Monday, August 24, 2020

The 1980 Listening Post - Lucifer's Friend - Sneak Me In

Lucifer's Friend - Sneak Me In 


#270
June 1980
Lucifer’s Friend
Sneak Me In
Genre: Rock
3.25 out of 5 



Highlights:
Goodbye Girls
Indian Summer


There are strings!!! A violin section on the chorus of the opening song and I am there for it!
This is the exact sound that would get a revival from the Swedish retro bands, specifically I’m thinking about Thunder Express, Strings Dahlquist’s side project from The Hellacopters (a band I became a huge fan of just because of the sheer number of times they are mentioned in Joel Harrington’s Sonic Cool, the History of Rock and Roll). I’ll link my favorite Thunder Express tune at the bottom.
This is that Styx/Journey sound that so few are practicing but, when it’s done right is so freaking delicious. 
It’s records like this that present a quandary. I’m glad it exists so I can hear it. I don’t think I’d have liked it in 1980. I don’t love it now. But i appreciate it. I wish there was a reason to recommend it but it’s just not great. But it doesn’t suck. 
I’m gonna add “Indian Summer” to the Highlights just cuz it’s so representative of the type of sound of this era and I can only hear the same Journey and Styx songs so many times. Either that or “Cosmic Crusader” for sounding exactly like what Queen would sound like in 4 years. 


“Get Back In” by Thunder Express, circa 2005 
https://open.spotify.com/track/0ZkxKyT1FUda09OdcOlINp?si=kATV-ZwmSZa17E4H4dkE3w

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