Search - Rich Kids :: Ghosts of Princes in Towers

Matlock Returns!

Patrick W. Schubert | Santa Ana, California United States | 04/21/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If one were compiling a list of all-time greatest punk/new wave LP's (or, if you prefer, CD's), "Ghosts of Princes in Towers" may not be an obvious choice. You have to dig a bit deeper to discover this underrated jem, but it's well worth the search.What initially drew my attention to the band was former Pistols' bassist/songwriter Glen Matlock. Unlike Sid, whose many talents included self-destruction, alleged murder, and dying young, Matlock was a skilled tunesmith who could actually tune and play his instrument. His contributions to the Sex Pistols are often overlooked. For that matter, so are his contributions to The Rich Kids. Hell, the band in general has been criminally passed over for years. But this was a collective effort, to be sure. Future Ultravox vocalist and solo artist Midge Ure and guitarist Steve New also helped with songwriting duties. You can hear a variety of styles here, including powerpop, new wave, punk and straight-ahead rock 'n roll. You'd think that such a mixed bag would make for an uneven record, but such is not the case. If anything, it's more consistent than alot of higher profile punk/new wave LP's from the time. The comparassons to the later Damned seem pretty right on. The Buzzcocks also come to mind.I wouldn't say that Mick Ronson's production is "muddy". Perhaps "overblown" is a more accurate description. He goes a bit crazy with the reverb on many of the tracks, especially the drums. I would have preferred a dryer, punchier sound. But that's just me. Regardless, this is a classic."

Forgotten gem

sleep no more | Royal Oak, Michigan United States | 05/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The unfortunate reality for this fantastic album is that it was pretty much killed by the press labeling The Rich Kids as being a new 'super group' - pretty much the kiss of death (take a look at Visage as well). The Ghosts single was fantastic and with 'only arsenic' as a equally strong B-side, many thought that the Kids were on their way....but...no matter how GREAT the album was, it was set up to fail by the hype. Is the sound muddy? Yes it is.....the band sounds fairly 'loose' on some of the tracks and there are a abundance of guitar overdubs that contribute to the thickness of the sound wall as well as to the muddiness....It almost sounds to me like they did a lot of ping pong guitar overdubs----a lot of doubling----it can be difficult to mix, expecially with the available technology of the time (listen to how clean Catherine Wheel sounds with a dozen guitar tracks per song).... All this being said, this album belongs right next to your copy the Machine gun Etiquette and The Crack by the Ruts."

Hey Hey we're the Monkees . . . NOT!

Steven C. Lambert | USA | 12/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Great band. Great pop album. Produced by Mick Ronson. Midge Ure was the wrong choice for lead vocalist; Glen should have had the confidence to carry this record; I'm sure it would have been taken a lot more seriously by the press as Ure's last band was the horrible bubble gum POP band Slik. Never mind, its worth $17 of anyone's money to be sure. Strange One is brilliant, and Marching Men is all over the world . . . Rocking Russian design . . . man, you can't go wrong. A real slice of London New Wave. GO. BUY!!"