Search - 20/20 :: 20/20 / Look Out

Debut - 5 stars, Look Out! - 3 stars

Perry M. Koons | Crownsville, MD United States | 05/24/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the late 70's, LA was the headquarters for much of the country's punk influenced new wave and pop. From the Quick to the Last to the Plimsouls to 20/20, there was no shortage of great rocking pop coming from California. 20/20 was perhaps one of the best and nowhere did they shine brighter than on their debut. Early singles for Bomp! Records were amazing - seek them out on the Various Artists Roots of Powerpop CD collection - and they followed up those 60's influenced singles with more quirky, modern new wave-y tunes. Most of the tracks on the debut (songs 1-12 here) are keepers, catchy choruses, swirling vocals, all the trademarks of great pop. Look Out!, while containing a few very cool tracks, was unfortunately not quite up to par, a downward spiral that continued when they hit rock bottom on Sex Trap (their planned next release that barely saw the lgiht of day). Anyway, the Look Out! tracks are considerably less traditional power pop and have enough hooks to appeal to more adventurous fans who wished the debut had more new wave appeal. I, however, am on the other side of the fence, loving 20/20 for their moments of gleeful pop glory - fans of the Plimsouls, Beat, Cheap Trick, and Knack will be doing themselves a real favor to pick this disc up.Best Tracks:
"Yellow Pills" - This song title was used for a 4 disc power pop compilation series (AWESOME CD's) as well as a huge fanzine. It will forever be a classic of 70's power pop and new wave, and with good reason.
"Cheri" - This next track keeps the energy strong after "Yellow Pills". A great, simple guitar rocker.
"She's An Obsession" - This song starts out with a drumbeat that comes out of nowhere, randomly stops, and has NOTHING to do with the rhythm or tempo of the actual song. A really interesting touch that adds to this upbeat, Knack-style tune.
"Jet Lag" - A terrific pop number/almost ballad with 38 Special-like soloing (though this came a year before any of that band's BIG hits).
"The Night I Heard A Scream" - Bittersweet, delicate song with a jarring bridge and quite blunt lyrics. Very catchy, the best song on Look Out!
"Mobile Unit 245" - Not an amazing song in the traditional pop sense, but a nice Lennon-y vocal and I love the way the intensity builds."

Murjani is waiting for you!

T. C. Rae | 05/01/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"(The 5 star rating applies to the album "Look Out")The second album on this CD, "Look Out", to me lives up to the idealized version I have of what newer rock/pop music sounded like in the very early eighties (but in most cases didn't). I'm probably in the minority, but I think "Look Out" is a much better effort than the self-titled "20/20". I also think people should try and find the vinyl copy of "Look Out" if they don't already have it. To me it sounds better than the CD. (GEMM has any used album you could want). But of course we can't listen to albums in our car, can we. This, unfortunately, didn't become part of the American Dream. Speaking of American Dreams, "American Dream", the final song on "Look Out" is one of the best pop songs out there. Period. (What a segue). The lyrics cast a critical eye on the American consumer culture, while the music paints a beautiful, dreamy landscape.... Such a pretty wife and the house has a microwave
Chinatown rock when a kid's gotta have his way
Murjani waiting for you
Go buy it, what can you lose?
Don't you want to be a part of anything?
Don't you want to be a part of the American Dream?(A consumer culture that has only gotten worse since this album was released in 1981...)"

World's best song to smoke weed with. Anybody remember the S

Steve | Hawaii | 08/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well I remember sparkin up and listen with "Yellow Pills" in my headphones. I have not touched weed at all in about 15 years, but I still remember this one. Great vocal work, mix is very tight, I remember taking a very very pretty date with me to the STARWOOD club to see 20/20. Later the owner of the club met with an ill fate due to some sort of mob activity and a related murder, if I remember correctly after all those drugs I did as a teenager. The STARWOOD club was shut down. Somehow I survived anyway and my last 20/20 memory was at UCLA where I was attending as an undergrad when 20/20 played live outside on a perfect bright sunny day. Side note I have seen a review on the net that refered to "Nuclear Boys" as something new wave related when it was obviously political, which the record company objected to as it was about Ronald Reagan. The reviewer (Chris Woodstra) completely missed what that song was about, and it did cause the record company to object strenuously I believe."