Moroni's Review of Tones on Tail's "Weird Pop"

The thing about punk in the 1970s - it was a reaction to all of the artsy rock around at the time.  Rock had become grandiose with feathered hair, silk leotards, rock operas, songs that lasted ten minutes, drum solos that showcased skill.  Punk was a reaction to this - a remembrance that rock was supposed to be rebellious and fun.  The "one-two-three-four" songs of the Ramones that lasted two minutes, songs stripped down to the bare minimum, and played sloppily.

So it is ironic that many of the post-punk bands of the 80's, bands that came right out of the British punk scene of the 70s, bands like PiL and Tones on Tail took upon an arsty quality.  Listening to Tones on Tail's only album, "Pop", released in 1984, I could very well believe that it is Pink Floyd.

Tones on Tail was a side project belonging to Daniel Ash of Bauhaus (whom I retro-reviewed here).  In his spare time, he would record singles and EPs along with one of Bauhaus' roadies.  When Bauhaus broke up in 1983, Tones on Tail became Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskin's full-time project.  They released only one album and then morphed into Love & Rockets.

Clubbing in the mid-80s was an interesting experience.  In the late 80's, it was all about house music, techno, and New Beat.  But in the mid-80s, the clubs played things like the ubiquitous "Blue Monday" by New Order, anything by the Cure, "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus, as well as "Go!" and "Christian Says" by Tones on Tail.  Any song with the word "vampire" in it was going to appeal to the gothic crowd.  I heard these songs pretty much every night.

As a teen, I had a beat-up cassette recording of Tones on Tail's only album, "Pop".  I listened to it all the time.  The lamentful "Lions", the heavy percussion of "War", the psychedelic chants of "Slender Fungus", the surrealistic jazz of "Movement of Fear", the acoustic "Real Life", the ambient electronica of "Rain", and (my favorite) the infectious yet discordant rhythm guitar of "The Never Never (Is Forever).  And the lyrics:  "Down for you is up."  All of these songs were an important part of my youth, and I can still sing along with every song.  After having listened to these songs as an adult, I can honestly say that "Pop" is one of the best yet sadly forgotten rock records of all time.

I had not owned any music by Tones on Tail since my cassette tape disintegrated in some box in storage.  So I thought that I would download their 2011 compilation, "Weird Pop".  It has the whole "Pop" album, minus two songs.  It also has a collection of their singles like "Go!", "Christian Says", "Burning Skies", and an awesome gothic version of Elvis's "Heartbreak Hotel".

So where does this music sit with me?  I have downloaded quite a bit of music lately, and the only album that I keep listening to over and over right now is "Weird Pop" by Tones on Tail.  As my ex-wife would say, "It is genius."  Enough said.