this album is full of great performances. I'm not sure what aligned for Dire Straits to rise above while a band like Sniff n' the Tears didn't. Yeah, yeah, yeah - Mark Knopfler was brilliant, make no mistake, but he was not without peer. Sniff n' the Tears also had an unconventional lead singer who told stories as much as he sang, backed by a virtuoso guitar player.

Now, this is where I'm sort of stuck. I mentioned the lack of liner notes, and while there are five pictures on the back cover, there are no accompanying credits.

Near as I can tell, going left to right the guys are: Loz Netto - guitar; Nick South - bass; Paul Roberts - vocals, acoustic guitar; Mike Taylor - keyboards; Mick Dyche - guitar.

It's not clear who played the lead work on the album, but the guitar on the title track and "Nightlife" in particular evokes a very strong Dire Straits vibe. Not the 1980 version, though - more like the Brothers in Arms era, only more mid-tempo. Considering the year this was released, that's a completely backwards comparison. Having said that, this doesn't sound like Dire Straits. There's a lot of great fretwork on the album, but it's never in your face, nor does every track have a solo. The guitar serviced the song.

This was a great find, and I'll be honest, I'm not sure it would have pinged my radar back in 1980. Even the band's own website hints at the reaction this album received, particularly in North America, where nothing less than "Driver's Seat II" would suffice.

As I sit here listening now, I'm pretty happy to have found this. It's a really solid album. As for "Nightlife," I have my CD, and that song is definitely going on a playlist.

After this album, both Loz Netto and Mick Dyche would leave the band, leaving singer-songwriter Paul Roberts in (I apologize for this, but it's there and I can't help myself - you probably saw it coming, yet you kept reading anyway) the driver's seat.