Customer Reviews

Runout Groove

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

 

 

Hmmm...where to start. I have been a Stephen Duffy fan for many, many years. The opening lines of "American Eyes" from Paradise Circus had me hooked. I love all of the early LT albums (especially Astronauts) and his first few solo albums post-LT up through I Love My Friends (which I consider to be his best work of all) That said...other than a few tracks on Looking for a Day in the Night and "My Forest Brown" from 6, the latest incarnation of the LT is leaving me flat and I'm not sure I can express why. To me, the last few albums seem a bit short on melody and dynamics...it's like every song just kind've comes and goes without much impact. Go back through your collection and pick out his best tunes: "Return to Yesterday", "I Went to the Dance", "The Darkness of Her Eyes", "The Deal", "If the Stars Shine Tonight"...etc, etc. If you are honest (like I'm trying to be here), it will be tough for you to find anything on the past three albums that can rub shoulders with that company. I love Duffy for what he is and does...I would prefer that he move away from the tried and true pedal-steel LT quandry and bring some new dynmaics to his work. Perhaps I'm living too much in the past...but his work sounds like second-rate home recordings to me now whereas they used to send shivers up my spine. My two-cents worth...

This album proves that nothing Stephen Duffy ever does is a fluke. It is more of the great songs he and The Lilac Time are known for. Particular standouts are: Another Time, Dream of a Girl, and Driving Somewhere. Instant classics! If you love SD & TLT, you will love this album. The only things robbing it of 5 stars, in my humble opinion, are a few weaker songs (No Direction, Parliament Hill Fields, and Dark Squadrons), and more importantly a more overtly political tone than previous work which comes across as a bit preachy (Another Time, Aldermaston) and I find that this detracts from the overall experience. Regardless, it is a MUST HAVE CD for anyone who appreciates SD & TLT, or... for that matter... music.

Stephen Duffy is a masterful pop songwriter, a great, emotive singer and is quite handy with a guitar. This album won't really show you any of that, sadly. There are years and years of excellent work on offer in the form of early Lilac Time records and his solo work up through (in my opinion) "I Love My Friends"; "Music in Colors" is a masterpiece to my ears, but the groove is running tired. Here's to hoping that Stephen Duffy recaptures some of the old mojo, and for the new explorer, look elsewhere for a proper introduction - any of the currently re-issued original Lilac albums, and the first three solo records show Duffy at the height of his powers - come to this record only as a loyal fan. Regardless, thank you Stephen, for the years and years of amazing music you have given us.

Runout Groove is yet another gem by the wonderful musician/lyricist Stephen Duffy and his band The Lilac Time.Listen to this beautiful album a few times and chances are you will see what i mean!

If you have a bottle of champagne on ice for the day Bush leaves office, and a stack of CDs that you're spinning during the waning days of, for want of a better word, the "regime," you might consider adding _Runout Groove_ to the stack.

Don't let the sepia-toned photograph on the cover mislead you; there's anger in them thar pastoral hills of olde England. There's supposed to be a "concept" behind all of the photos, but I don't know what it is so I won't comment. Maybe the accompanying book of lyrics and song "explications" that's due out soon will shed some light?

On to the songs themselves...

"Another Time" begins with, "Here they come, the belligerent/I don't know what they do/With every shade of ignorance/They only make me blue..."

However, at about the same tempo as the opener to _Lilac 6,_ "Another Time" is a weak start out of the gate. And I have no idea what Stephen means by, "I'm glad that I live in another time." There is, however, a clever rewording here of a famous lyric by (early) The Who.

With the second track clouds disperse, we hold hands and the sun shines as we sing the chorus to "Driving Somewhere." This one's a winner, its lyrics seemingly penned by a disenchanted Jack Kerouac. Musically, it sounds like Fleetwood Mac at their poppiest. Sweet pedal steel sounds are a great touch here. The album could have done with another up-tempo number like this, since "Happy Go Lucky" seems pretty forgettable even after repeated listenings.

"A Dream of a Girl" is a sweet love song.

"Aldermaston" takes aim at the masters of war. More sublime lyrics: "When Franco died the shops in Barcelona ran out of champagne/And I was born under a peace sign, sheltered under the hard rain"

Of musical interest too is "Pruning the Vine," which sounds like Brian Jones popped in during the recording session and helped with the arrangement. And God, for lovers of words in and of themselves, it's crazy good to hear Stephen enunciate "patent leather boots."

Really, Stephen Duffy's lyrics are the strongest feature on this disc. Just pop in the disc and pretend you're at a beat poetry reading...in another time.