GARY MYRICK & THE FIGURES/Reissues reviewed!

GARY MYRICK & THE FIGURES/Gary Myrick & The Figures (+ bonus tracks)

From All Music Guide:

"During the Punk, Power Pop and New Wave heyday of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Los Angeles gave birth to some of the finest bands of all three genres. From X, The Germs, The Dickies and Social Distortion to The Knack, The Plimsouls, 20/20, The Go-Go’s and The Last, there were so many exciting bands treading the boards in Southern California. But of all the acts that emerged during this time, there were two unique outfits that used the energy of the scene but took the music in a different direction: Jules & The Polar Bears and Gary Myrick & The Figures. Both Jules Shear and Gary Myrick were immensely talented songwriters, but neither of them chose to stick to the “simple, short and sweet” formula that their contemporaries had been so successful with. Of the two, Myrick seemed the most likely to achieve commercial success.

The Texas-born guitarist formed The Figures in the midst of the Power Pop/New Wave explosion, inking a record deal and releasing their debut album in 1980. Their self-titled debut album was an amazing slice of audio energy and excitement that still sounds fresh and invigorating nearly 30 years later. With Myrick’s skillful guitar playing (he NEVER overplays), top notch songwriting skills and the band’s tight dynamic, this was one heck of musical statement.

While the album was one of the most impressive debut albums of the ‘80s, Myrick and co-horts crafted a slice of wax that was unique and, ultimately, hard to categorize. Was it Power Pop? Well, it certainly IS melodic but not sweet and sugary. Is it New Wave? Well, it certainly IS unique but not quirky or bathed in neon colors. Gary Myrick & The Figures was an album that stood virtually alone in a sea of records that were released during this era. There were shades of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Blues, Post-Punk, Power Pop, Punk and New Wave but not enough of each genre to easily classify the album.

“She Talks In Stereo” was a big radio hit and should have been the track that pushed the band to the top of the charts, but it wasn’t meant to be, I suppose. Other highlights off the album include the lead track “Living Disaster”, “Ever Since The World Began”, “Meaningless” and the epic “She’s So Teenage”. Not a bad song in the bunch. The only real disappointment is the fact that the album didn’t do better than it should have!

The excellent Wounded Bird CD reissue adds nine live tracks that prove that the band’s sound was not manufactured in the studio. Normally, I avoid live recordings at all costs, but even I’ll admit these are essential cuts from an exciting era in music history."-Stephen SPAZ Schnee

GARY MYRICK & THE FIGURES/Living In A Movie (+ bonus tracks)

From All Music Guide:

"Their 1981 sophomore album, Living In A Movie, is a different ball of wax. Where their debut was drenched in adrenalin and sweat, Living In A Movie sounds like it’s bathed in darkness and paranoia. It’s not so much a case of the ‘sophomore jinx’ as it is the sound of a band whose bubble has been burst and they’ve been left alone to make sense of everything. While not the equal of the debut, this second album has plenty going for it. .

From the lead track, “I’m Not A Number” (another radio hit for Myrick), Living In A Movie twists and turns in directions previously only hinted at on their debut album. While still unclassifiable, the album veers closer to a jagged Post-Punk edge as it moves away from the hooky tunes of the previous year. The energy is still evident, but the album is bathed in more shadows than light.

Highlights include “Romance”, “Penetrate My Heart’ and “No Crisis”, which is about the only track that comes close to sounding like the first record, but perhaps that’s not a bad thing? If Myrick and the boys had made a carbon copy of the debut, then the results would have probably sounded forced and fake.

On it’s own, Living In A Movie is a fantastic off-center musical trip that never gets dull. Compared to the debut, it’s a less frantic ride but still reaches the same destination. The Wounded Bird reissue adds four bonus live tracks previously only available on a promo 12” single. Of those four tracks, “Fame Is Dangerous” is unavailable elsewhere."-Stephen SPAZ Schnee

BOTH TITLES AVAILABLE NOW!

GREAT BUILDINGS/Apart From The Crowd review

Back in '79, PUNK ROCK had seemingly run it's course but certainly had made a huge impact on the charts. There were still plenty of worthy Punk bands from all over the world (and still are) but, although the Punk scene had kick-started the indie label scene, the major labels tended to avoid all but the most melodic of the Punk breed (The Clash, The Jam, 999, Buzzccocks, The Stranglers, etc.).

Slowly but surely, the musicians that were energized by the whole movement began creating a new sound that retained the energy of Punk but added melodic hooks and a clean, commercial polish. This sound was called NEW WAVE and it became one of the biggest musical movements since... well, Punk! The New Wave sound was a lot easier to promote and had a better chance of chart action, so the major labels began snapping up any band capable of writing a catchy hook.

One of New Wave's most respected 'sub-categories' was Power Pop. Power Pop was certainly not new, since early '70s bands like Raspberries and Badfinger had achieved great success years earlier but the scene was re-energized when The Knack became the first Power Pop superstars of the New Wave generation. In 1979, their single "My Sharona" and the album Get The Knack became major hits and practically every label started searching the underground New Wave nightclubs for 'the next Knack'.

Thankfully, there were plenty of worthy bands to sign including 20/20, The Plimsouls, The Beat (AKA Paul Collins' Beat) and many many others. Even quirky outfits like Jules & The Polar Bears (fronted by Jules Shear) became part of this burgeoning scene. In no time, L.A. became THE place to find the perfect Power Pop band.

Great Buildings were a quartet with roots stretching back to the mid-'70s. Vocalist Danny Wilde and bassist Ian Ainsworth had been members of the Sparks-inspired band The Quick, who had released their Mondo Deco album in 1976. The Quick actually ended up spawning some of L.A.'s finest: drummer Danny Benair, went on to help form The Three O'clock while guitarist Steven Hufsteter played in bands like The Dickies before forming The Cruzados.

But anyway, back to Great Buildings...

A while after The Quick split, Wilde and Ainsworth joined forces with guitarist Phil Solem and drummer Richard Sandford in a quartet they christened Great Buildings. Though they weren't immediately caught up in the Power Pop scene in '79, within a year, the labels came sniffing around and the band were eventually signed, releasing their debut album, Apart From The Crowd, in 1981.

And thanks to Wounded Bird, we get to experience this fab platter in all it's glory... ON CD!

Apart From The Crowd is about as perfect as a Power Pop album gets. Hell, it's a perfect Rock album and a perfect New Wave album, too! The melodies are infectious, the production is timeless and the harmonies are heavenly. The album's lead track (and single) "Hold On To Something", should have made these guys stars. It's catchy as sin and the arrangement is flawless. The energy and joy that leaps from the speakers during the song's 3 minutes and 47 seconds makes you want to go back and hear it again. And again. And again!

Thankfully, "Hold On To Something" is just the beginning of an exceptional album that definitely has stood the test of time (has it really been 28 years since this gem was released?). "One Way Out", "...And The Light Goes On", "Combat Zone" and "Love Goes Blind" are filled with all the same ingredients and also beg for repeated listenings. In fact, before you know it, 40 minutes after you push play, the album is over and you'll find yourself leaping up to start it all over again!

Robert Palmer must have felt this way since he ended up covering the track "Maybe It's You" on his Maybe It's Live release!

If you're hip to what Power Pop is all about, then this is essential listening. If you want to know what Power Pop is all about, then this is essential listening. If you just want to hear some great songs to cruise along to, then this is essential listening. If you're not picking up what I'm laying down, then let me spell it out: E-S-S-E-N-T-I-A-L!

Sadly, this is the band's sole release. They recorded a second album but it was never released and it languishes in the vaults.

Solem and Ainsworth eventually left the band, leaving Wilde and Sandford to carry on. They continued using the Great Buildings name for a few years, but the momentum was gone and they quietly split. Sadly, Sandford died a few years later.

Danny Wilde later signed a solo deal with Island, recruited Solem into his band and recorded the Great Buildings-like album The Boyfriend. Solem split again and Wilde continued as a solo artist. In 1990, Wilde and Solem reappeared on the music scene as The Rembrandts, scoring a hit with "That's Just The Way It Is Baby" and then, in 1995, hit paydirt with "I'll Be There For You", the theme song from the hit TV show, Friends!

Thus ends our lesson for today! There will be a quiz at the end of the week, so don't forget to study!

Hold on to something,

Stephen SPAZ Schnee