Old Enough to Forget

Fine Young Cannibals disappeared at the height of their popularity ... or at least that's how it seemed. It's a blur now as to when this came out. I know my record and CD (I got the CD first, and just recently found a copy of the album, and couldn't help myself ... although I should have) I know the pressings say 1988, but the songs were on the radio and MuchMusic in 1989. I don't think it matters, but in my mind's eye I think of sunny days and blue sky when I think of "She Drives Me Crazy" so it was probably was in the spring of '89. It doesn't matter. I do remember seeing the video for "Johnny Come Home" back in '85 and it was intriguing enough that I almost bought the album ... didn't, but almost. That album also had a cover of Elvis' "Suspicious Minds" that had a quirky cool vibe. So when a few years later "She Drives Me Crazy" hit, and boy did it hit. Those fat, and I mean FAT guitars that start the so...

Back in 1984 I knew this band from the video for "Tenderness" that seemed to be on whenever I turned on the television to watch MuchMusic. Admittedly it was a catchy song, but that was as far as it went. I mean really that year Van Halen crushed it with 1984 and Toto dropped Isolation an album that was met with silence, but was to me amazing and they were in heavy rotation most of the year. There were so many great albums that me taking a foray into English new wave laced with ska wasn't really on my radar. Still, I never forgot that one song. So last week I was diving in the bins and there between a couple of Neil Diamond albums was All the Rage . Well, for a buck I was at least going to get one good song. The album was in iffy shape, but the jacket was okay, but the liner notes were gone.  Now, having recently spent time with Haircut One Hundred I was pretty much in the same neighbourhood as General Public. Curious I looked the band up and there were a number of little ...