Call Jeremy Clarkson and the Top Gear boys! They'll lap up this driving prog.
Label: President
Year of Release: 1977
I admit I bought this single at a fairly low price because I saw the year of release, the group's name and the rather glammish A-side song title and assumed I might be getting some late period tinsel rock here. As commonly occurs when these kinds of assumptions are made, that wasn't what I heard when the needle hit the groove - both sides here are the work of skilled musicians showing off their chops very flamboyantly. Part Steely Dan, part Allman Brothers in their "Jessica" prime, it's hooky pop with lots of twiddly bits attached.
The A-side "Pour On Stardust" focuses on the hard knock life of a group attempting to impress management and record labels, who are urging them to "pour on stardust". It sounds very much like a satirical snipe at glam rock and plastic music industry mechanisations rather than the full-on stomp-a-thon I was hoping for, but there's no denying that the chirpy chorus with its painted-on smile is pretty poppy for a group of this nature.
The flip is more satisfying. "Trailer Park Heaven" is a cascade of warbling analogue keyboards and frantic fretboard activity, and it's concise prog rock at its fidgety best. If Yes or ELP had managed to create songs this detailed and kept them at a punchy three-and-a-half minutes, I might have had more interest in them.
The identity of the Squeal Band is a little bit of a mystery, but a couple of online sources point to them being the same group who recorded under the name of Boulevard for RCA in 1980. As they only released one flop single (the slightly unimaginatively titled "Do You Wanna Do The Dance") that doesn't really make anything clearer. Please do leave a comment if you know anything more.
No comments:
Post a Comment