Ghosts of Princes in Towers [Import]

The Rich Kids | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 11, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Cherry Red UK
• ASIN: B0000255G1
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,777 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Strange One

2. Hung On You

3. Ghosts Of Princess In Towers

4. Cheap Emotions

5. Marching Men

6. Put You In The Picture

7. Young Girls

8. Bullet Proof Lover

9. Rich Kids

10. Lovers And Fools

11. Burning Sounds

12. Empty Words

13. Here Comes The Nice (Live)

14. Only Arsenic

Editorial Reviews

Reissue of the sole album by this punky power pop/ rock outfit featuring ex-Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock and pre-Ultravox vocalist Midge Ure. First released in 1978, it contains all 11 of the original cuts, including the standout title song, plus three unmarked bonus tracks, 'Empty Words', Only Arsenic' and a live cover of the Small Faces hit 'Here Comes The Nice'. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Matlock Returns!, April 20, 2004

By 

Patrick W. Schubert (Santa Ana, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghosts of Princes in Towers (Audio CD)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forgotten gem, May 1, 2005

By 

sleep no more (Royal Oak, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghosts of Princes in Towers (Audio CD)

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This album rocks, December 3, 2003

By 

Ford Prefect "descendent" (MPLS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghosts of Princes in Towers (Audio CD)

Every track on this album is gold. It feels a lot like The Damned during their transistion from punk to goth, the Black Album era, to be specific. I'd have to say this is the second best punk album to ever come out of Britain, if not the best.
I don't know what the other guy is talking about when he says that the production is muddy, I think it's excellent, but perhaps he's used to overproduced albums like Combat Rock.
Fun fact: Midge Ure was the Sex Pistols original vocalist (Glen Matlock was their bassist as well, not Sid Vicious, in case you didn't know). I'm kind of glad that he left the band, otherwise, this gem likely never would've been recorded, though the Sex Pistols might never have sucked. What a dilemna.

In closing: This album should be in any punk fan's collection. Heck, this album should be in everyone's collection.