Customer Reviews

Politics of Dancing

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Totally agree with the previous reviewers. This album is marvellous 80s pop-synthesizer rock at its best. If you're not foot-tapping all the way through to these infectious tunes, you're probably dead.

I've loved this album since the 80s and it still hits my music player on a regular basis. Just can't seem to tire of these upbeat songs no matter how hard I try. It seems to me that almost every track could have been a single.

I apologize in advance because it is impossible to describe these (or any) songs in words for those who have never heard them but enthusiasm for this album has got the better of me so here goes anyway...highlights of the album for me (in no particular order):

- The Politics of Dancing
The extended version of the title track just rocks so powerfully and majestically. The single version of this track is the one Re-Flex track you may just have heard of (you might find it on 80s collections CDs) and if you like it, buy this album now - all the songs are of this quality and catchiness.

- Something About You
This song is all about lusting after your favorite lady and I love the way this builds to an incredible screaming climax with those amazing keyboard stabs in the background. One of the reasons I play keyboards to this day was the hypnotically-compulsive way they were used in this song.

- Keep in Touch
What an intro to a song. Layer upon layer of synths, drums and percussion mesh together and then burst into the catchy finale of the album.

- Hurt
All about turning the tables to get revenge. Even the chords in this one sound angry (in a pop way).

- Praying to the Beat
The starting track of the album starts with a sampled speeded-up talking clock..."Good morning, the time is 6.30am". Whenever I wake up at this time, I'm thinking of this line (boy, am I sad!). This is a clever social satire on how we are slaves to the office working day. You'll be humming this one to work for sure.

- Hitline
Incredibly cynical lyrics about commercial contrived pop songs in the form of a commercial contrived (and brilliant) pop song. Hilarious irony - done so well. These guys were so good they could mock their own artform while creating an outstanding example of it. I'm often reminded of other 80s artists like Nik Kershaw listening to this one - he similarly hid away biting lyrics in the guise of innocent catchy tunes.

I'll stop there before I bore everyone to tears.

I've hardly written any reviews on Amazon in the past seven years but really felt compelled to say something about this gem of an album.

A friend of mine who first introduced me to this album back in the mid 80's once remarked how it was strange that what was one of the best and theoretically most marketable (every song could be a hit) pop records of all time never got anywhere.

I don't understand it to this day. It is amazing to me how these guys just seemed to vanish into thin air. Still, they created something outstanding while they were around.

It's a testament to the pop artform. The 80s at their very best. Your friends will thank you time and time again for introducing them to this album.

So I stumbled upon this cassette (hehe) in 1983 while a Freshmen in college. My frat brothers thought I was nuts, but after listening they too were hooked, and the title song quickly became an anthem for us! I sold the tape to a used music store four years later when I moved from school. Missing and regretting selling that cassette a year later, I visited that same shop and re-purchased my cassette (it wasn't on CD yet)!

Now I own it on CD (and still have the cassette!).

I guess, I am HIGHLY recommending it. Especially if your music tastes revolve around the '80s! The thunderous beat just transports you. Love it.

Enjoy

I have to agree with other posters here. What some people are asking for used (or new) copies of this LP and CD is outrageous. It's an excellent album; don't get me wrong. Re-Flex is one of a handful of bands from the '80s I still listen to regularly, and I own a collection of their material on both CD and vinyl. (And, once upon a time, cassette tape!)

But when, as the former band members themselves have criticised, you have a number of people out there taking advantage of fans by selling "Politics" for exorbitant prices and pushing bootleg copies of their unreleased LP "Humanication" as authentic "promos" on eBay and the like, plus the fact that Re-Flex don't see a DIME of any of this money that's changing hands, something is very wrong, indeed.

In acknowledgment of the fan following that has persisted over the past two decades, Re-Flex are re-releasing "The Politics of Dancing" on CD, digitally remastered, later this year. They will also be releasing CDs of the much sought-after "Humanication" and two other albums -- "Movement of the Action Fraction" and "Jamming the Broadcast", which include some of their very early stuff from the late '70s with a fairly different sound, in my opinion. A fifth CD entitled "Music Re-Action" will feature singles and B-sides. These CDs will also be sold in a limited edition boxed set, entitled "Re-Fuse". From what I understand, there will likely be some music videos included, as well.

I, personally, am looking forward to these new releases with great anticipation, and I encourage other fans of Re-Flex to wait and save your money for either the individual CDs or the boxed set. It certainly makes more sense to have 5 CDs for less than the price of what some sellers here (and elsewhere) are asking for a used copy of "Politics" on vinyl -- and to have that revenue go where it belongs: to the artists, themselves.

A sultry, mid-winter day on a Florida highway, the rented DeVille sailed like a teakwood yacht on a Caribbean swell.
Just five hours ago I was slogging through a typical Chicago snowstorm, freezin' my noogies, the misery of a mid-western existence like ice-marrow in my bones, and the Hawk blowin' its sub-zero screeches in my face.
I had no cassettes, but the diversity of radio stations kept my fingers busy pushing on the "Seek" button. Had to stop for a moment, allowing my attention to focus on the road which was zippin' by at 80mph. A low "hummmmmmmmmm" distracted my thoughts when it just kept goin' on....and on...and then the drums. The bass started a resonant thump in my chest with the synthesizer starting to wire-up. And then the "Politics of Dancing".
I've never heard a better road song in my life.....and it really fits the bill. Try it, you can't help but like it....over and over again.

I remember the first time I heard of Re-Flex. I was watching some 80's cd ad by TimeLife. They showed clips from 80's vidoes and songs. I remember, there was a slow son, just before the Politics of Dancing. Loved it! I watch the commercial and see all the band members on it, even though the clip was only about 6 seconds long.

I finally got the CD. THe songs are my favorites. I love it. I wish they could have been mega stars, they should have. I guess it is nice to see that they are still into music. The lead song writer/synthesizer player/3rd vocals/computers guy worked with more people with sound engineering. He's probobly letting Re-Flex's German PPG wave (synthesizer) collect dust.

To sum up this too-long review, it is awseome!

Before you spend up to 200 dollars on a used copy of just this album on CD, google yourself some Re-Flex and Jambo Music. Extensive Re-flex recordings of new wave synth pop perfection have been remastered, including this, the LP Humanication (with contributions from Sting) that was supposed to follow this one but was never released...as well as a couple more albums worth of music the band recorded but never got to release--and the whole 6-disc set will cost you less than the astronomical prices being asked for this single disc--and you can even order the remastered of just this disc. But if you are a real 80s music lover and new wave lover, you will want to have their entire catalog of synthpop recordings.

I picked this up at the same time as Fiction Factory's CD, but this made an instant impression that the other didn't. As with FF I had only heard one song before (guess which one...), but I was not disappointed with the album.

Classic 80's sound, buy if you can...

great dance music from the 80"s, the whole CD is danceable

The Politics of Dancing is a great 80s album and I believe other reviewers have captured this well. So, while it's unfortunate no further albums from Re-Flex were officially released at the time (EPs excluded and, yes, there are bootleg copies of Humanification floating around the Internet), Paul Fishman et al have finally released a complete remastering of the entire Re-Flex catalog. Paul has an official site describing this effort and how to obtain Politics of Dancing, Humanification, and other CDs including a complete box set(!) It's a shame this hasn't appeared on Amazon yet... Paul?

UPDATE:

For those that missed it, the entire Re-Flex catalog was *finally* released back in September 2010. It took just nine days for my order to arrive. The remastering is outstanding; finally, a high-quality "Humanification" CD to listen to! As of this writing, the six (6) CD "Re-Fuse" boxset, with shipping, is still less than the prices charged for copies of the ancient 1994 One-Way Records release.

It's anyone's guess why these aren't available yet on Amazon...

I originally had this album on vinyl, from 1983! At one time, this album was released on CD, but they want $250 for it now! So, I bought the cassette for $5, and digitized it myself, thus saving $245!!!!
And it was recorded on state-of-the-art tape at the time, Dolby HX Pro, and with new software, I was able to get a Kick-A-s version on my computer to burn anytime!
If you don't know this album, it's worth a listen if you like 80's dance music.