2025 X-Wave Journal Vol. 1

*Ministry - With Sympathy. 1983 Arista (MC). I originally obtained this on LP with the 2019 80's collection buy but decided to take the profit, even though I had a solid rating for it. This relisten resulted in a +1, so I'll keep the next LP I find (if I find it...). To be honest even after that first listen some six years ago, I thought this was a different Ministry from the band I knew from the late 80s and early 90s. In fact I thought this band was British and then broke up. Haha. My confusion is common of course. Starting out in Chicago, Ministry hopped on (or was pushed on depending on your source of truth) the synthpop bandwagon. Apparently the duo's heart turned dark and they created a new world for themselves - that of industrial metal. A very angry music indeed. You would never know that by the jolly and upbeat tones of With Sympathy. The interesting thing about Ministry, in retrospect, is just how good they were at New Wave music. It's far more complex and involved than your garden variety dance pop group. A fascinating beginning to a fascinating band. I'm sure at some point I will find their metal albums, one of which I owned on CD many years ago but sold off. (Feb)

Steve Hackett - A Doll That's Made in Japan / Just the Bones. 1984 Lamborghini (12" single). At 13 minutes it's really an EP length. As with all of Hackett's Genesis contemporaries - all obvious prog guys - this single belongs to 80s music. A) side is a mix of Japanese music (novelty level), glossy 80s with synthesizers and digital drums, and a nice guitar solo. B) side is similar but leaves off the Japanese angle. Not so bad really, just such a disappointment that none of the Genesis guys would acknowledge their heritage during the 80s. (Feb)

Modern English - Ricochet Days. 1984 Sire (MC). Here's a good test of a band I revere from a nostalgic perspective (After the Snow, an LP I own), who released Ricochet Days during that strike zone (early 80s), but I don't recognize anything from it. Does it hold up and is it collection worthy? Yes and no. For example A3 and B2 are rewrites of 'I Melt With You' and there's this persistent feeling that there isn't much more under the blanket from a creative viewpoint. Elsewhere there's a distinctive turn towards The Beatles baroque psych pop of 1966-67. Englishness as it were, living up to their name at least. All of which is inoffensive but not inspiring either. A reasonable follow-up to their classic work, yet lacking in something. Authenticity perhaps? I like it but won't keep it. (Feb)

*Missing Persons - Spring Session M. 1982 Capitol (MC). I've had this on vinyl before but didn't take notes. Thinking it was part of that 2019 80's buy. I did decide to keep their next effort Rhyme & Reason. So let's get a fresh take on their debut full-length. Right away I notice a more aggressive hard rock guitar attack throughout, something they most certainly softened on subsequent releases. These guys were from the Zappa camp, so musicianship was not an afterthought. As I continue to say (too often, just in this post alone), these 80s albums work best when I get a nostalgia pull, especially the early part of the decade while still in high school. And there's a few tracks here that bring back that unique period of time. Yea, I'm keeping this, and like with A-ha below, will replace it with the LP whenever I find it in the wilds (this one still goes for cheap). (Feb)

Madonna - True Blue. 1986 Sire (Canada) (MC). I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the first two Madonna's. I was able to appreciate both the nostalgia aspect as well as her artistic abilities from an objective standpoint, now that we're 40 years on from the lightning rod opinions that surrounded her in the early 80s. By the time of True Blue, my nostalgia meter falls off (just in general this is the case), as by then I was deep diving into the European prog underground of the 70s, and not paying much attention to contemporary pop culture. In addition, it's clear the creative well is running dry for Ms. Ciccone. 'Papa Don't Preach' and 'La Isla Bonita" are the two tracks I recognize from here and both I enjoy. Much of the others (not all) sound like filler to support the next tour. I'm interested in hearing her other albums just to see what triggers. Remember that Mrs. UMR was a big fan when we were newly married (hard to believe that was 28 years ago), and she owned a Best Of, which we listened to often in the car on road trips. Today she could care less about Madonna, but I'm still intrigued. Funny how that works. I also found a near perfect LP copy late last year at a thrift shop, and now I can safely move that to the record show boxes. (Jan)

*A-ha - Hunting High and Low. 1985 Warner Bros. (Canada) (MC). Well... finally. Despite buying multiple 80s collections and thrift shop dumps in the last six years, I have yet to run into a single A-ha album - in any format. I know this Norwegian group better from their super obscure 60s retro band Bridges (which doesn't even get mentioned in their Wikipedia entry) than I do for their obvious hit records. First track is 'Take on Me', which is mid-80s MTV college bullseye material right there. This is exactly the kind of synth pop I enjoy. Energetic, danceable (not that I'm doing that), and melodic. As I often say, these albums tend to work for me when there's a nostalgia play, and that's what we get with Hunting High and Low. I'll hold onto this tape until I eventually find their LP. (Jan)

Bangles. 1983 Faulty (MC). Before the gals became a hit sensation, they released a single and an EP on private and small labels. Known originally as The Bangs, they shifted on this EP to simply Bangles (one can imagine the double entendre problem). The music here is different than what they were to become. A mid to late 60s garage girl styled group sound emerges. RYM refers to this 80s movement out of Los Angeles as Paisley Underground. Not bad at all. (Jan)

Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion. 1993 Sire (CD). This album is the highly rated follow-up to their lauded classic Violator. Even for a non-fan like me, I kept that CD. But this title didn't stir up much reaction. Whereas I saw Violator as the bookend of the synth wave movement, I hear Songs of Faith and Devotion as a tired retread of ideas with a purposeful move to alternative rock, which is definitely not my music of choice. Given its popularity with the general public, I just have to accept it's good for the style and leave it at that. (Jan)

Camouflage - Greyscale. 2015 Bureau B (CD). Just like with Surface 10 that is on the DiN label, there's no way I'm passing up anything on Bureau B for a couple of bucks. I had no idea who Camouflage were, but they apparently were legends from the synth-pop scene in Germany going back to the 80s (of course). And that's exactly how I heard this album without any pre-conceived notions. In fact I just pushed it into my car CD changer without even looking at it, and had forgotten they were on Bureau B, trying to figure out why I bought it in the first place. The label's description is telling: "Their music brilliantly combined the icy coolness of Kraftwerk, the pop of OMD and the melancholy gloom of Depeche Mode.". The latter group is what entered my mind first, and funny to see that I just covered OMD. In fact, I think I did find these together last year at the same shop. The vocal tracks are too much of the original scene, as noted below, and that only works with me if the recording is from that era. The instrumentals, however, are more exciting, including one Krautrock styled flute driven number. Much better than OMD's attempt below, but a long way from collection shelf space. (Jan)

OMD - The Punishment of Luxury. 2017 White Noise (CD). I didn't even realize these guys were around much past the 80s. And after hearing this CD, they haven't really moved on from the synth pop style. Sounds dogeared to me. Not quite sure how you can advance this style too much, though I guess I could say the same thing about straight ahead thrash metal. Anyway, nothing here for me to hold onto. Music like this only works for me if it's from the 80s, and as a pure nostalgia play. (Jan)

* - Keeping for the collection

2020 X-Wave Journal Vol. 1 - Complete

*Laurie Anderson - Big Science. 1982 Warner Bros. (LP) With the two below (Dec). I do have some history with this album. Going back, once again, to early college. During Chemistry Lab 101, our young professor assistant (the same guy who basically told us when we catch on fire - not if...) enjoyed playing a cassette tape of this album during our lab sessions. I was very intrigued by the music, except... it was the absolute wrong setting. Laurie Anderson is anything but background music for lab work. So it came across as annoying, primarily because we were focused on the task at hand. So we begged him to stop playing the cassette... It's been 37 years since that event, and I'm hearing Big Science for the first time on an attentive listen. Well, I did my best anyway. As one reviewer noted, it must be considered absurd that she was a commercial success during this period. There is nothing catchy about Big Science. This is one-of-a-kind music that's for sure. Here are the genres RYM associates with only this album: Art Pop, Experimental, Spoken Word, Minimal Synth, Electronic, Post-Minimalism. I'm sure I could add some more. Overall I found the album alluring, though maybe not satisfying. But it's highly unique and would require a mindset change to appreciate further. I keep albums like that.

*Missing Persons - Rhyme & Reason. 1984 Capitol (LP). With the B-52's (Dec). For whatever reason, I find myself enjoying Missing Persons more than others of this ilk. It's a heavily synthesized mid 80s sound, but the melodies are solid, and the musicianship is a few cuts above the rest. Of course they all played with Zappa, so that could be one reason... I've actually never seen or heard this record before (1984 was early college, so I had even less to do with anything associated with New Wave). I was surprised, perhaps disappointed, that it's only a $5 record even in mint shape. But the good news is - I'm keeping it anyway!

The B-52's. 1979 Warner Bros. (LP). Thrift shop find (Dec). I have a story for you on The B-52's. The best part of a blog is that I have a captive audience. And the best part for you is... you don't have to read it. Ha! So... in 1998, I was a consultant for a large ERP software company, and my gig in those days was as a DBA - when I still had real applicable skills and didn't rust my brain out in "leadership". Specifically performance and tuning was my specialty. Since many of our clients had serious performance issues, I was in high demand nationwide, flying coast to coast to get them back on track. And when said company had their annual User's Conference, I was asked to run a one hour session on the topic. Because the topic was so popular, we would get one of the large auditoriums in the Moscone Center (ah forgot to mention that the conference was in San Francisco). We had over 1,000 people in attendance, standing room only. Now for an introvert like me, that's quite daunting. However, when a room is that big, it's actually more like doing radio (which I had already done for three years) - basically talking into the abyss. All the same, introverts like me (we're not shy by the way - common misconception - it's that we give off lots of energy, and thus are completely drained by people being around us, especially extroverts) - are massively exhausted after such an event. And it was at the end of day. And it's a conference. Meaning... I need a drink. Bad. And free drinks are everywhere of course. Wine please. Next glass. Next glass. Next... You get the idea. One of the other interesting aspects to these conferences is their ability to bring in top music acts. Maybe not currently top, but at one point they were. I've seen Jefferson Airplane, Tower of Power, and many others this way. Of course the software companies were (and are) super wealthy, and so they could offer up quite the event purse to any band willing to "sell out" to Corporate America. And on this night in November - as the evening carried on, and I'm bombed out of my mind - there's the The B-52's! I didn't really know them that well, but certainly remember them from my high school days of the early 80s. But given the state I was in, they were the perfect antidote. High energy concert, and a helluva lot of fun. I can still image it perfectly. Of course I was right in front of them (not my natural state, I must say). Good times. Oh, the album you ask? It's OK - decent I guess. Kind of campy really, and not much impact at home listening to the stereo, even with the trusty craft beer by my side. But I think The B-52's are more for the live setting. That's their element. 

999 - The Biggest Prize in Sport. 1980 Polydor (LP). With The Sunset Bombers (Nov). Like many budget bin albums, I bought it primarily for resale. Sometimes I listen to them, and sometimes I just scan the album and move to the sale box (and don't bother to rate). Ah, let's try this one - it's tagged punk rock on RYM. But it's not my definition of punk. Pretty harmless stuff. In this way I was more reminded of The Clash. Side 1 was better than I thought it would be, with some pretty good songs and guitar work. Side 2 was monotonous in contrast. Not bad, but just not my thing.

The Sunset Bombers - Sunset Bombers. 1978 Ariola (LP). From a local store (Nov). In the late 70s, one could tell the music tide was changing to a more aggressive, simplistic rock. Egged on by the music media, the day of complex, thought provoking rock, was coming to a close. Their primary argument: That's not what rock music is. As if such a declaration was etched on a tablet from On High. I'm sure this album was met with critical acclaim... and little sales. It's super boring and all the songs sound the same. It does possess good energy though. Features one of the guys who went on to The Knack, who honestly weren't much better, but had one great track to propel them to fame and fortune.

Living Dolls - Emotional Parade. 1986 Fine Line (EP). From a Denver area record store (Nov). Four track EP from Seattle based group. The music here is definitely New Wave, and it's a bit late in the game for this kind of sound. Good for what it is though, but not lighting my fire.

*Pulling Faces - Dance of Ghosts. 1987 Wea (Ireland). Excellent thrift shop find (Oct). I was pleasantly surprised by the contents - a fine mix of 80s new wave... and hard rock! Sort of like The Slapp 45 I wrote about here not long ago. Definitely holding onto this one.

*The Police - Ghost in the Machine. 1981 A&M (LP). Thrift shop find (Oct). This is the point where I start to really enjoy The Police. Focusing on nothing more than Sting's excellent bass work opens a lot of doors for appreciating this title. One of those iconic albums that define the term "80's music".

*Duran Duran - Rio. 1982 Capitol (LP). One of those albums that define my high school years, or the latter part of them. I was favorable to Duran Duran even back then, but didn't go so far as to buy their albums. I was still a metal head getting into progressive and electronic. Duran Duran were for the boys who "played for the other team" (don't make me explain). About 5 years ago, I went to a rare garage sale (there was a brief period in 2015 that allowed me to do what I do every week now) and this lady had tons of CDs. And this was in the stack. And it brought back a flood of memories. So now the LP found its way to a thrift (Oct). And I'm enjoying it even more now. They have an edge on them, with great guitar and superb songwriting. I hope to find others by the band. They have proven to be elusive so far. Certainly this is the first copy I've found in two years of doing this. Of course I could just go to a record shop and pay a few dollars more. But that's no fun.

* - Keeping for the collection