Expressos - Promises and Ties
#317
1981 Housekeeping LISTENING POST DISCOVERY
Expressos
Promises and Ties
Genre: Why the Go-Gos and not these people?
4.75 out of 5
Highlights:
Tango in Mono
My Yesterday
There She Goes
Kiss You All Over
Want
Hey Girl
Thumbs on the Ground
The crack research staff at The Listening Post has outdone themselves this time. Give them a raise because this record is like finding The Shivvers or discovering Sorrows or any number of other Power Pop acts that disappeared without a trace back in the early 80s.
The website Vinyl Goldmine wrote this: “1981's Promises and Ties was the first and only LP by the Expressos, and this album is so good there's absolutely no reason it shouldn't have been a smash hit. Its cocktail of new wave, power pop and 60s girl group, during its strongest moments, stands up to classic tracks by the likes of Blondie and The Pretenders.”
And, fuck me if they aren’t spot on.
The title track is The Go-Gos at their peak and the next one, “My Yesterday” is The Bangles only even more assured and stellar and this album came out at the same time as both those records. Predated them in some cases. The Byrds of “There She Goes” is abutted up against the Spector Wall of Sound of By Tonight and both are stellar.
And it just keeps rolling.
It’s 1981, dammit. How wasn’t “Kiss You All Over” not a hit? Or “Want”?? The Go-Gos and B-52s and Blondie could get on the radio and these tracks are as good as any of theirs.
One of these players went on to Escape Club, apparently, and that just continues a pretty dynamite track record. The lead singer could give Belinda or Debbie or Kirsty a run for their money any time of any day. What happened to Rozzi Rayner? Anyone?
There is not a bad track on this record and I’m sort of angry that no one knows about it. I want to have a word with Rodney Bingenheimer…
That this doesn’t stream is a sin.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK5uB6caYN8&list=PLlvn8uktX5Lv4ZqU6HthmbE4frS3HCq2l
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