Strange Times [Limited Edition, Original recording reissued]

Chameleons | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 23, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Limited Edition, Original recording reissued
• Label: Geffen Gold Line Sp.
• ASIN: B000000P11
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,061 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #72 in Music > Alternative Rock > Indie & Lo-Fi > Dream Pop

Track Listings

1. Mad Jack

2. Caution

3. Tears

4. Soul in Isolation

5. Swamp Thing

6. Time/The End Of Time

7. Seriocity

8. In Answer

9. Childhood

10. I'll Remember

Editorial Reviews

Audio CD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest Album Never Heard...10 stars, April 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Strange Times (Audio CD)

The Chameleons are the lost soul of rock music, and Strange Times is a journey that will never end. If only everyone had heard this record back in 1986, popular music would have taken a radically different course. This record skies to melodic heights unforeseen, while safely plummeting through the depths of melancholy, only to bring you back up time and again. No one did this better than the Chameleons.

In their third, last, and greatest album, this Middletown band of geniuses combine their mastery of guitar delay and reverb with a restraint and commitment to detail that is simultaneously frightening and beautiful. (To U2's Edge, please take notes.) Layer upon layer of choral guitars will make you feel like you're hidden in a lighthouse in Scotland...waiting for the crashing waves and thunderstorms to roll in. And Mark Burgess' voice...weaving, crying in and out of Reg Smithies and Dave Fielding's chiming guitars will send chills down your spine. Fools compare them to U2 or maybe Echo (both great bands), but for those who know the Chameleons, they understand that this is like comparing 3-dimensions to one. BUY this record...it is perhaps the greatest album ever recorded.

29 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A cornerstone in the history of music..., April 28, 2000

By 

D. Pfeiffer "jf_sebastian" (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strange Times (Audio CD)

Strange Times is a classic. End of story. Why do British bands always burn out at their peak? If anyone was listening in the 80's (and apparently U2 was) they would have realized that this band was going into previously uncharted territory. Often categorized as Gothic, New Wave, etc. Chameleons broke several boundaries and really, in my mind refuse classification other than that they are a band deserving of their legendary status. Strange Times is the swan song of the 80's. Listen to this album and the others and you'll realize just how influential these guys were without getting much credit. They created the reverb, ethereal guitar sound emulated by such greats as The Chrurch, U2, The Fixx and in many ways the Police. The ghosts of Chameleons even haunt some eighties releases by Rush and David + David. Where'd you think tha guitar sound came from on "Welcome to the Boomtown". Listen to Script of the Bridge. Listen to the Chameleons and pay your homage! Where as Script of the Bridge was the White Album of the 80's, Strange Times was the Let it Be. At time incredibly powerful and delicately eerie. The lyrical content is simply amazing as it walks the fine line through British surrealism and wrenching emotional confusion. Thanks for the timeless music guys!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like fine Vintage Port--took a while to open but worth it!, August 24, 2004

By 

Joe "Bagga" (Overseas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strange Times (Audio CD)

A CD that did not capture me on first listen, sat for years on the shelf and almost traded away before the reprieve. Great music often takes more than a single listen to comprehend, and I'm humble enough to admit that I misjudged my first impression of this band. But all is forgiven now--it has kept an honored spot in the collection for 10 years now. The atmospheric guitars are like sheets of ice. The bass and drums pound it all home. "Swamp Thing" even at mid-volume can make pictures fall off their hooks on your walls. It is a song you experience as much as hear.