"Broken on a ship of fools, even dreams must fall to rules."
Once upon a time (at the dawn of the eighties to be exact), the ironically named Psychedelic Furs were a hard-boiled, dark as fuck Post-Punk band harboring semi-secret fetishes for Punk-Rock aggression and Kraut-Rock-inspired experimentation as heard through the prism of David Bowie's "Berlin Trilogy." With a lead singer, Richard Butler, who sounded like a cigarette-soaked Bowie idolater, understated yet inventive guitar-work by John Ashton, and Duncan Kilburn's startling saxophone, The Psychedelic Furs forged a sound that was quite unique within the context of the early Post-Punk movement. On their self-titled debut- produced by, of all people, Steve Lillywhite, one of the progenitors of eighties era studio clichés- the band serve up a thick slice of percussive, sneering, and often difficult punk-pop. The obvious standout is "Sister Europe," a dark, slow burner that somehow manages to integrate Kraut-Rock and disco elements to create a sound that would soon be taken up and made more accessible by any number of New Wave bands. Just as brilliant is the opening track, "India," which is clearly inspired by Brian Eno's mid-seventies work. The song opens with a long synth-laden sound-scape punctuated with what sounds like radio static until the percussion kicks in and the song transforms into a pummeling, beautiful tour de force. This album is a hidden treasure for those whose opinions of this band were formed in response to their later, synth-pop efforts. If you proceed, prepare for a bruising revelation.
The Psychedelic Furs (2002 Expanded Re-Issue)
1. India (6:21)
2. Sister Europe (5:38)
3. Imitation of Christ (5:28)
4. Fall (2:40)
5. Pulse (2:37)
6. We Love You (3:26)
7. Wedding Song (4:19)
8. Blacks / Radio (6:56)
9. Flowers (4:10)
-Bonus Tracks-
10. Susan's Strange (3:13)
11. Soap Commercial (2:53)
12. Mack the Knife (B-Side) (4:18)
13. Flowers (Demo) (5:36)
Great stuff - their first three albums were superb imo.
ReplyDeleteAS a huge Psych Fur fan I could not have written a better review. Bruising revelation? Hell YES!
ReplyDeleteYes, Pretty In Pink was really good too
ReplyDeleteAnon., those first three albums are as good as anything else to be found from that era, but their later stuff seems to define their legacy unfortunately
ReplyDeletescurfie, thank you!
ReplyDeleteAnon. I plan to post the other two early albums as well
ReplyDeleteI must admit that at first, I had problems with Butler's broken voice and his way of singing... but now I love it. Great album.
ReplyDeleteDave, Butler's is an interesting voice. At first I found it derivative of Bowie, but while definitely influenced by the thin white duke, Butler does some interesting things with that hoarse voice
ReplyDeleteWill look forward to the second and third albums.
ReplyDeleteWhatever happened to your proposed Church discography?
Anon. it's still in the works; I can only do a few series at a time. The Church series will commence after the Talk Talk series concludes. After the 20 post Church series, I'm planning a Sylvian series
ReplyDeleteFirst time was with The Psychedelic Furs ;-) I still remember finding Sister Europe in a singles bin for a few pence, and buying Pretty In Pink with a free T shirt (that didn't fit)
ReplyDeleteone of my all time favourite bands :))
AndieJames, definitely one of my favorites too. I'll be posting their second and third albums soon, and who knows, I may just go ahead and post "Mirror Moves" too :)
ReplyDeleteM'eh! I was just listening to Mirror Moves while I was posting :))
ReplyDeleteA FLAC version of Talk Talk Talk would be a bonus as I only have a lossy rip from my old LP.
cheers bro ;-)
"Talk Talk Talk" will be up in FLAC either this weekend or early next week
ReplyDeleteThe Holy Trinity of Furs records: S/T, Talk Talk Talk, Forever Now.
ReplyDeleteOh, and Mirror Moves has its place, I guess.
yes, I know what you mean by "I guess." I feel the same way, but it does have some catchy tunes
ReplyDeletealex
ReplyDeleteif you say so
ReplyDeleteLove this album. It looks like this is the latest reissue. Is it just me or does this seem incredibly loud? It tore out of my speakers. Which is theoretically good, but I kinda prefer to turn it up, not down. (PS, great blog... just discovered plastic palace people as well.)
ReplyDeletePiltdownLad, good to have you with us. Yes, this remaster is louder than the original release. The sonic detail seems fine, but I should compare it to the original release. Glad you found the blog and thanks for following!
ReplyDeleteThe All of this and Nothing compilation has pretty much all of their best songs, and anyone wanting to get started with the furs should listen to it. Actually, everyone, no matter who or what or why, or how, should listen to it.
ReplyDeletePeople forget how great the first 3 albums are. I don't.
ReplyDelete