I bought this CD for two reasons: 1) I wanted to check out the original version of Video Killed The Radio (that's right, kids - the Buggles version is a cover), and 2) the keyboard player is a young Thomas Dolby (credited as Tom Dolby). A blend of glam rock and the emerging New Wave sound, this understandably got no airplay as the disco era was coming to an end. The album is uneven, but it's more than just a curiosity. Normally, I would have just listened to the original version of VKTRS and called it a day, but the other material is good enough for an occasional listen. I guess I like it because it sounds like an album I would have owned in high school.
 |
| RPM Weekly, March 15, 1980, p. 6 |
Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #184
Peak on CashBox album chart: #169
Tracks: The best track is VKTRS, but only one is worth the trouble of skipping: Get Away William. But with 13 tracks in under 40 minutes, it's easy enough to take the whole thing in one gulp.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None
The Buggles VKTRS can not be called a cover. Bruce wrote it with Trevor Horn & Geoff Downes His first English hit was "Baby Blue" for Dusty Springfield, co-written with Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes also. Although Woolley owns a 50% writing share of the song and the trio wrote the band’s third single "Clean Clean", Woolley was never a member of The Buggles. He was, in his own words, merely "on the design team". Kind of like The Go Go use of "Our Lips are Sealed" written by both guitarist Jane Wiedlin and Specials and Fun Boy Three singer Terry Hall. They both recorded they're own version of the song. Both are great versions.
ReplyDelete