The 1980 Listening Post - Promise - Promise

Promise - Promise

#205

1980 Housekeeping

Promise

Promise

Genre: Man, they have listened to a LOT of Beatles

4 out of 5

Highlights:

Say Allright!

Back in My Heart

Main Street Lanes

Adam Schlesinger died this year. The Covid got him. That hit me pretty hard. You know his work. Because he’s been nearly ubiquitous for the past few years. If not from “Stacey’s Mom” with Fountains of Wayne, then you know The Oneders’ “That Thing You Do” or the television show, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend.  Or the one off Power Pop group with the kid from Hanson, Tinted Windows. Or the Broadway musical Cry-Baby. He was all over the place. He was a song writing machine. I can’t string together 3 lines to make a cohesive verse and he would write songs in his sleep. 

The world lost a genius when we lost Adam.

This album could have been a side project for him. Lesser tunes, of course, but, boy do they come across like Schlesinger joints. 

All worth the three minutes you spend with them. But, unlike Adam’s, they aren’t resplendent. They don’t transcend the idiom in which they are crafted. But, inside that idiom? Each a somewhat tasty piece of hard candy in a bowl. You might get that cherry. Most likely it’s lime. But it’s sweet enough to offset your displeasure as you search for another. Maybe the next one will be grape. 

Dammit. Apple. 

This band used to be on Burger Records but that page is 404’d. Which brings up the question: How have I never heard of Burger Records????

https://open.spotify.com/album/3xkpoDJ8e1sg6g5RkVFLAg?si=L_O0hkifT4adNitrjV6qOg 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQG746JrJRM&list=PLlvn8uktX5Ls9I7jP83r3erLxLVHAShUK