Customer Reviews

Cast of Thousands

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

 

 

This album's bad reputation is largely undeserved. The production is poor, certainly, and the keyboards are too far forward in the mix. But at least half the songs -- "I Looked at the Sun," "The Adverts," "Love Song," the title track -- match the best songs on <i>Crossing the Red Sea</i>. TV Smith is in fine, ragged voice, while the bitterness and loathing of the title track is the sequel to the first LP's "Great British Mistake." Once you realize that this album's great subject is the failure of punk idealism, it not only makes perfect sense, but becomes profoundly moving, a valediction to a promise that had died. TV Smith's solo career has been a valuable footnote to the brilliant moment captured here. Ignore the party line and buy it.

Because it violated stifling punk orthodoxy, this album was viciously and undeservedly panned at the time. But adding keyboards and fuller instrumentation thrust the Adverts into greater territory and some of TV Smith's best lyrics are found here. This is one of the few albums from the 1977 era I still find worth listening to.

Although some of TV's solo stuff does veer too far into New Wave territory, this LP will always be one of my favorite records. More than any other Adverts material, this LP holds together as a solid, unblinking stare into our f'd up world as TV Smith sees it. "Cast of Thousands" is punk rock on an epic scale. The songs, although played and recorded as a totally raw mess, are as close to rock opera as punk rock gets. Somehow the tinny production and cheesy synths only help to elevate the soaring, passionate vocals higher, and emphasize lyrics that rip to the heart of our heartless consumer culture. Lyrics to songs like "My Place," "Adverts," or "Television's Over" are as relevant to today's capitalist dystopia as Huxley, and moreso than Orwell. The last three tracks, while slowing down the pace to ballad territory, only wrench more out of TV's anguished voice. The casual punk listener will continue to write off this record as irrelevant to their pat version of rock history, but those who feel the Adverts like a punch to the gut need to own this.

The Adverts show up as crude instrumentalists with speed metal licks and raw lyrics. They do exemplify the British Punk aesthetic in spades. A steady diet of whip-saw speed metal is a little hard on the nervous system even this far removed from their time, especially when they do not vary much from the same chord progressions or skill level. They may have been ahead of their time - or not - and "Gary Gilmore's Eyes" is worth more than one hearing, but they might have been better served by learning a bit more of their craft before embarking on their careers. Still, they are worth a listen for their advocacy of raw punk power.

"Second album shortage" was a common problem amoung late 70s punk rock bands. The follow-up LPs of the Damned, Slaughter & the Dogs, Dead Boys and the Jam were frowened upon at their initial releases. Today, however, those albums ARE good. But the Adverts' second effort was a terrible album in 1979-and it's STILL terrible! It's not even a rehash of their great debut "Crossing the Red Sea". It's just poorly produced early techno pop recorded by a sleep-walking band. Time was not kind to this forgettible album & never will be. Even die-hard fans of "Red Sea" should miss this one.
(However, decent versions of a few of these songs can be found on the Adverets' "Peel Sessions" CD. These "raw" takes have a nice Velvet Underground feel.)