Re-Flex - The Politics of Dancing

The song that broke, and then broke the band was a monster: "The Politics of Dancing" was a near perfect new wave pop song. I really liked it, but oddly didn't get the album for a couple of years. There were some really good songs here, and it really was everything that was awesome about the early '80s, and despite what seemed like the massive success of the title track, the band would release one album (okay, that's not exactly true, but close enough). Then I lost my record collection and over time all I had left of the album was on various '80s collections and it was only one song.

It was only relatively recently that I managed to find a deluxe copy of The Politics of Dancing on CD, a two disc nearly two hour sonic feast for the ears. Then the follow up album showed up on iTunes, and Spotify and while it's better late than never it's too little too late to help the band. Then despite myself when I saw the record for under five bucks, I just couldn't help myself - my wife says I need to try harder.

I had always assumed the album was a bigger hit than it was. Massive success is of course relative, and to me back in 1983 if you had a record out, and were on the radio you, were a rock star. Period. You lived in a big house with a swimming pool and bikini tops were optional. The reality of course was likely very different. Sure the title track would crack the top ten in Canada, but in most other markets it was floating around the middle of the top 40. I would look periodically for a new album, but nothing ever showed up, and eventually I just moved on. The band's follow up Humanication wouldn't see the light of the day until 2010, who knows what the (wait for it) politics of dancing were behind the scenes but after releasing one single from the new album in '85, that was apparently a minor hit in Germany, the album was shelved. It effectively relegated the band to what I like to think of as One Album Wonder status. Of course to most they're just a band who shows up on their One Hit Wonder playlists.

Regardless, this album is so good, and played loud it's an absolute joy. I'm still a sucker for the interplay between the techo-dance oriented keyboards and the cheesy '80s rack mounted effects laden processed electric guitar with a whammy bar and mini dive bombs all over the place. Shit, I'm grinning as the opening riffs to "Something About You" pumps through the speakers. Since I'm listing tracks, let's start at the beginning and just name the songs that I really liked here:

• "Praying to the Beat"
• "Hit Line"
• "Pointless"
• "Keep in Touch" (sounds like a kissing cousin to "The Politics of Dancing")
• "The Politics of Dancing"

 Honourable mention "Hurt" a song that sometimes really works for me, and then at times is "meh" - depending on coffee and mood I guess. Still if you're following along with the credits, that's almost all of the album. Considering I still buy things to get a single song that's a freaking cornucopia of awesomeness.

Of course to others this represents the nadir of the '80s, with bland uninspired programmed beats, an over saturation of robotic sounding guitars and the obligatory snarling new wave vocal delivery. Those are the same people who at the time drank their Long Island Ice-teas, sipped on berry flavoured coolers and spent too much time worrying about their hair and leg warmers - but now they're too cool to acknowledge their past. Of course the musical snobs back then were probably very much into real musicians, and Re-Flex was just another in a long line of pretenders trying to ape the better qualities of Mister Bowie. Hey, I liked Bowie, and frankly without him the world would have missed out of Stevie Ray Vaughn.

I can admit that all of the criticism about their sound is justified to a point, but the band was riding the wave and we at the top of their game and what they put out was as good or better than what their peers were producing. Fortune may favour the bold, but as Kurt Vonnegut observed, "History is merely a list of surprises. It can only prepare us to be surprised yet again" That's kind of how this album is for me. I'd not heard it in a single sitting for a long time, and the songs from my youth I sparked a lot of "Oohs and Aahs" and the ones that weren't as familiar were welcome additions and I wondered often how could I forget this? 

Some credits and stuff:

Re-Flex was John Baxter, know simply as Baxter played guitar and sang the songs, Paul Fishman  provided keyboards and computers and vocals and the band were rounded out with Roland Vaughan Kerridge who played and programmed drums and Nigel Ross-Scott played bass. The record was produced by John Punter, who'd worked with the likes of Roxy Music, Japan and even Mr. Big.