lambchops's Full Review: Earth Sun Moon [Remaster] by Love & Rockets
Throughout the mid 1980’s and early 1990’s Love and Rockets somehow managed to sneak under the radar. Considering the three members were all former members of minimalist English gloom-rock act Bauhaus, that fact should come as a pretty big shock. But what should come as an even bigger shock is that Love and Rockets is an appealing alt-pop-rock act without a whit of the expected pretentious gloom.
Love and Rockets formed in 1984. Occasionally dark and pensive, although absolutely inviting blend of guitar rock, alternative, and pop the band soon recorded and released their debut�’s Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven. Nothing about the disc alluded to the fact that the trio would eventually manage to completely come together and pump out not just one, but two near-excellent albums. It was in fact awarded at best mixed reviews. For their fifteen years in existence, Love and Rockets was comprised of Daniel Ash (vocals, guitar), David J. Haskins (bass, vocals), and Kevin Haskins (drums). At times the trio made magic, but as time progressed and they became slightly more popular the quality of their music steadily decreased.
Pinnacle among the works of Love and Rockets are two mid-1980’s albums. Express (1986) is a rich, round, full rock album rooted in psychedelia and glam. But what appealed most about the surprisingly fulfilling release were that the dark, imaginative and often religious songs. The vibrant, sparkling pop-rock tracks were a change for a band that could have more easily stuck to gothic sounds and themes. That album could have been a fluke, but in fact a year later the band returned with an album that is often thought to be their best Earth.Sun.Moon.
Earth.Sun.Moon was an album ahead of its times. Clearly many of today’s bands looked to Love and Rockets for inspiration. Their majestic, appealing, and thoughtful songs did something that few acts in the eighties were able to accomplish…they appealed to a massive audience. Unfortunately, much of America remained ignorant to the act until they scored a 1989 hit with single So Alive. The self-titled album that song was culled from is not by far one of the best from the band. As such, all too many people just wrote the act off as one-hit-wonders without realizing the breadth of their earlier work and their direct association with Bauhaus. It is easy to see why this happened…So Alive along with many other songs from Love and Rockets can be danced to are on the whole very consumer friendly to kids coincidentally sans black hair dye.
One thing about Love and Rockets that makes their music nearly timeless is that (especially on Earth.Sun.Moon) it is almost completely lacking synthesizers and drum machines. The production is understated while the songs are organic and real, and as such the album is basically as great today as they must have been in 1987. There were no major hits, though the album did crack the Billboard Top 100 and one single, No New Tale To Tell was a very minor mainstream radio hit. But those things aside, unearthing Earth.Sun.Moon is a necessary and refreshing experience. In the era of hair metal and shoegazers, Love and Rockets were something different and creative.
Earth.Sun.Moon, released on Beggar’s Banquet, is an incredible album. The kind of thing that you hold tight and never let go. The kind of album that is always appropriate whether it is in your car, at work, or at home. Not only is it entertaining, it also make you think and feel. This quality is what always makes a good album a great album. Consisting of thirteen tracks, Earth.Sun.Moon not only begins strongly with Mirror People, it also wraps up with a slow version of the same track. Everything between those two versions adds to the overall quality of this too often ignored eighties masterpiece.
As mentioned, Love and Rockets kicks off their third album with Mirror People. From the first heavy drum beats through the distorted, thick guitars the song is capped off by Ash’s smooth and soothing voice. At first, it may seem that the melody is repetitive. But as the track continues it is clear that there is a pattern, but the band manages to change things up enough to create a truly invigorating and entertaining experience. What is even more impressive is that the lyrics are delivered in a number of different ways from straight and smooth to punk to near-rap. And in the end, it works wonderfully.
But Mirror People is not the best song on Earth.Sun.Moon. Though, with that said it is difficult to choose a favorite. Songs like The Light, No New Tale to Tell, Lazy and Youth all rank pretty high in quality. Those not mentioned are by no means bad, either. The album is on the whole a wholly impressive outing from start to finish.
The Light actually sounds a bit like something from The Cult as it begins. But as increasing layers of elements are added it is clear that this is something completely original. The guitars and percussion are held at bay by Ash’s voice. He growls just over the rich and inviting guitar, bass, and drums. And as the song progresses it opens even further with a lovely acoustic guitar and harmonica. There is no question that this is pop, but it also something so much more--something that should be in most every rock, alternative, and eighties collection. And then there is the whole incredible issue of the lyrics (written in this case by the multi-talented Ash):
In your autumn, In your winter
In your wintertime - TIME
And do you recall
When you fall
I can't help notice
No light in our eyes
In our eyes
Continuing on, it is hard to not pay attention to No New Tale to Tell. It is this song that is a precursor in many ways to the massive British pop movement of the 1990’s through today. A simple acoustic guitars, light percussion, and clapping anchor much of the song. But as it moves toward the chorus, heavier elements are added. Though with that said, nothing about the track is anything but an appealing and enlightening brand of rock-pop. No New Tale to Tell is a very special song.
Lazy is a marked change in pace. While most of Earth.Sun.Moon is upbeat and energizing, Lazy is a funky swing-infused track. Love and Rockets were infatuated with the entire genre and even at one time recorded an entire EP of material similar to this. Though that EP never was released, Lazy represents that move toward experimentalism and all out fun that the band was making during the 1980’s.
Less well known, though no less perfect Youth is an acoustic gem. Ash sings brilliantly along side a slowly strummed guitar. No need for a beat, the song is simple yet affecting. In many ways it reminds me of a Pink Floyd type track. Not that it’s huge and majestic, but be cause it is emotional much in the same way as Hey You from The Wall.
The thing about Earth.Sun.Moon is that it is a complete album from start to end. It presents consistently amazing imagery and musicianship. No one song detracts from the overall ambiance and as such each of them is worth hearing. Don’t skip a moment from the upbeat and kinetic Welcome Tomorrow and Here On Earth to the darker and more pensive Waiting for the Flood and the saxophone laden The Telephone Is Empty and everything in between.
I purchased Earth.Sun.Moon on a whim after deciding to further investigate the overlooked band. Of course, I knew they did So Alive but settled instead on this album because it is widely recognized as the best of Love and Rockets. Highly recommended especially for fans of Bauhaus, Pink Floyd (yes, there are similarities), and The Beatles and more recent acts like Radiohead and The Verve, Earth.Sun.Moon is a must have album.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
1. Mirror People
2. The Light
3. Welcome Tomorrow
4. No New Tale to Tell
5. Here on Earth
6. Lazy
7. Waiting for the Flood
8. Rain Bird
9. The Telephone Is Empty
10. Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven
11. Earth, Sun, Moon
12. Youth
13. Mirror People [Slow Version]
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