Only the most assiduous post-punk
enthusiasts are likely to recall this London act's brief career in
the mid-eighties, though The Lucy Show did manage to put out
two albums over their momentary tenure. ...undone,
their urgent, dramatic debut, originally came out in 1985 on A&M,
and registered some fine impressions on critics and college radio
directors, though all the buzz somehow
failed to rescue them from the annals of obscurity;
in fact, they were dropped by their label
within the year. Words on Music, that stellar
imprint which recently put out several For Against
reissues (and new albums), has wisely ladled this record out of
limbo, issuing this lovely re-release in hopes of bringing The Lucy
Show to new ears. But does it stand the test of time?
These four folks
do wear their influences quite
prominently on their sleeves, which has resulted in some charges of
being outright derivative. Certainly, they
borrow rather overtly from the likes of The Church, The
Comsat Angels, The Sound, and Joy Division, though
I still found myself enjoying this record rather consistently –
partly because I'm a big fan of those bands as it is, but also
because The Lucy Show execute their borrowings with such impeccable
melodiousness. Indeed, the band's shimmering pop hooks often
overshadow their shady post-punk atmospherics. Consider sublime
opener “Ephemeral (This is No Heaven),” which is
hoisted by jangly, sinewy guitar chimes, a momentous, Joy
Division-esque bassline, and a glistening vocal melody. It's a
formula that graces this record's better moments, like propulsively
infectious “Come Back to the Living” and foot-moving “Undone.” Then
there's also the earnest, early-Church influenced pop of joyful
“Remain,” or the later-era Church meanderings of slithery “The White
Space.” Only a few songs venture into mediocrity (“The Twister,”
“Dream Days”), a noteworthy feat for a debut record.
The story of the Lucy Show is hardly an
inspiring one; in fact, it's a rather unfortunate tale and, to be
cynical, it's one that's been echoed by more than a few bands since
the advent of the music industry. Fortunately, Words on Music has
been helping to resurrect a few of the tastier relics of post-punk's
spottily-remembered past. And this somewhat underrated tidbit is
certainly worthy of a second look.
