Remember The Nights

2006-06-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

One can never get enough of the Motels.

Only the Lonely

2006-06-18T12:27:00.000-07:00

There was once a time, between 1988 to 1993, when Lakewood, Washington wasn't a bad place. There were three decent music outlets to choose from -- the Wherehouse, Camelot, and Fred Meyer -- and a comic-book store, O'Leary's, just a few minutes away. However, after Lakewood was officially made into a city, the place collapsed. Businesses closed or moved away, and the mall was torn down. Lakewood is now a wasteland, a combination of trailer-trash stores and high-end yuppie outlets that have nothing to offer to science-fiction fans or New Wave junkies. It's a boring, completely bland town, a totally colorless and depressing home for bag ladies, beggars, and burned-out alcoholics.

I was reminded of how hip Lakewood used to be when I visited the local Target store over the weekend. Longing for a New Wave fix, I sifted through Target's musical selection. More than half of what was on the shelves was hip-hop and R&B. The only New Wave CDs they had were greatest-hits compilations from Culture Club, Tears for Fears, and Duran Duran. There were plenty of offerings from contemporary alternative acts such as Wolfmother, the Raconteurs, and Panic! At the Disco, but I'm 38 now, not 18. I have little interest in "new music." Why should I pay $14 for the Raconteurs when there are numerous '80s records from Alphaville, General Public, and Simple Minds that I haven't even heard yet? I'll give full credit to She Wants Revenge for pulling me in with their sexy and sinister New Order grooves a few months ago; however, for the most part I remain indifferent to the Sounds of Today, a topic for a future blog entry.

In the late '80s, I could walk into any of the three stores that I initially mentioned and find early albums from Echo & the Bunnymen, Siouxsie & the Banshees, the Church, Lloyd Cole & the Commotions, Aztec Camera, among numerous others. Those days do not exist anymore in Lakewood.

At the end of the day, I ended up buying Back 2 Back Hits from Missing Persons and the Motels at K-Mart. I generally avoid these slapped-together retrospectives because they're made for casual listeners. Nevertheless, since I didn't (shockingly) own any LPs from either band, I bought it. To my surprise, the Missing Persons tracks are more crisp than ever, most likely digitally remastered. Everything on here was spun on the newly revived legendary Philippine New Wave radio station XB-102 in the '80s, and I was delighted to hear the obscure cut, "Windows," a forgotten gem from Missing Persons.

Led by the chirpy, big-haired Dale Bozzio, Missing Persons epitomized the American side of the New Wave movement with their upbeat synthesized rhythms and quirky guitar riffs courtesy of future Duran Duran member Warren Cuccurullo. Because of Missing Persons' flamboyant MTV looks, Cuccurullo's playing never received the critical praise that it deserved. And the group was written off as fluff. A decade after Missing Persons vanished from the pop spotlight, No Doubt updated their style with a ska twist, marketing it to a younger generation. Unfortunately, No Doubt were unable to capture Missing Persons' oddball pogo-party charm.

On the flip side, the Motels were press darlings. Much of this had to do with Martha Davis' soulful, sensual vocals, which is swelteringly hot on "Remember the Nights," included here with other chart smashes like "Only the Lonely," "Suddenly Last Summer," and "Take the L." For some reason I can appreciate Davis' voice even more now as an adult than I did when I was a teenager. The midnight melancholy of her vocals is truly mesmerizing, especially on "Only the Lonely." The Motels recorded some of the saddest New Wave tunes of the era, but it was mainly Davis who broke our hearts. Her bittersweet voice is best for those sentimental moments, returning to younger days when there was actually music worth buying.

Matador

2006-06-16T22:13:00.000-07:00

I'm still warming up. Listen to the music for now.

Tinseltown In The Rain

2006-06-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

Have some coffee and relax. I'll be right with you.

Flaunt The Imperfection

2006-06-15T16:08:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my world. I'm just unpacking and getting ready to settle in.

Chamber of Hellos

Remember The Nights

Only the Lonely

Matador

Tinseltown In The Rain

Flaunt The Imperfection