4843 - THE BRAINS - Dancing Under Streetlights (EP) (1982)

THE BRAINS
''DANCING UNDER STREETLIGHTS (EP)''
1982
16:29

1 - Dancing Under Streetlights/4:12
2 - Tanya/3:41
3 - Read My Mind/4:31
4 - Don't Give Yourself Away/3:55

BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
With their first independent single -- the brilliant, hook-filled, and cynical "Money Changes Everything" -- this new wave quartet from Atlanta made some waves in the early '80s and got a major-label deal with Mercury. The Brains' two records for the label had solid songwriting that built on the ground they staked out on their first single, yet the sound was considerably tamed by Steve Lillywhite, which is unusual for his productions; the band left the label for independent waters after two years. Their last release, 1982's Dancing Under Streetlights EP, was rougher and the songwriting continued to improve; unfortunately, it was the last thing they released and it is hard to find.
DoWnLoAd

4842 - THE BRAINS - Electronic Eden (1981)

THE BRAINS
''ELECTRONIC EDEN''
1981
36:53

1/Dream Life
Tom Gray
2/One in a Million
Tom Gray
3/Hypnotized
Tom Gray
4/No Tears Tonite
Tom Gray
5/Eyes of Ice
Tom Gray
6/Asphalt Wonderland
Tom Gray
7/Little Girl Gone
Tom Gray
8/Ambush
Rick Price
9/Heart in the Street
Tom Gray
10/House of Cards
Tom Gray
11/Collision
Tom Gray

REVIEW
by Ralph Heibutzki
When their ambitious debut album failed to capture the public's fancy, the Brains went back to basics, retaining engineer Mark Richardson and hotshot producer Steve Lillywhite from the last go-round. This time, the experimental edges are tamped down in favor of a more straight-ahead rock sound and more conventional song structures. Keyboardist and frontman Tom Gray remains focused on the minefields of relationships, as shown by self-explanatory titles like "Eyes of Ice," "House of Cards," and "No Tears Tonight." "Hypnotized" could almost fit any late-'70s Elvis Costello album, as Gray swears to use any means necessary to wrest his potential girlfriend from the competition. Hell hath no fury like a geek scorned, indeed! Not surprisingly, much of the dark humor that infused the debut album has been checked at the door -- but still spills out in unexpected places, such as on "Collision"'s macabre snapshot of life after an auto accident. Yet the overall atmosphere smells of uneasy restraint, with no obvious grabbers like the band's initial calling card, "Money Changes Everything." Two tracks come close, though. "Heart on the Street" is eloquent to the point of heartbreak; its plaintive chorus ("Jesus Christ, can't we do anything right?") might have alienated radio programmers, but still shears the false bravado that plagued much of the cheesiest '80s music. So does "One in a Million," which finds Gray still expressing hope for the underdog to prevail, buttressed by a blazing Rick Price guitar riff. Of course, nothing of the sort happened, for this album expired without a fuss, just as its predecessor had done. Mercury dropped the band, which split up after issuing the scarce Dancing Under Streetlights EP (1982). Considering the circumstances, this effort's no disgrace, but stick with the debut album.

BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
With their first independent single -- the brilliant, hook-filled, and cynical "Money Changes Everything" -- this new wave quartet from Atlanta made some waves in the early '80s and got a major-label deal with Mercury. The Brains' two records for the label had solid songwriting that built on the ground they staked out on their first single, yet the sound was considerably tamed by Steve Lillywhite, which is unusual for his productions; the band left the label for independent waters after two years. Their last release, 1982's Dancing Under Streetlights EP, was rougher and the songwriting continued to improve; unfortunately, it was the last thing they released and it is hard to find.
DoWnLoAd

4841 - THE BRAINS (1980)

THE BRAINS
''THE BRAINS''
1980
36:33

1 - Treason/2:32
2 - See Me/4:59
3 - In The Night/5:20
4 - Money Changes Everything/3:34
5 - Scared Kid/3:08
6 - Sweethearts/3:47
7 - Girl In A Magazine/3:05
8 - Gold Dust Kids/4:13
9 - Raeline/1:50
10 - Girl I Wanna/3:41

Tom Gray /Keyboards, Vocals
Steve Lillywhite /Producer
Rick Price /Guitar, Vocals
Bryan Smithwick /Bass
Charles Wolff /Drums, Vocals

REVIEW
by Ralph Heibutzki
This Georgia-based quartet's story is depressingly familiar enough. After scoring with the sassy cynicism of its indie single, Money Changes Everything, the Brains signed to Mercury for an uncompromising debut album that sank without a trace, for reasons not too hard to fathom. Main songwriter and frontman Tom Gray stakes out the familiar persona of twitchy über-nerd who can't get laid, as "Scared Kid" makes obvious. However, Gray's songs disturb instead of divert, which set him above the pack but out of step with record buyers. Some barbed sentiments lie beneath the hooks. "Girl in a Magazine"'s voice disdains true-life desire for the centerfold equivalent, while "Gold Dust Kids" twits the inverted snobbery of local countercultures ("Nobody's counting on you/They know better this time"), and "See Me" recounts a lowly duo's romp through their anonymous downtown playground; its first line ("Shooky, get your glasses on/Shooky, get your gun") ranks among the most memorable openers of any left-field album. "In the Night" and "Sweethearts" sidestep traditional verse-chorus-verse strictures for extended mood pieces built on Gray's claustrophobic, throbbing keyboards. The chunky guitar instrumental "Treason," coltish techno-billy of "Raeline," and a recut "Money Changes Everything" represent the sole concessions to mainstream sensibilities. But not even a new recording of the song that did so much to establish them could sneak the Brains through programmers' back doors. Cyndi Lauper's remake certainly reminded some fans of what they'd missed, but couldn't rescue the band, which had already broken up.

BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
With their first independent single -- the brilliant, hook-filled, and cynical "Money Changes Everything" -- this new wave quartet from Atlanta made some waves in the early '80s and got a major-label deal with Mercury. The Brains' two records for the label had solid songwriting that built on the ground they staked out on their first single, yet the sound was considerably tamed by Steve Lillywhite, which is unusual for his productions; the band left the label for independent waters after two years. Their last release, 1982's Dancing Under Streetlights EP, was rougher and the songwriting continued to improve; unfortunately, it was the last thing they released and it is hard to find.
DoWnLoAd