Waiting For The Train To Come Back

Like I mentioned in earlier posts, I grew up in the 80's. I mean, that was the time when I started getting zits; when hair started growing in weird places all over my skinny body; and, when I officially decided on what kind of music to like, love, revere, dislike, despise, and loathe. I thought that the 80's have permanently left the building. Well, I was wrong. Like Freddy Kreuger, the 80's are starting to once again invade everybody's consciousness (and, subconsciousness).

You see it first through fashion trends.

Tight pants (now called "skinny jeans" - hee-hee-hee) have made a comeback of sorts. I see a lot of kids wearing Vans checkerboard-pattern sneakers (just like Sean Penn in Fast Times At Ridgemont High). T-shirts with huge slogans emblazoned on them are again very visible on the streets. (Remeber the gigantic "Relax" T-shirts that came into vogue after the chart success of Frankie Goes To Hollywood?) Mohawks, fauxhawks, and 80's-style haircuts are again adorning the dandruff-covered scalps of the young, the hip, and the wannabes; but, unlike in the 80's when your folks would send you to rehab if you ever went out of the house wearing a "non-regulation" haircut, these do's are now widely accepted, tolerated, and - fuck - sometimes even encouraged.

Yep, 80's fashion is coming back. That's all well and good. But what I'm really waiting for now is for 80's music to stage an encore.

Now even though I'm a product of that era (yes, I think we've long established that, thank you), I'm NOT for the comeback of ALL music from the 80's. I mean, a lot of it was good, even great. But a lot of it would also be better left to rot in the garbage bin where they belong.

But why focus on the bad side of the music of a period that's making a return flight? Let's take a look at one of the better acts to come out of the era that spawned a million mindless T&A movies, factory-manufactured muscle-bound action films, and surfer dude talk.

One of the bands from the 80's that I really liked (and still do)is Wire Train, that San Francisco band with the tricky drum assault, the snaky bassline, the echo-ey guitar twang, and the somewhat nerdy lead vocals. I especially like (no, I literally worship) their album Between Two Words (1985)which include the tracks "Last Perfect Thing", "God On Our Side", "Love Love", and "Skill Of Summer". The lyrics of those songs, while dealing with the oft-covered topic of love, approach their subject matter from a refreshingly unique angle (except maybe, "God On Our Side", which is more of a song on self-affirmation and faith - I guess).

I miss a lot of the good 80's band, partially, for this reason - their gift in using words to tell an old worn-out story and make it sound fresh and new. The line-up that made up Wire Train on the Between Two Words album are: Kevin Hunter (vocals, guitar), Kurt Herr (guitar), Anders Rundblad (bass), and Brian MacLeod (drums). Check out the video of a beloved Wire Train song, "Last Perfect Thing".