The 1980 Listening Post - Reluctant Stereotypes - The Label

 Reviewed by Kelly Hoben

Released: October 3 1980 Reluctant Stereotypes The Label Genre: New Wave/Ska Rating: 3.6 out of 5 Highlights: Reluctant Reluctant Stereotypes’ only album, The Label, followed the release of three singles and the change of two band members. A successful run of live shows was by all accounts energetic and fun. Inspired by the Coventry music scene of the late 70’s, they innovated a fusion of second wave ska and new wave post-punk with a splash of jazz. Steve Edgson’s clarinet and Paul Sampson’s guitar elicit sounds of all the ingredient styles, but the fusion is not always cohesive. ‘Back to the Greek’ sounds like three different songs as it breaks too abruptly from one style to the next, and the equally awkward jazz-reggae of ‘Reverend Green,’ delivers a critique of Christianity that might have been edgy at its time but strikes me today like musical theater. The lyrics of ‘Sunday Tears’ also point to some bad times had at church, but Edgson’s acid jazz clarinet riff is a bonus. Tony Wall’s groovy walking baseline and Collin Heanes’ reggae knock on the drums steadies the pace of ‘Plans for Today’ in the vein of Sting and the Police, and although the clarinet nearly screams out like an 80’s sax, Edgson’s measured restraint is welcomed. ‘Visual Romance’ is as reggae as the album gets, and the smooth blend of instruments complements the narrative, “A smile emerges on his face as they began another night, just a visual romance, a highlight of his life.” I remember Paul King as a VJ on MTV and VH1 during my childhood in the late 80’s, and I bet he was a total heart throb on stage (I mean, who doesn’t love a Galway boy in Doc Martens?), especially while singing ‘Reluctant,’ the peak of post-punk on the album. The chugging guitar and the melody of ‘Reluctant’ remind me of the ska revival of the late 90’s (I know that’s backwards, but I was still a teenager in the late 90’s, and I wasn’t aware of the Coventry scene until I was a fully formed adult. And anyway, it indicates the lasting influence that bands like Reluctant Stereotypes had even decades later). ‘Reluctant’ is a very danceable tune with punky drums, a sound that strikes me as authentic to the band. Its strong finish is a lot more satisfying than the fade-out endings of ‘Confused Action’ and ‘MOD.’ ‘The Label,’ reminiscent of Bowie and the Beatles, closes out the album with a pleasant strumming guitar and clarinet anthem that seems to bid goodbye. It’s too bad that Reluctant Stereotypes didn’t put out a second album because they were onto something, and the innovations of The Label, although patchwork in places, showed a lot of potential. At least they rocked the faces off their many adoring fans in their heyday, and we have these few recordings representing this evolutionary moment of music in 1980 England.