The 1981 Listening Post - The Buggles - Adventures in Modern Recording

 The Buggles - Adventures in Modern Recording

#564

by Rob Slater

November 11 1981

The Buggles

Adventures In Modern Recording

Allen’s Rating: 4 out of 5

Rob’s Rating: 2.2.5 out of 5

Genre: 80s New Wave: Yes or No (Get it?)

1.        "Adventures in Modern Recording" - Nice anthemic opening. Then an almost DEVO groove. NIce harmonies when the chorus hits. Awesome. But it’s about 55 seconds too long, mostly in the chorus.

2.        "Beatnik" - Yes of the 80s. Then another repetitious chorus. 44 seconds too long.

3.        "Vermillion Sands" - Pleasant. Jazzy.  It’s very soundtrack. Horns. Synthesized I assume. Repetitious chorus. 3:33 too long. Though if they cut off the end and made it an instrumental song for a side one ending… that might work.

4.        "I Am a Camera" - Another pleasant tune. Very YES. No surprise that a different version appeared on YES’ album Drama with Horn and Downes. Repetitious chorus. 2:22 too long. 

Side two

1.        "On TV" - Rap/Devo. I like the interstitial music, but not the howling over a rap beat. Repetitious chorus. :33 sec. too long. .

2.        "Inner City" - Love this intro. Pretty good song. Repetitious chorus. 22 sec. too long. 

3.        "Lenny"- Kinda boring. More YES. Nice vocals. 1.11 too long. 

4.        "Rainbow Warrior" - My favorite song, I think. Repetitious chorus. 11 sec. too

5.        "Adventures in Modern Recording (reprise)" - I think I’ve written enough.

        Bonus tracks on a later version: Almost a requisite 80s cover: Fade Away starts out as an homage to Buddy Holly then devolves other than the harmony vocals. At 2:36 it may only be 0.0 sec. Too long. I stopped playing the next one: Blue Nylon.

This is a decent album for an elevator or background or playing during the credits of a movie set in 1980. I thought it was better the first time through when I was listening while building my own music room/studio to wank around with my own music. May be worth listening to once if you don’t have to pay for it. At 34.29 it may be 11:11 too long?

YES, but lacking Drama and not really an Album. Could have used a lot more YES. Horn admitted to being bored by the time he was done recording. An outside producer could have helped, but I’m not sure Howe. Sher wood have been better if it was short, ‘Kay? It was hard to stay aWake man. My eyelids kept falling Downe. To paraphrase some Chillawack lyrics: Jon, Jon, Jon, this went on too long. Maybe a Bru for dinner would have helped. Cheers. Trevor did Squierrel away much of the work for adaptations for later YESSONGS.

I did have fun writing this review, though! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7GXRxL4SkM&list=PLlvn8uktX5LtyBzpyYxvx82d28thVqKoB