Search - Records :: Crashes

Power Pop Masterpiece

Brian C. Taylor | Tallahassee, FL USA | 07/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Indulge me for a moment. It's difficult to listen to this CD and not think of what the songs have meant to me over my life. I originally got this record when I was 13 years old, and it's been with me ever since. I was wet-my-pants happy to find it on CD (my vinyl copy is a bit battered). To me, this is a perfect, and I mean PERFECT, slice of power pop, maybe the finest power pop available anywhere. There's not a so-so song in the bunch. And the six bonus tracks are all worthwhile additions, despite the fact that they're perhaps not as polished as the original ten tracks. I love this record! Now it's your turn. Love it! Love it! Love it!"

Crashes is a Smash

Dave Bara | Auburn, WA United States | 07/15/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Crashes", the Records 1980 follow-up to their vinyl debut, is probably their most complete and coherent release. This current CD version has 6 extra tracks from the original vinyl album's 10. The running order is also different from the US vinyl release, which was (as I recall) 1. Man With A Girlproof Heart 2. Hearts Will Be Broken 3. Girl In Golden Disc 4. I Don't Remember Your Name 5. Hearts In Her Eyes 6. Spent A Week With You Last Night 7. Rumour Sets The Woods Alight 8. The Worriers 9. The Same Mistakes 10. Guitars In The Sky. This was a much more satisfying layout than the CD version, in my opinion. The Records were a top power pop band of the late '70's and early '80's with a unique sound. Were I building a 'Best of..." I'd use this album as the basis, then insert tracks from their other albums such as "Imitation Jewelry", "Affection Rejected", "Girls That Don't Exist", "Up All Night" and "Paint Her Face", all to be found on the CD "Smashes, Crashes, and Near Misses". If you liked Nick Lowe or Dave Edmunds, The Knack or The Beat, The Heaters or the Cowboys, then you'll love The Records too, and they were never better as a band than on "Crashes"."

Superb Beatlesque power-pop

K. Lee | Portland, Oregon | 06/17/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been a fan of the Records since hearing "Starry Eyes" played by a then-new rock radio station in 1979 in (somewhat improbably) Knoxville, Tennessee, USA. This station tried to distinguish itself from the usual top-40 and AOR stations by playing post-punk, new-wave, and alternative music, which was a breath of fresh air in a small southern city. Alas, it did not last more than a few years before the station morphed into one of the many faceless corporate-driven music stations playing only AOR and top-40. But I digress...



I eagerly bought "Crashes" when it was first released in 1980 and have always regarded it as the best of the three Records albums. It is a great collection of Beatlesque power-pop that does not insult the intelligence with no weak tracks. The songs all have great melodies and singing (both lead and harmony), despite not having a distinctive instrumentalist in the band. The strength lies in the songs and ensemble playing; proverbially the effect is greater than the sum of the 4 band members. My only quibble is the production is rather flat and 2-dimensional; the album would have benefitted from more dynamic and imaginative production with greater separation between the instruments and voices, and greater depth and fidelity of the instruments. In particular, the drums resemble cardboard boxes being percussed.



Nevertheless, this is a great album that should be heard by anyone who loves (or even just likes) power-pop and melodic rock with an edge. Amazon erroneously lists only the 10 tracks on the original vinyl release; this CD reissue by On the Beach (the private label run by Will Birch, the Records' drummer and half of its primary songwriting team) includes 6 bonus tracks, all of which are complete songs worth listening to. They include two previously-unheard songs ("Vamp" and "Faces at the Window"), two b-sides ("So Sorry" and "Injury Time"; remember b-sides being the flip side of 45-rpm singles back in the heyday of vinyl?), and two early versions of songs from the original Crashes album recorded with the Records' original lead guitarist Huw Gower before he departed/was booted from the band ("Man With the Girl-Proof Heart" and "The Same Mistakes"). The Huw Gower tracks have a harder, more frenetic quality than the final Crashes versions and are welcome additions to the album. "So Sorry", the b-side to "Hearts in Her Eyes", is written and sung by Phil Brown, the Records' bassist, and is one of the finest b-sides I have heard; in fact, ten years ago I spent $10-$15 on eBay to buy a 2nd "Hearts in Her Eyes" original 45-rpm vinyl single solely for "So Sorry". Finally, those contemplating purchasing this CD and/or any or both of the other 2 Records reissued CDs ("Shades in Bed" and "Music on Both Sides"; both On the Beach reissues have 8-10 bonus tracks), should be aware that Will Birch has a long-running sale on his Records website [...], with deeper discounts for 2 or all three CDs. [The Records' web address is stricken from my review, but those interested can simply type the band's name and "Will Birch" into an internet search engine to find it.] He ships the CDs from the UK and the prices are in British pounds, but one can easily find currency conversion sites on the internet and the prices, which include shipping, are quite favorable and lower than many American sellers even shipped from the UK. For any fan of vibrant power-pop, I would strongly recommend the Records' first two CDs as reissued on On the Beach label, "Shades in Bed" and "Crashes"; they are near-perfect examples of Beatlesque pop-rock. The 3rd and last album. "Music on Both Sides" (the title is somewhat ironic and admittedly rendered archaic by the CD/digital era) is much less consistent with some substandard material, but the highlights are just as high as anything on the 1st two albums and is also worth listening to."