Spandau Ballet - True

B: how am i doing, Sandra?

S: actually i have to admit you're doing good on those first 4 parts. There's a fair bit of curmudgeon in there, but you aren't being overly pedantic or unfair. Really, everything you've said is true.

B: funny you should say that.

S: funny how?

B: calm down. Obviously i'm gonna slice it in some insane direction in the future, but can we all agree i'm making a real effort here? This is relevant industry stuff that corroborates my crazy hypothesis that most americans only ever experience the illusionary facade.

E: that's a fair description. It's not heavy handed, just very salt-of-the-earth.

B: ok, good. I yam what i yam. Last night's album was a bit much for any day, let alone Monday. Let's go back to Sandra's "true." I have Spandau Ballet's 3rd album called that, shall we?

S: are they the "ha haha hai-hi" guys?

B: excellent, yes that's the title track. It's the sample for PM Dawn's Set Adrift On Memory Bliss. This album should be the easy listening side of early 80s English New Wave. Let's adrift then, shall we?

...

B: well? Thoughts?

E: you're noticeably deadpan, Bottle. I can't read you at all.

B: yep.

S: ok, ok, this is like right on the edge. There's New Wave in there, but there's also a fair bit of Wham! I can't read you either. Compy, what's really going on here?

C: fffffffffffiii dunno. Well, clearly the saxophone solos are delightful. It's a tad kitsch, but in the Duran Duran rather than Boy George way. I'm gonna say the confusion is the point.

B: hmm, interesting. Sandra? Care to elaborate of Compy's hypothesis?

S: ok, you liked a lot of the smooth jazz stuff and that confused me. You're definitely presenting it as the other side of the Edgar Winter coin, but i'm not convinced that's the actual intent. That would mean this is the great content that you don't like version, or possibly the point is that this is their big mainstream breakthrough and they clearly care too much, but i'm not happy with that assessment. Skip, is this wackadoodle?

E: no, not really. This is normal 1983 as far as i can hear. I think this is one of those "lovely" albums. He likes it just as much as yesterday's album, but there's nothing to get hyped about. It a silent pleasure.

B: Compy, further considerations?

C: ok ok, you clearly love this, but Sandra's onto something. The comparison is wrong. Lemme think... ok, i've got it! Yeah, it's the lead Saxophone that connects them, but it's an over/under because yesterday he was exuberant but now he's basically catatonic. 

S: oh! Oh! Edgar Winter was wackadoodle on top of Mother Hubbard's boring generic rock musical, but this is wackadoodle underneath the veneer of borderline fake sentimental balladry so you barely even notice.

B: oh stop. Making an old man feel appreciated and understood. Called him Mother Hubbard and everything. Bunch of lily-livered ninnies you guys are. I can't lie though, those Sax solos are pretty freakin' sweet. Feel better? I told you i'm not a complete monster. 

S: Apology accepted.

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