The Psychedelic Furs Album: “Psychedelic Furs”

Now this is a great album, by a great band that frankly didn't get much credit for their redefinement of music at all. It is sad that not many people get hear this kind of music anymore, but if you are reading this, I suggest buying it! With a voice like Bowie and a music style unlike anything, this is one of the best albums ever made.

Especially unique about this album is how the saxophone at times sounds more like a synthesizer. I bought this without expecting to be very impressed. I was wrong: every track is great. Buy this album if you love Magazine, Siousxie and the Banshees, and such bands.

Guys, it's not that the songs are mixed up but look at the cover! It's the UK version (US version had a black cover and different layout of the band members' heads). So this is the proper song order the way the band intended it and as the album was originally released in their home country at the time. Plus they toss in the songs that were on the US version, too, so this is a great deal. Getting the killer Blacks/Radio alone (which those of us in the vinyl era had to fork over and buy the same album only the UK import) is worth it alone.

And the comparison is fair if you are about 21, and your father bought it in college right before he made you. I did buy the original while in college, and one of the fun parts of this amazon.thing is that I get to tell the world all about my favorite albums. Sometimes it's a quick listen of a very familiar one before writing the review, but when I got this on CD, I had to put a little more work into it.

First of all, the Psychedelic Furs and Clash are by far my favorite and most influential hard-rocking bands of the eighties. They had a sound that made the atmosphere around it so thick you could cut it with a knife. Richard Butler's voice sounded like a snarling David Bowie. When you hear Duncan Kilburn's generous saxaphone use, you wonder why more bands don't employ this instrument more. And they translated wonderfully live.

While bigger fame with "Pretty in Pink" was to come later, this album just blew me away when I first got it. There might have been debut albums just as good, but I can't think of any that were better. All of the songs of the original are on this "re-issued with extra stuff" version. But the songs are not in the original order, and there are some extras.

Of the extras, you can throw out "Mack the Knife". I love other versions of the song, and of course, love the band, but I find the marriage of the two totally unlistenable. On the other hand, there's something called "Blacks/Radio" that's quite interesting. It's a long song that takes a bit getting used to, but is a welcome addition considering there isn't that much new "product" coming out.

Finally, there is a demo version of "Flowers" (yes, there are two versions on the disc). This one is interesting because it begins with a milder version of the bass/drum assault of "India" with guitar and saxophone thrown in. This seques into a milder version of the "Flowers" intro before Butler starts singing. Having both of these intros on one song is thrilling if you're a fan of the band. Now that I have a daughter who is in gymnastics, it is my dream to put together floor routine music from this album. Look for it someday in the Olympics.

When i got my hands on this album (originally in vinyl!) many years ago, i was entranced! Every song is wonderful! The Furs create a wall of sound that is furious, entrancing, lilting and abrasive from song to song. The best album of the whole post-punk generation!