Customer Reviews

Flash and the Pan/Lights in the Night

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Flash and the Pan was the brainchild/alter ego of Harry Vanda & George Young, who, besides having been the Easybeats, achieved great success as a producing team specializing in no-nonsense hard rock, like for instance on the records George's kid brothers released as AC/DC. But certainly nobody could've anticipated this outfit, with a sound that embodies the term 'quirky'. A synth-driven outfit specializing in bizarre and even disturbing 'pop' songs that sorta shotgun-marries Van Der Graaf Generator, Electric Light Orchestra, synthpop & disco in a ceremony that equally soils all the attendants, these boys scratch an itch you may not know you have. Vanda's bizarre and compelling vocals are all lisped through filters - wait, I KNOW it's 2001 and that 'filtered-vocal' bit has been done to death, but this is one of its earliest, cleverest uses...and it works. Behind Vanda, the band (besides Young, Les Karski & Ray Arnott) create melodic soundscapes that run the gamut from sunny to surging to sinister, with the synth & keyboard work firmly upfront. This reissue twofer features the first two Flash releases. The first has shorter, punchier tunes like 'African Shuffle' & 'Man in the Middle', but it's the moments of odd, sleepy menace that shine here, such as 'California' & 'Walking in the Rain'. Fortunately, the album's darker patches proved irresistable to the band, so the followup LIGHTS IN THE NIGHT is packed with similar atmospheric swirl patterns: 'Atlantis Calling', 'Restless', 'Captain Beware' and the strange and wonderful title track. A recommended purchase to those of you in the mood for something dark, different & accessible - although the third album, HEADLINES, is better still but currently unavailable.

I stumbled across Flash and the Pan only because my older brother had bought their albums. Though I immediately loved the music, I used to think we were the only people in the nation that ever listened to this group. It's definitely not for your mainstream crowd.

Basically, at the first pass, the group sounds like a jumped-up garage band with artistic delusions and mid-range production values. If you're looking for churning guitar solos or showy instrumental virtuousity, you won't find it here. And you may be dismayed by the vocals, which are more spoken then sung and which seem to be filtered through a third-rate microphone.

But if you stop long enough to listen to the lyrics and to absorb the total experience, it somehow all comes together wonderfully. You'll find that the group, far from being sloppy and inept, has undertaken a very deliberate stylistic approach that's very unlike the vast majority of rock music today. Their themes may seem weird or esoteric (an ode to the Titanic--a couple of decades before the hit movie--and a strange meditation on Atlantis), but the music succeeds brilliantly in creating a somewhat dark and unsettled mood. And for variety, some of the pieces even ramp up to a rollicking finish, like "Welcome to the Universe".

By no means will this work for everyone. But if you want to experiment a bit or are looking for a challenge, check it out.

I bought this album when it was released and haven't heard it in years but I can still recall several of the great songs in my head. I didn't do drugs in the '70s but I stil listened to the album over and over again. I just loved it and it certainly would make my personal top 100. I should mention that some of my friends absolutely hated this album and wouldn't even let me play it in their presence. We almost wrecked the car wrestling over the tape. Would that make Flash in the Pan a band to die for?

Flash and the Pan mixed the electronica of Kraftwerk, or even The ORB, with the sounds of 80s British Pop/Dance. But they produced this sound a good ten years before it 'went to the mall'. And worht noting is their late 70s/early 80s avant-gaurde sound isn't dated, like say The Psychedellic Furs.

Even today, it's still unusual in production, lyrics, and sound, but certainly no longer head-turning.

And like a previous reviewer stated; back in the day I didn't think anybody else knew of this group. One of my favorite memories was when a group of us sampled too much canabis in a van parked somewhere around the bottom of Mt. Diablo and just spaced out to the sounds of Lights in the Night.

Bought this (the self-titled album)on cassette back in '79 while living in Pasadena, finally found it last summer on CD and was instantly transformed back to the best year of my youth! "Hey St. Peter" was a minor hit, but the entire release was trance inducing stuff. The inclusion of the second release (which I wasn't very familiar with) will get my attention eventually but for now, still 4 stars...

Flash and the Pan was a fantastic band that somehow blended dark lyrics into very catchy Pop songs--an oxymoron for sure. All of the previous reviews are dead accurate. Their later albums ("Early Morning Wakeup Call", "Nights In France" and "Burning Up The Night") were a bit more commercial and not as dark as their early stuff but the albums are still extremely enjoyable even if they are a little more mainstream than their first 3 albums.

For those looking for all of their albums, it is difficult, but possible to get them; however, it will take a bit of work. The internet has been the effort a bit easier than when I attempted to complete my collection 7 years ago. I am fortunate to own each of their 8 albums (2 of them were greatest hits albums). For those looking, I think almost all of the studio albums are on CD with the exception of "Headlines". I've tried locating the CD version of "Early Morning Wakeup Call" but haven't been able to get it, so I simply ripped by LP version.

Flash and the Pan were ahead of their time and very unique. I've never heard another band like them. Their songs were smart, quirky and almost as catchy as something from the power-pop genre while being menacing and dark. A weird, fascinating combination that is shockingly listenable.

... is the absolute standout track on this collection, a downtempo masterpiece long before it became a genre unto itself (although Grace Jones did a remake, the atmospheric version found here is definitive)... other notables include "Hey St. Peter" and "Lights In The Night".

I hate to overhype these records, but a few of the songs here changed my life. I mean that. It was 1980 and I was 14, listening to the Rock and Roll Alternative, a radio show George Gimarc had on KZEW in Dallas. I was sprawled out on the hood of my mom's car on a hot summer night, the stars above me blazing. The song "Lights in the Night" came on the portable radio we had and it was then I knew music could save your soul. My brother got both records and we played them constantly. "Walking in the Rain." "First and Last." "Restless." A few stinkers, too. But most of this stuff is brilliant. I recently threw a few songs on my iPod and they are still fresh and ahead of any time. Why don't more people know about them? Throw them on the next mix-tape, er, CD you make for a friend.

Even by todays standards this stuff is pretty strange. Flash and the Pan are funny, dark and surprisingly pop. Of the two albums, "Lights in the Night" ( which features an amazing title track )is the more cohesive and better produced, but the key songs on the debut are absolutely necessary listening. Luckily, you can get them both together for a decent price, and not miss a bizarre moment of this one-of-a-kind group.

For all of you looking for more cd's from this great group look in Europe. I own several cd's like "Flash and the Pan", "Lights in the night", "Headlines", "Early morning wake up call", "Nights in France",and a 1990 single " Something about you" coming out of Holland and Austria. Good luck fans!