Better Red Than.....

Red Guitars - Slow To Fade [SCAR LP 1 UK 1984 24-Bit FLAC]

In order to restore a sense of calm to things, I'd like to offer up a quality vinyl rip of Slow To Fade by Red Guitars for reappraisal. I have posted the UK compact disc on my old blog, however my vinyl copy remains in pristine condition and makes for excellent source material. 

After the stark early agit-pop singles, Hull's Red Guitars introduced a swirling Fender-led afrobeat into their sound. At the time, I recall being disappointed with this record, however there are highlights which deserve great credit even today. Marimba Jive and Remote Control are a million miles away from the classic singles, Fact and Good Technology, but Red Guitars were a zillion light years ahead of Paul Simon's tinkerings with African influences Well okay, make that two years only without all the hype.

Personal favourite, Dive recalls Joy Division's Interzone in a tribute to Lou Reed's Sweet Jane. The sha-la-la chorus of Cloak And Dagger with it's Dave Greenfield-style organ is superb, and Crocodile Tears squeezes in where Fact should possibly have featured. Most of the rest can be tagged as filler, but the closing title track is pretty fine and is a fitting epitaph to Jerry Kidd-era Red Guitars. The band unfortunately went a bit AOR, when Kidd left for a short solo career, and signed to Virgin Records.

Jerry Kidd did set up a very informative website dedicated to the band, and until recently was still very active on social media where he keeps his politics much in line as they were back in 1983.

A1 Remote Control
A2 Dive
A3 Astronomy
A4 Cloak And Dagger
A5 Crocodile Tears
B1 Shaken Not Stirred
B2 Sting In The Tale
B3 Marimba Jive
B4 Slow To Fade...