Customer Reviews

Age of Plastic

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Buggles have their place in music history because their quirky hit "Video Killed the Radio Star" has the distinction of being the first music video shown on MTV. But their 1980 debut album "Age of Plastic" deserves to be remembered on its own terms; not just for the "futuristic" music, but because the lyrics represent a coherent critique of the world of technology as being full of potential but fraught with peril. Even a cursory look at "Video Killed the Radio Star" shows the song is offering up less than subtle ironies about the medium of pop music, not to mention the fledgling MTV. The Buggles consisted of the tandem of Geoffrey Downes on percussion/keyboards and Trevor Horn doing bass/guitar/percussion/vocals, both of who were obviously more interested in producing. That same year they produced the Yes album "Drama," and the pair ended up joining the group and replacing Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman.

Pay attention to the lyrics on this album. "Kid Dynamo" is about the death of imagination in the age of mass media, a proposition that is clearly becoming more and more obvious with each year. "I Love You Miss Robot" is not kinky, despite its title, and is about the pitfalls of human dependence on technology. As for the music, it is pretty diverse. ""Video Killed the Radio Star" is upbeat and peppy while "Johnny on the Monorail" is the exact opposite, dark and brooding. Of course, at the time the use of electronic devices was considered cutting edge and the novelty of it all distracted from the potency of the lyrics. The Alan Parsons Project tried to do something along these lines with with 1977's "I Robot," but that effort seems ponderous and pretentious when compared to "Age of Plastic." I think I could make a compelling argument that this is one of the top ten, or at least top two dozen albums, from the decade (and you can go either way on that as the end of the 1970s or the start of the 1980s).

There is a lot going on in this album than the one-off novelty of "Video" suggests -- this is a complex sci-fi ode to a discomforting, sometimes optimistic, occasionally joyful future. It's rendered in an engaging, deft mix of "new-wave" synth sounds, sterile guitar and drums, and washes of sound that manage to capture the tone and feel of this near-future dystopia quite effectively.

To me, it's a bit like The Cars' Panorama or Todd Rundgren's The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect, both recorded at the same time, in that what is created here is an insular world, a bit cold and distant, providing a glimpse at the future that, to my ears today, ironically sounds quaint, inviting, and comforting. To be honest, as the headlines today blare continuing bad news, I'm going to keep going back to this future as it's often preferable to our present....

How to describe the Buggles? How about this: staccato robotic and electronic sounds coupled with light-hearted sounds, soaring female choruses, electric guitars, new-wave synthesizers, and vocals and an overall proto-industrial sound that would influence Depeche Mode, Camouflage, New Order, and Electronic. The difference is that the Buggles sound less colder than the above groups. The title track is a prime example of what I described above.

"Video Killed The Radio Star," historical because its video was the one that launched MTV, is far better than the Presidents of the United States remake. The distance travelled between different media, from that wireless back in 1952 to the then-present day of 1979, can be heard in the distorted male vocals and the strings, which evoke a kind of nostalgia for the lost past. The female vocals singing the chorus are classic.

Things move to a quicker pace with "Kid Dynamo," with electric guitars and strings boosting things along.

"I Love You (Miss Robot)" with electronically synthesized vocals singing the chorus lends credence to the futuristic setting of this album. Love those female vocals mid-song!

"Clean, Clean" begins with a slow baroque synthesizer before going full force with guitar and drums. The synthesizer solo in the middle of the song is classic late 70's new wave electronica.

"Elstree" is a slower number about the British studio of the same name and tells of the protagonist's fantasy of playing heroes in historical B-pictures. The song closes with the sounds of a galloping horse. An electronical version of that stock music from British historical sagas is included as well.

"Astroboy" isn't as remarkable compared to the rest of the album. "Johnny On The Monorail" however, continues with the quick-paced soundscape of synthesizer-mania.

This is more of a futuristic mechanized soundtrack for the industrial landscape of the current day and near future than ELO's Time. Considering that this came out in the new-wave movement of the late-70's/early 80's, this one-of-a-kind nugget is to be cherished for all time.

"The Age of Plastic" contains some great pop songs although the production is now starting to show its age a little. The members of The Buggles, unlike many of today's so called pop stars, were all seasoned musicians. This is reflected in the quality of both the playing and material throughout the album. The arrangements are inventive and interesting and it is clear that this record was an inspiration and influence on many of the 80's and 90's pop acts. The album is an introduction to the production style that would become Lead Singer Trevor Horn's trademark. Fans of the 80's Yes albums "90125" and "Big Generator" will undoubtedly recognise some stylistic similarities in places. Highlights include the worldwide mega hit "Video Killed The Radio Star", "Clean Clean", "Elstree" and "Johnny on The Monorail". Overall a fine melodic pop record.

I remember when MTV began in August of 1981, and I remember this video well. I was 8 at the time, and this cd holds a special place in my collection. It's a quirky, novel mix of pop music that is better than average of the music at that time. Released in 1979, this cd sounds a bit ahead and behind it's time. It's has the classic hit "Video Killed the Radio Star" but is also has the forethought of the breast-implant/plastic surgery craze of the 80's and 90's in "Living in the Plastic Age." Another song "Clean, Clean" displays a punk/new wave bravado. "I Love You, Miss Robot" is an interesting synth ambient stab. It's a must have for any rock collector just for the novelty value alone. It's also interesting to note that Trevor Horn (vocals) has gone on to produce cds by Yes, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, ABC, Rod Stewart, Seal, Simple Minds, Art of Noise and Grace Jones. Geoffry Downes (keyboards) went on to Asia (and is still with that band!).

It's interesting to think that after making this album these guys (Trever Horn & Geoff Downes) joined Yes! The Buggles and Yes were usually pretty different from eachother. Both bands were, however, managed by Brian Lane. When Trev & Geoff wrote a particularly non-Buggleish song, "Fly from Here," they wanted Yes to perform it. By that time (late '70s / early '80s), Yes was in the habit of writing all their own material, but since Yes was down by two (singer Jon Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman), they convinced the Buggles to join them for a time.

_Plastic Age_ is an album typical of a sound in the early '80s which offered a sharp contrast to what was typical radio fare in the '70s. Everything got very tinny, antiseptic, electronic, even quirky. This sharply contrasted with the earthy, soulful sounds of the '70s like Grand Funk, Doobie Brothers, and Seals & Crofts. I like either sort of sound, though.

Trevor provides good singing, bass, and guitar, while Geoff provides very neat keyboard parts and some additional vocals. The lyrics tend to be funny, interesting, and clever. I liked this album to begin with, and grew to like it even better with additional listenings. It's beautiful, really.

Yes, Virginia, video did kill the radio star. It happened just a few years before MTV was born, in the UK. Trevor Horn, the music production star, was just getting started. He and fellow bandmate from Bruce Wooley's Camera Club, Geoff Downes, formed a synth duo and turned out a bunch of snappy pop tunes about a futuristic, plastic landscape. Old fan rumor has it that Horn is a fan of Brit sf writer J.G. Ballard, and that the weird lyrical themes are drawn from his writings....

Within a few years, the duo did a brief stint for the album "DRAMA" with YES, the video for "Video Killed the Radio Star" would kick off MTV in '81, Horn would start to produce some of the biggest nusic of the 80s (Art of Noise, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Seal), and Downes would hold down keyboard chores for supergroup Asia. Wow... "Age of Plastic" is what they did before they did all that. See how it all started...

This album was a definitive soundtrack of the times, that being 1980 and thereabouts, a forgotten time period for many. It seemed the world was poised between disco and New Wave, a gap that Blondie so nicely covered with "Heart of Glass." It's all about the synth-pop here. Early 80's sci-fi lyrics, running commentary on media and its place in society, and dark optimism aside, this disc is pop, pure and simple. As an acquaintance at the time put it, "It's music even your mother can enjoy." Uh, yeah...especially I Love You Miss Robot, Elstree, and Astroboy.

Its timeless beauty lies mainly in Trevor Horn's production; anyone owning this album in its heyday knew Horn would go on to huge success, which of course he did.

If you like the songs, you must check out Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club's "English Garden." He co-wrote "Video" and "Clean Clean" and the sound is much more of a rock band--and a young Thomas Dolby plays the keyboards to boot!

I'll let others enthuse about the music in this album; enthusiasm I wholeheartedly endorse. Instead, I'll enthuse about the quality of its recording and sound engineering.

It's amazing how Trevor Horn creates complex mixes without turning them into mush. Check out the bass guitar in "Video Killed the Radio Star", somehow sounding clean and muscular through the already dense sound. And the chunky, woody arpeggios played by Geoff Downes at the end of "Clean Clean". The power of the three-note riff in "Island". And other aural delights throughout the album too numerous to mention.

To hear what I hear, you have to play the CD through audio equipment that's strong on rythmic drive and is able to grip the lower frequencies. This is not an album for low powered valve amplifiers. But play it through something like Naim amplification, for example, and every time you hear the kick drum at the opening of "Video", you'll find yourself sitting up and paying attention.

The Buggles first major project was an album quickly assembled following the unprepared success of Video Killed The Radio Star (here in it's entirety). Although neither subsequent follow up singles could match the commercial success of Video. Tracks such as Elstree should have had the success it deserved. A vastly overlooked song that missed its moment.

However, I am pleased to inform you all that the album is remastered with fresh notes by Mr Downes himself under the Island Remasters series so and go out and buy it and hear it in near perfect CD sound!