RhoDeo 1202 Aetix

Hello, Aetix delves up more sparks from that decade (77-87) that spawned so much new music the world now 25+ years later still loves what was produced in those independent days when the music scene for a short time freed themselves from unimaginative riskfree corporate control. A few years later and the suits once more regained distribution control, which they lost, this time forever, a decade later to a variety of internet channels.

Having lost almost all control it looks the music industry times are changing as the movie and publishing industry have thrown in their weight to stop their fat profits from eroding, and as the US government is controlled by corporate fascists these days, it looks the internet will be losing it's virginity as it's about to be raped by a bunch of fat sociopath bastards.

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The Psychedelic Furs, whose name belies their punk-influenced music, were formed in England in 1977 by brothers Richard Butler (vocals) and Tim Butler (bass), along with saxophone player Duncan Kilburn and guitarist Roger Morris. By the time they released their self-titled debut album in 1980, the group had become a sextet, adding guitarist John Ashton and drummer Vince Ely. The Psychedelic Furs' debut, a self-titled album from 1980, was produced by Steve Lillywhite. The album quickly established the band on radio in Europe and was a #18 hit in the UK Albums Chart. It also found success in Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Australia. The US version of the album was resequenced, but failed to have a strong commercial impact..

Talk Talk Talk (1981) did better, produced two British singles chart entries, one of which was "Pretty in Pink," later also a hit in the U.S. when a new version was used as the title song of a film. Forever Now (1982) saw the band reduced to a quartet with the departure of Kilburn and Morris. The rest moved to the U.S., turned to producer Todd Rundgren, Ely left, and the remaining trio of the two Butlers and Ashton made Mirror Moves (1984), the biggest Psychedelic Furs hit yet.

By the mid 1980s, the band had become a staple on both US college and modern rock radio stations. Simultaneously, they were experiencing consistent mainstream success, placing several singles in the charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

The film Pretty in Pink helped spread their name further before the release of their next album, Midnight to Midnight (1987), which consequently got good sales. Book of Days (1989) marked the return of Vince Ely, but was a considerable commercial disappointment. World Outside (1991) also failed to find an audience. The Psychedelic Furs then folded up shop, and Richard Butler launched a new group, Love Spit Love. The band released two albums, 1994's Love Spit Love and 1997's Trysome Eatone with disapointing results, still Butler kept on. He began writing songs for a supposed solo effort as the '90s came to a close. Those sessions led to new songs with brother Tim and a subsequent Furs reunion in early 2000.

They tested the waters and their audience for a joint summer tour with the Go-Go's, and the reception was warm. A year later, the Psychedelic Furs -- now featuring Love Spit Love guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Earl Harvin -- headlined their own club gigs across North America. Beautiful Chaos, a live album capturing some of the band's greatest hits from the last tour, was issued in November 2001.

Since then, lead singer Richard Butler has released an eponymous solo album, Richard Butler. The band continues to tour around the world. The current Psychedelic Furs touring line-up is Richard Butler, Tim Butler, Rich Good, Mars Williams, Amanda Kramer and Paul Garisto.

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Emerging from the incipient post-punk London scene with a healthy fascination for late-'70s Bowie, the Furs arrive in a dense cloud on their debut. Richard Butler's Thin-White-Duke-after-smoking vocal rasp has a surprising appeal, serving up a wry, slightly detached series of lyrics on life. Production mainly comes from Steve Lillywhite, who smartly steers away from the soon-to-be-clichéd touches he would bring to U2's early work. "India" is a good example; it has a brooding, quiet beginning with strange telegraphic signals and turns into a brawling rocker. The record comes off as serious without being self-consciously deep, occasional toe-dipping into humorous aside, sometimes with appropriate if sarcastically delivered song quotes. "Wedding Song" is amusingly prescient as one of the first "white rockers go hip-hop" numbers of its kind, along with Blondie's "Rapture," though its inspiration could equally be dub.

The Psychedelic Furs – The Psychedelic Furs (flac 383mb)

01 India 6:21
02 Sister Europe 5:38
03 Imitation Of Christ 5:28
04 Fall 2:40
05 Pulse 2:37
06 We Love You 3:26
07 Wedding Song 4:19
08 Blacks/Radio 6:56
09 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

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Furs' third album, Forever Now saw them recording over the pond and under the guidance of Todd Rundgren. Likely exercising the same controlling approach that he was notorious for, from his work with every act from the New York Dolls to XTC, Rundgren brought in legendary backup vocal duo Flo & Eddie as well as a cellist, two horn players, and himself on keyboards. The end result is simply fantastic, fusing the post-punk charge of the first two albums with a new synth-based approach that works wonders. Ashton's guitar often settles back in the mix a bit to allow Rundgren's wall of sound to come together fully, often with great success. The title track is a great example of this, an inspirational anthem where Ashton fully and appropriately lets go right at the end. The most well-known song is one that, for the Furs, was their most atypical single to date: "Love My Way." Butler's very Bowie-like vocals and lyrics slyly celebrate and ponder the triumphant synth rock scene of the time, while Rundgren's often quirky keyboards take the lead in place of Ashton's guitar. "Goodbye" has a brisk, horn-driven punch underscoring Butler's wickedly sour au revoir to a past love; "Sleep Comes Down" mixes Tim Butler's lovely bassline and Rundgren's piano; "President Gas" wryly takes a shot at Reagan while avoiding obvious platitudes.

The Psychedelic Furs - Forever Now ( flac 463mb)

01 Forever Now 5:35
02 Love My Way 3:33
03 Goodbye 3:56
04 Only You And I 4:25
05 Sleep Comes Down 3:51
06 President Gas 5:19
07 Run And Run 3:48
08 Danger 2:37
09 No Easy Street 4:06
Bonus Tracks
10 Yes I Do (Merry-Go-Round) 3:54
11 Alice's House (Early Version) 4:17
12 Aeroplane (b side) 3:25
13 I Don't Want To Be Your Shadow (b side) 3:50
14 Mary Go Round (Previously Unreleased Version Of "Yes I Do") 3:52
15 President Gas (Live/b side) 5:15
16 No Easy Street (Live) 5:37

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Having made tentative inroads toward a wider American audience with Forever Now, the Psychedelic Furs' profile-raising and partial transformation continued with Mirror Moves. Very much a product of its mid-'80s time, Keith Forsey produced, his drum machine providing the beats while synths played an even more prominent role than before. It may not be the classic sound of the band but it is an often rewarding and inspiring listen. It didn't hurt that some of the band's best songs made an appearance here, either. Both "The Ghost in You" and "Heaven" balanced off a warm sound that managed to be radio-friendly on the one hand and surprisingly barbed on the other. Richard Butler's lyrics were some of his slyest and sharpest, a tone maintained throughout the album, while his one of a kind speak/sing clipped rasp kept things from being too lost even at the album's least inspired. Unlike the following Midnight to Midnight album, however -- where everything the Furs had going for them turned into a screeching halt -- Mirror Moves holds up fairly consistently. "Here Come Cowboys," with its combination guitar/string chug (or so it sounds!) and a brilliant slow descending chorus, and the driving, nervous piano and massed vocals on "Alice's House" are two particular winners. The secret highlight of the album is also its closer -- "Highwire Days," as brilliant a meditation on '80s-era political paranoia and fears as was done at the time. Butler's imagery is to the point without moralizing or dumbing down, while the tense arrangement suggests a more synth-based equivalent to the Chameleons, at once scaled for epic heights and almost uncomfortably close.

The Psychedelic Furs - Mirror Moves (flac 263mb)

01 The Ghost In You 4:17
02 Here Come Cowboys 3:57
03 Heaven 3:27
04 Heartbeat 5:17
05 My Time 4:27
06 Like A Stranger 4:00
07 Alice's House 3:53
08 Only A Game 4:13
09 Highwire Days 3:58

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elsewhere re-upped too 17-05-20

The Psychedelic Furs - Talk Talk Talk ( 81 ^393mb)

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