The Buggles – Adventures in Modern Recording – review
Even though I’m a long time fan of Trevor Horn’s work, I never took the time to seek out the second album by The Buggles, Adventures in Modern Recording. I guess I assumed that it was simply a throwaway album filled with leftover tracks after keyboardist Geoff Downes left the band in 1981. Well, recently I had the chance to listen to the new re-issue put out by Salvo/ZTT and I have to say that I’m pleasantly surprised by the material on the album. It’s actually very good. In fact, I prefer this Buggles album over their more well known debut, Age of Plastic.
It’s got Trevor Horn’s signature production touches all over it. The sounds and production techniques that Horn achieved here on this album obviously carried over to his subsequent production work with ABC, Yes (90125) and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. There are also precursors to his work with the Art Of Noise in the song “Vermillion Sands”. Just listen for the samples of a car crashing and the car engine turning over. very AON. Horn also does a “left turn” at the end of “Vermillion Sands” with an upbeat pseudo-big-band like instrumental which would fit right in on an AON album. definitely fun to view all of this in hindsight knowing what he achieved as a producer after his start in the Buggles.
10 bonus tracks are also included here on this release. Notables include “We Can Fly From Here” (which was considered for Yes’ Drama album), the 12″ mix of “I Am a Camera”
Yes, there isn’t another song as catchy as “Video Killed a Radio Star” here but taken as a whole, this album is far more satisfying than their first album. Definitely worth seeking out. Highlights include: Adventures in Modern Recording, Vermillion Sands, I Am A Camera, Lenny.
retroGrade: A
Adventures of Modern Recording by The Buggles
remastered reissue by Salvo/ZTT
released: Feb 2010
tracklist:
1. Adventures In Modern Recording
2. Beatnik
3. Vermillion Sands
4. I Am A Camera
5. On TV
6. Inner City
7. Lenny
8. Rainbow Warrior
9. Adventures in Modern Recording (Reprise)
Bonus Tracks
1. Fade Away
2. Blue Nylon
3. I Am A Camera (12” mix)
4. We Can Fly From Here – part 1
5. Dion
6. Videotheque
7. On TV
8. Walking On Glass (original version of Lenny)
9. Riding A Tide
10. We Can Fly From Here – part 2
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