Customer Reviews

Spys/Behind Enemy Lines

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

 

 

Keeping a low profile may be part of their professional game plan, i
doubt whether these SPYS would have objected to being the focus of media
attention on a decidedly larger scale. There seems to be a lack of
consensus as to the measure of success they enjoyed upon their
arrival. According to a well-known British AOR fanzine "the album
sped up the US charts and featured heavily in radio
airplay". Opener "Don't run my life" apparently had its
share of airplay, and rightfully so, while their "Midnight
fantasy" single release may have been accompanied by a
video. (Credit for this bit of classified information should go to one
of my fellow reviewers.) Be that as it may, i myself did not hear as
much as a whisper about this great band until i infiltrated the
AOR/pomprock minded fan family a decade or so ago. They certainly
never made it big. Whatever exposure they got at the time, it was
less than they deserved.

An exponent of the glory years of AOR,
producing wonderful acts like Le Roux, Sheriff, Franke & the
Knockouts, Dakota, Alliance and a multitude of others, they suffered
the same fate as the majority of their like-minded colleagues. Many
met with an untimely end as they crashed into a (Berlin) wall of utter
indifference on the part of the public at large, courtesy of the
powers that be, who shape the face of nationwide radio & TV and
determine what sells and who's buying. A small matter of the
deliberately blind leading the blissfully ignorant. Anyone who has
ever been fortunate enough to come across their self-titled debut
album (1982) and/or sophomore effort "Behind enemy lines"
(1983), or should decide to make up for lost time, will scarcely be
able to deny that they were a first-class outfit. Specializing in this
extremely underrated genre, label Renaissance Records have been
generous enough to include both albums on this one CD. Sadly, their
classic (re)releases have been few and far between lately. This 19
track "compilation" album in my book is their most
attractive release thus far.

Formed in 1981 by ex-Foreigner keyboard
player Al Greenwood and bassist Ed Gagliardi (they left Gramm & co
after "Head games"), SPYS set forth to deepen and further
explore the then impopular pompous symphonic aspect of their
rolemodels, who (covertly) operated within the progrock scene. On
their debut they came up with an impressive batch of bright, upbeat
songs, dominated by Greenwood's lush keyboards, with stabbing guitars,
a solid backbeat, multilayered vocals and colorful arrangements. Well
engineered by top-flight producer Neil Kernon, it abounded in finest
AOR/poprock in typical early '80s style, with John Blanco's signature
voice providing an instant means of ID. To single out the specific
highlights is a tough assignment, but top honors should perhaps be
awarded to back-to-back winners "Ice age" (cool lyric),
"Danger" (beautiful piano intro, excellent buildup) and
"Over her" (featuring an over the top chorus), runners-up
being "She can't wait" and the memorable "No harm
done". Sole ballad "Hold on (when you feel you're
falling)" tugs eloquently at the heart strings.

I heard tell
SPYS were pressured to swiftly come up with a follow-up album, which
may have had its (negative) impact on their second release. Whether of
their own volition or perforce, "Behind enemy lines" was a
self-produced effort, which turned out to be a more casual,
lighthearted and commercial sounding affair, using occasional sound
effects. Considering the legacy it had to live up to, the odds against
lightning striking twice were less than favorable. That said, this is
an estimable album in its own right, which features a number of songs
that are almost up to the standard of their debut. The most remarkable
of which is the title track, showcasing at some point a Russian choir
to surprising effect. Other notable songs being opener "Rescue
me" (the SOS signal is a nice touch !), "Heartache",
"Midnight fantasy", the slow-paced "Younger days"
(which takes a while to get going) and finally "Can't stop us
now", a cracking song with vintage keyboards to bring this nearly
80 minute disc to a close.

Artistic differences (involving their
record company) and disappointing sales figures led to them losing
their contract and their eventual demise. With the current detente
between East and West SPYS may seem to be obsolete nowadays, but this
tremendous CD is still an indispensable item in my collection. Music
lovers who pride themselves on their intelligence should make the wise
choice. Satisfaction guaranteed !

If I had to pick a favorite in my music collection it would be this CD. I have both albums on vinyl and I was pleasantly surprised when I picked up the disc in 1996. From "Don't Run My Life" to "Can't Stop Us Now", there is no filler on this collection. Mr. Blanco's voice is incredibly unique and can never be copied. It is a shame that they went away so quickly. I have heard demos from a group named KLOWN he was in after SPYS, and that was even heavier. Maybe one day he will surface again to let us enjoy his amazing talents!

I had the original debut LP when it came out in the early 80's, and I couldn't listen to it enough. I just LOVED this album. I never had the second LP, but when I saw both albums were released together on this CD, I absolutely HAD to purchase it! I still favor the first LP's worth of the CD, but all in all it's a WONDERFUL CD. I'm sure most people nowadays would say they've never heard of SPYS, but I think they may recognize the songs from the first album that had some radio and MTV play.

Everyone that has reviewed this CD mentions some MTV video play, but then don't seem to recall the video that they had for "She Can't Wait". It is a GREAT song, and I clearly remember the video, even if nobody else seems to. I'm so surprised that this band wasn't a HUGE hit with their first album, and I believe if they had a video for "Don't Run My Life" to go along with the video they had for "She Can't Wait", they WOULD have been a MUCH bigger success.

If you enjoy early to mid 80's rock, you will not be disappointed with this purchase. As other reviewers have mentioned, I miss what could have been many more wonderful releases by this band. I believe my favorite part of this band was the elegant keyboards by Al Greenwood. In my opinion, Foreigner pretty much sucked after Greenwood left the band. Foreigner's first three albums were great, after that - meh. That's another reason to purchase this CD - if you like the sound of the first three Foreigner albums,then you'll appreciate SPYS even more.

John Blanco's lead vocals offer his audience choir- like ,highly trained, superb singing. The keyboards , guitars and drums compile a technically phenominal sound and are as tight as a drum.. Good work,cool lyrics..ROCK AND ROLL!!

I really want to buy this, but I'll save my money and find a good sealed vinyl copy and make my own since mine will probably sound better than theirs anyway. Renaissance Records will release a record using the worst source material. and call it a remaster. Some of their CD's are nothing more than vinyl rips and I've heard they'll even use a cassette tape if they can't acquire the original master tapes. Don't know about this one but I've bought enough of their CD's to know it's a gamble. The last one I got only because I forgot to check the record label. It had a "Finger nails across a chalkboard effect" I got a headache that stuck with me for a couple of hours. Only listened to two tracks, I had to turn it off it was so bad. If you get this and it sounds OK, you might not have as good luck the next time.

thanks for the quick delivery! I really dug the group. I only wish I could get the lyrics to "sheep to talk back". I can't understand what they are saying. Maybe it's because they don't want us to hear it clearly.

Hi
Really great AOR music.It really rocks (not like the ian McDonald record).Of course there is not Lou Gramm's voice but I really find that this record is better than most of the foreigners.There is a kind of happyness that U find also in the CARS music...
I find that the first part(there is 2 Lps,19 tracks)rocks more whereas the second part tends more to the new wave....But there is still strong guitar riffs all over the Cd.
In 3 words ²great and original

This compilation of the two SPYS LP's from the early 80's features both LP's on one compact disc. The only song that ever received much airplay for the SPYS was "Don't Run My Life" and a few others made it on some AOR format stations. "Midnight Fantasy" was made into a video and received a little airplay on MTV. The music is classic 1980's rock, and I have always considered the SPYS one of my favorite groups. The CD contains good rock tunes, an awesome ballad "Hold On" and the typical 80's song about the cold war "Ice Age". Al Greenwood on keyboards, previously did some work with Rainbow and some other groups. Ed Gagliardi, bassist comes from Foreigner. If you don't know who the SPYS are, you probably won't get this CD just from my writing, but if you know who they are, it's a must have. I am very surprised it was released on CD in late 1996, why, when they were not that popular? However, their music is the best and! I'd love to have the Russian portions of the song "Behind Enemy Lines" translated and a lyric sheet for "Sheep Don't Talk Back" but it is not included. ...

I have been searching for this for 15 years! Now if I could only find the group called the "Clocks".