Once again, I'm going through the racks and rediscovering old acquisitions that have been collecting dust.
1989's All Is Forgiven was the debut album by the band
Siren, an effort that went unnoticed by most.
Even though listeners may not have discovered the band, the
courts did, forcing the band to change
their name to "Red Siren” after the debut album’s release (the name
"Siren" had already been claimed by another group.)
A big reason I bought this album way back in the early 90’s
was the fact that this was the first album that was digitally recorded
(directly mastered to a hard drive)-up until then, recording was done in analog
and digitally mastered after the fact.
Did that make it sound better?
Probably not, but it seemed really cool at the time.
While the cover artwork suggested a progressive rock album,
and the band photo looked eighties metal, Siren's sound fell into the
mainstream (think Heart).
There are a lot of similarities to artists like Private Life
and Robin Beck; singer Kristen Massey's vocals fall somewhere in the realm
inhabited by Stevie Nicks and Belinda Carlisle.
Listening to it now, this album has a dated sound-it's a
solid pop/rock album, with some very good moments, but not a lot to make the
band stand out from the pack.
Massey has a decent voice, the songs are good, but typical of that era and nothing
remarkable. I am glad to have had an excuse to play the disc again, but it will
probably be the next time I realphabetize before I think to listen to it again.
Out of print, and not worth paying a collectible price for,
but for fans of 80’s rock, pick it up if you see it at a discount price.
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Damn! Look at the hair on that guy at the right in the leather motorcycle jacket! I'm surprised the lead vocalist chick didn't insist he cut it some, because he makes her look... limp and thinning!
ReplyDeleteAnd that album cover... sheesh! Some artist got paid big bucks to conceive of and produce that?! If that cover doesn't scream "BLAND!"...
Guess I missed my calling. I shoulda, "coulda been a contenduh" as a graphic arts director.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
It's funny-the album cover is not as bad on the CD booklet (smaller image, and better printing than that picture, which was all I could find), but everything about the packaging is out of alignment with the music.
DeleteExcept if you got the impression of "bland," in retrospect, the music is as well.
I really think my interest was piqued back then because the technology was new and they were (allegedly) the first.
LC ~
ReplyDeleteFrom the first moment I laid eyes on that band photo, I was thinking that the guy on the far right (whom I mentioned in the previous comment), wearing the black leather motorcycle jacket and all that hair, looked extremely familiar, but I couldn't quite place him.
It just now occurred to me who that guy reminds me of:
If you cut off most of his hair, he would look almost identical (in THAT photo, anyway) to the guy who played the "bodyguard" in the movie 'MY BODYGUARD".
Maybe in other photos he doesn't look like the "Bodyguard" (I know I look drastically different from photo to photo), but in THAT particular picture, he looks EXACTLY like him (except for all that hair).
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
You confused me-I saw you'd left a comment but looked for it on today's post (I usually just post them, then read them when I am ready to respond)!
DeleteWas that Adam Baldwin in My Bodyguard? If so, I can kind of see it.
As I continue through this exercise, I find I have a lot of "what was the point" CD's.
What was the point of making the album, and what was the point of me buying it...
But I am also rediscovering a lot of lost gems.
Yes, ADAM BALDWIN. You got it, Brother! I couldn't think of the guy's name while typing that comment, I was too lazy to go to IMDB to get it, and I forgot that I had the DVD of the movie sitting on a shelf just a few feet from the computer. DOH!
ReplyDelete~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'