The 1981 Listening Post - The Lambrettas - Ambience

 Reviewed by Allen Lulu

Released: April 1981 The Lambrettas Ambience Genre: New Wave Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Highlights: Good Times Written In Neon Requisite 80s cover: A faithful cover of “I Want to Tell You”. There has to be a story here because The Lambrettas, while their first album was a success, seemed to have altered their sound to be more like another band that was about to explode in 1981, Duran Duran. The difference is that the Durans had sex appeal in Simon LeBon and they had the songs that straddled that Blue Eyed Soul just enough to whitewash it for the masses and the Lambrettas are really just taking the ambience of it (oh, that title makes more sense now…) and appropriating it for their songs. But nothing sticks and Doug Sanders is no Simon LeBon.

The 1980 Listening Post - The Lambrettas - Beat Boys in the Jet Age

 #36

1980 Housekeeping

The Lambrettas

Beat Boys in the Jet Age

Genre: Yes, I do like the Vapors, why do you ask? 

3.5 out of 5

Highlights:

Cortina MK II

Beat Boys in the Jet Age

Requisite 80s cover:

“Poison Ivy”…as done by…Madness? A ska version of this wasn’t expected. It’s not bad but it doesn’t make me forget the original. 

As the 80s began and the 70s gave way to all that synth stuff one of the unspoken of casualties was the mod-revival sound that was jettisoned into my ears by The Jam and The Vapors and others. 

The Lambrettas as still plying that trade and, when it works, man is it delicious. 

The main writer for The Vapors went off to become a solicitor when he realized that the writing was on the wall for this sound. The Lambrettas put out one more record in 81 and called it quits. 

I wonder if the lead writer here, Jez Bird, hung up a shingle right next to him. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/beat-boys-in-the-jet-age/1208873581