Customer Reviews

Yoyo [Vinyl]

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

 

 

If the '80s was the decade of the one-hit wonders, then the duo of Bourgeois Tagg was the shining example (for the song "I don't Mind at All"). Every once in a while you will here the song on a background music track in a store or restaurant and, if you are a child of the '80s, you probably say to yourself "I've heard that before," but can't remember who it was. Well it's Bourgeois Tagg. This song takes me back to a simpler time of OP board shorts, upturned collars on Izod polo shirts and Vans skate shoes.

However, it shouldn't just end with one song. Brent Bourgeois and Larry Tagg had very thought provoking lyrics and solid music to back them up. While "I Don't Mind at All" is clearly their most known song, two others are quite noticeable: "Waiting for the Worm to Turn," (which has an acoustic, upbeat feel) and "Pencil and Paper," (more intense and danceable).

If you are into rare '80s music, then Yoyo is a must.

I was pleased to find this CD to replace my original (now stolen) copy. This was mid eighties in every respect and Bourgeois Tagg almost made it. This is their 2nd and last CD. They dotted all the i's, with management by Bill Graham, production by Todd Rundgren, and even an appearance on the Tonight Show (while Johnny Carson was still there). But, despite a modest hit with the heartbreaking "I Don't Mind At All," the band broke up, for personal reasons.

Brent left us some worthwhile songs, vocals and keys; Larry laid down a rockin' bass; Lyle's guitar is exactly right; and Mike, with Larry's bass, gives the whole thing a solid rhythm on the drums.

In sum, it's a worthwhile memory.

I love this album, great work.
If you like Todd Rundgren you will like this.
Also look for mutual surrender, another great song from this band.
It is on youtube.

Produced by Todd Rundgren, this album by one-hit wonder group Bourgeois Tagg is actually quite an engaging listen throughout. Best known for the hit "I Don't Mind At All," the whole album has solid musicianship and the customary good melodicism rightfully associated with Todd Rundgren. Other great selections besides the hit include "Out Of My Mind" and "Stress."

For the record, since there is currently only one review of this album, "Yoyo" was the second, and final, album from Bourgeois Tagg. I first heard them on MTV (yes, that station that used to be great) in 1986 for the video "Mutual Surrender". I was hooked and went and bought their debut album "Bourgeois Tagg" as a cassette. I graduated to cds in 1987, and in October of that year I saw the first video from "Yoyo" for "I Don't Mind At All". I always felt this band had more to offer, but as with many artists, they were cut short and disbanded. In May 1990, Brent Bourgeois released his self-titled debut which was also excellent. He followed this with another album in 1992 called "A Matter Of Feel" which was not so good, and then he went Christian music on us with his third album in 1995, which I did not even bother with.

I just so happen to own "Bourgeois Tagg" (1986), "Yoyo" (1987), "Brent Bourgeois" (1990) and "A Matter Of Feel" (1992) on cd. It's interesting that "Yoyo" has been put back into print, and I can't figure why exactly. It's a great album if you're looking for melodic, yet not necessarily commercial music from the late 1980's. The band enlisted the help of producer Todd Rundgren (who also produced XTC and Hall and Oates among others). It was a good decision, and quite possibly "Yoyo" is the better of Bourgeois Tagg's two albums.

I was completely blown away the first time I heard "I Don't Mind", and decades later I still love the song. I owned this album first time around, having run out to buy it as soon as I heard the single. Sadly, it was a huge disappointment. Nothing else on the album comes even remotely close to the beauty and pathos of that song. In fact, with the possible exceptions of "Waiting for the Worm to Turn" and "Coma" (the other track to feature the string quartet heard so prominently in "I Don't Mind"), nothing else was even close to listenable for me.

Your mileage may vary, of course, but I strongly encourage potential buyers to listen to the online samples rather than assuming that the album's other nine tracks will compare to its one big hit.

As usual, my experience was very good. Amazon seems to have a good thing going. Keep it up. Mike Avadikian