Where bought? I think this was X Records in Bolton. It's in such a shabby state that I can't think why I picked it up. It's also an American copy (credited to The Chameleons UK).
The Chameleons are generally considered one of those UK 80s guitar indie bands that didn't get their due; three solid records with no major mis-steps, clearly an influence on later artists like Interpol, and generally took some of the poses of post-punk into interesting places.
Listening now and that mostly holds up, though the singer has an occasional tendency to switch from this gentle Mancunian accent to a weird Tony Clifton style crooner belt that is a bit disarming. Not bad, but maybe if I'd been behind the desk I'd have asked for another take.
'Soul In Isolation' and 'Time/The End of Time' are the best, mixing gloom and portent with tension and release. The lyrics are just earnest enough to give the songs a punch-the-air quality, which is pretty rare in mid-80s music made for people who wear long wool coats in all weathers.
People tend to wax rhapsodic about 'Swamp Thing' but I find it a weird precursor to baggy that doesn't quite work, like a guitar clinic demo for a pedal that was discontinued.
The rest is all pretty solid without being incredible. My days of loving this sort of music are past, though I know some people for whom the Chameleons mean deep personal joy, and it does remind me of things like our guitarist singing along in the tourbus in a jovial way.
No comments:
Post a Comment