Talk Talk Talk

The Psychedelic Furs were a staple of the “modern rock” sound that broke through radio and popular culture in the 1980s, along with bands like New Order, The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, and The Cult. As with many of those bands, earlier albums are widely thought to have held up relatively well, with later releases becoming more poppy and slick, easier to digest … and, of course, less interesting. The Psychedelic Furs’ first two albums stand as strong testaments to the “modern rock” times, blending elements of punk (a harsh edge), the New Wave (ya gotta dance), and a touch of retro-psychedelia (full guitars and more fanciful structures than your basic “1-2-3-4!”). The band’s second release, *Talk Talk Talk*, featured “Pretty in Pink,” which inspired the John Hughes film a few years later, and was also re-recorded and pretty much played to death for a decade on “modern rock” radio. Unfortunately, other more interesting songs here took a back seat to that track, and still feel fresh and — can we really say it? — *exciting* today. Standouts include the dirge-y “Dumb Waiters,” the clearly punk-rooted “Mr. Jones,” and the raucous and unapologetic, “I Want to Sleep With You.” The band toys with going epic on the big and wonderful, “All This and Nothing” (both versions). Rock fans of nearly all stripes can’t go wrong if they add this and the band’s debut album to their collections.

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