Bideodromage
This Bostonian outfit burst upon the “New Wave” scene with the release of their 1st album in 1978. World domination duly ensued. Frontman and primary composer/vocalist Ric Ocasek may not have had the market cornered in the Enigmatic department, but certainly he was an upper-echelon representative.
An introduction to some of the provocative musical goings-on way back in the 1980s. We have: The Vapors, Falco, Eddy Grant, Peter Schilling, Dead or Alive, Wang Chung, The Alarm, XTC, Lene Lovich, Pete Shelley, Echo and the Bunnymen, Paul Young, Bryan Adams, Human League, Simple Minds, Pet Shop Boys, Lloyd Cole, Fiction Factory, Psychedelic Furs, Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark, Dream Academy, Crowded House, Split Enz, Squeeze, Tears for Fears, and The Housemartins.
The above constitutes a smattering of incredible live performances by this ensemble, mainly the 1980 iteration, which included guitar maestro Adrian Belew. David Byrne, it could be argued, virtually created “New Wave” {or *something*} with the inexplicable, unpinpointable, wondrous peregrinations of his vocals. Plus, the unusual “dancing”{or Nureyev/??-like movements}. Much more than an iconoclast, Byrne simply brought into the time/space continuum, things that were previously Noumenal, undefinable. An epoch-defining genius.
A few comments on our selections {NOT all of them!!}: Cities {1983, 1982, *and* 1980 versions} *might* be David Byrne’s high-water mark as an “umm, what???” vocalist. The Impossible writ upon a landscape. Pulled Up and Mind, at the very least, are looking uneasily over their shoulders. The “He’s come undone” staggerings/lurchings in Psycho Killer {1983} are also enough to keep one alive for several epochs; the 1979 Mudd Club version is electrifying, mystique-laden; ridiculously brilliant. Both versions of Drugs have an eerie, haunting element all of their own; Dollette McDonald and Adrian B contribute mightily. Crosseyed {all versions} is simply a collective singe-fest.
Bideodromage 