Search - Alice Deejay :: Who Needs Guitars Anyway

Getting dated, but still enjoyable

Nathan Beauchamp | Oak Park, IL USA | 02/09/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When this CD was loosed into the world, you would have been hard pressed to find any dance/trance radio station that would not be playing "Better Off Alone" about once an hour. There was just nothing else out there with the same dance hooks. The use of the beat, slightly angry lyrics, and developing rhythm set the song apart at the time. Unfortunately, some of its charm has dissipated over time, and the synth-circuit horns have gotten more challenging to enjoy.



I think this album reminds me of how concepts can be perfect at the time (PVD's SEVEN WAYS for example) and be revolutionary and amazing in their own time, but are better as memories. WHO NEEDS GUITARS ANYWAY? set the stage for a lot of fantastic music to follow, but the chirpy happiness of the beats just doesn't resonate the same way it did when the New Millennium had just been born. Dance is more fluid and a little less happy these days, with less of an emphasis on thumping, repetitive drum sequences. Maybe we just don't have the same sort of reckless drive as we did pre 9-11, pre endless foreign war... Maybe we've lost something too; blindingly happy dance, nights that never ended, and musical extravagance.

"