Old Enough to Forget

Time for a little Canadiana. Funny how some acts can be so influential and yet be totally unknown to the rest of the world. Then again, to be fair some of these albums weren't well known at home either. You pays your money you takes your chance. I didn't have any of these albums back in the day, so it's been an interesting trip down memory lane. With Harlequin and Trooper I knew some of the songs, but on the others they were brand new to me. Sometimes that's awesome, sometimes it makes me sad to be so later to the party. I suppose it's better late than never. Harlequin - One False Move (1982) Lava Hay - Lava Hay (1990)  The Front - Gina's at a Party (1983) The Kings - Amazon Beach (1981) Trooper - Thick as Thieves (1978) Harlequin - One False Move (1982) - Harlequin's third album, and the last of their records to be produced by the legendary Jack Douglas. I still have no idea why I never got this album at the time as I liked the songs I heard on the radi...

I found this one about a year ago, and put it in the wrong pile and sort of forgot about it. I was playing The Cry, also released in 1980, and the new wave organ on a couple of their songs reminded me of The Kings, and then it was like, "Hey, I really need to sit and listen to The Kings." Like most people I have a soft spot for their double sided hit. "This Beat Goes On/Switchin' To Glide" that is always played as a combo, and they're among a rarefied few who can command that kind of airtime. "Feeling That Way / Anytime" by Journey and "We Will Rock You / We are the Champions" by Queen come to mind, and maybe one or two others that escape me at the moment. To say this was career defining for the band is sort of an understatement. However, I have always been curious about what else was out there, and I know I could have just gone and streamed it, but I held off. "Why?" you ask. I dunno, why not? The band's sound was a curious...

I managed to score a sealed copy of The Cry's 1980 debut. I'll admit I knew nothing about them before snagging the album. It had an interesting cover and the back cover photo seemed to exude some pretty serious new wave vibes. Skinny ties and striped shirts and tight pants. From the first cut this as indeed new wave keyboard / organ pop that was blending the first wave of post punk. That same year The Kings would be mining the same musical vein with their debut. The difference is you've likely heard of The Kings and their one two punch of "This Beat Goes On" and "Switchin' to Glide" and you have no idea who The Cry were. It doesn't help at all that The Cry are nowhere to be found on any of the streaming sites. This is actually really really good stuff, and this would have been right at the forefront of what was going on. As expected there was very little out there about The Cry - at least this version of The Cry. There were a couple of other iter...