Strange Man Changed Man

Bram Tchaikovsky | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 18, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 1979
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Hip-O Select
• ASIN: B000ZIZ0ZC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #260,763 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Strange Man, Changed Man

2. Lonely Dancer

3. Robber

4. Bloodline

5. I'm the One That's Leaving

6. Girl of My Dreams

7. Nobody Knows

8. Lady from the U.S.A.

9. I'm a Believer

10. Sarah Smiles

11. Turn on the Light

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At Last! Power Pop Classic Finally Available on CD, December 28, 2007

By 

Eric R. Last "misterrockobscurities" (San Bruno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strange Man Changed Man (Audio CD)

I'm surprised to be the first to review this, 2 weeks after it's long-overdue CD reissue. Bram Tchaikovsky left the Motors to form his own band, releasing this great debut album in 1979. Amazing that it took almost 30 years for the CD to appear. "Girl Of My Dreams" was the hit, but just about every track is wonderful. The All Music Guide points out that the production (by Motors leader Nick Garvey) was a bit thin, which I totally agree with, but the great songs, punchy performances and fine three-part harmonies more than overcome the production shortcomings.

Aside from the hit, other outstanding tracks include "Lady From The USA", "I'm The One That's Leaving", "Lonely Dancer", "Sarah Smiles", and my personal favorite, the title track. This is one the great albums from the heyday of power pop. The mix of upbeat and slower tunes is especially effective. A good album to compare it to is "Tommy Tutone 2", another album with a fondly remembered hit ("867-5309/Jenny") that was totally solid from start to finish.

After this, Bram made 2 more albums, neither of which is anywhere near as appealing. With his commercial fortunes falling he retired from the music biz, and as far as I know he hasn't been heard from since.

Too bad they couldn't have thrown in a few of the stronger tracks from the other 2 albums, that would have made this perfect.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's about time!, February 12, 2008

By 

Dwayne Takeda "Dwayne" (OC, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strange Man Changed Man (Audio CD)

A long overdue CD release for the US. This is one of the top power pop CDs from the 80's, in my opinion. Just about every song is a gem. One track that deserves mention is their cover of "I'm a Believer", the old Monkees song; more power, less pop.

A couple of years ago, I had to pay premium bucks for an old, discontinued Asian CD of this album. I tried to track this down stateside and was shocked to discover that it had never been released in the US.

If you're a new wave / power pop fan, you NEED this CD.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great album, April 16, 2008

By 

Sweet William (Tucson, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strange Man Changed Man (Audio CD)

I have to agree with previous postings. This is one of the best albums of 1979--and that's saying a lot, because 1979 was a year that saw a lot of terrific music released. As I type this, I'm listening to my vinyl copy of this album. As soon as the CD comes, I'm framing the lp cover and putting it on my wall.