Jim Snook

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Jim Snook

60+0. Canadian. Lives in Germany. RYM profile: https://rateyourmusic.com/~guidedbyvices Last-fm profile: http://www.last.fm/user/guidedbyvices

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Jim Snook's Album Reviews

God, this is a great album and stunning that it's a debut. 37 minutes and not an ounce of fat on it. Four (arguably five if you want to count "Moving In Stereo"...six if you throw in "Bye Bye Love") are undeniable classics. Ric Ocasek is basically Joey Ramone gone UMASS instead of CBGBs, taking 50s/60s popcraft and twisting it, modernizing it, making it fresh, vital and interesting again. There's all sorts of odd little details that really make this album; weird guitar treatments, unexpected synth textures and tossed-off noodles, handclaps. Roy Thomas Baker ingeniously drops in the Queenous backing harmonies and David Robinson doesn't get nearly enough mention for adding the thump that drives this album from start to finish. Even though The Cars hit their commercial peak in 1984, they never made an album as good from end to end as this one.
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