tjhassecrets's Full Review: The Age of Plastic by Buggles
The 80s produced some of the greatest one-hit wonders of all time; unfortunately, despite having a monster hit, many band find their album completely out of print, unheard, or lost in a vacuum of bad synth beats. Known (more or less) for having the first music video played on North American MTV, new-wave band Buggles released only two albums in the early 80s before parting ways. First, a little history. The Buggles are, metaphorically, a test-tube baby; that is to say they were a studio creation that never toured or had much in the way of commercial appeal. Consisting of two to four wackos at any given time, the Buggles can be seen more as an 80s project rather than a true band. My interest in this band (aside from their 80s lore) stems from their temporary joining with progressive rock band Yes, producing Drama, which is, in my opinion, the greatest record the band's ever released.
The early 80s had some amazing music that was very much ahead of its time: Debbie Harry's solo record KooKoo is a perfect example of this. The Buggles, however, found some commercial success in Video Killed the Radio Star, which has stood the test of time thanks to an infectious pop chorus and a 1998 cover by The Presidents of the United States of America. A tribute to old-time radio, the ironic-for-the-times song gave the band some success and enough time to finish a full album. The result was The Age of Plastic, a new-wave electronic record that pushed the boundaries of the avant-pop at the time. On the downside, going through this album, I can hear bits and pieces that were re-worked and put into Drama, which, quite frankly, annoys me. The musical landscapes I loved on that album had another home. Silver lining? This album is very, very good, successfully making progressive electronica-- No, no you can't touch this.
Trevor Horn has a very interesting voice. He's a total geek (hello, album cover), but he delivers the lyrics with a lot of effective atmosphere. Astroboy (And the Proles on Parade) shows off the group's talent for melodies, while I Love You (Miss Robot) is an extreme experiment with vocoders and what I think is a talk-box a la Chromeo-- and who doesn't love it all wrapped up with a heavy Luther Vandross bass? The Buggles had a very distinct sound that was often imitated, though never duplicated. It's evident how essential the keyboard was to the making of this album, though they use about a hundred different warped effects over it, thus creating that quintessential Buggles sound: growing and explosive musical flourish with a racing beat behind it. The pulsating way this album starts off with The Living in the Plastic Age shocked me to some extent, not knowing that the same band that produced Video could make something obviously very mature and interesting. Johnny on the Monorail closes out The Age of Plastic with a very urgent production and interesting vocalization, finishing the record with a sense that something just got destroyed.
This album isn't free of blemishes, though. In the middle of the record, you can start to get a little brainwashed and stop concentrating on the music because it's just so repetitive. Clean, Clean is s punk-inspired track that wakes you up a little, but it's still so easy for this album to become background noise. My recommendation? Pick and choose what songs you want to listen to at any given time, or sit down with no interruption and let this album play through. It's not too long-- only a little over a half-hour. There's about a thousand components and beeps and blips to each track, and it makes me think the production was handle with care (though I know it was very, very rushed.)
JUDGING For an 80s pop album, The Age of Plastic is certainly quite complex, making me wonder whether or not Drama should have been classified as a Buggles album. For anybody who was intrigued by that lone Yes album and longed for more or that sound, it's all on The Age of Plastic. And for anybody wondering, Video is by far the worst track on the album.
The Living in the Plastic Age (4.5 Stars) Video Killed the Radio Star (4 Stars) Kid Dynamo (4.5 Stars) I Love You (Miss Robot) (5 Stars) Clean, Clean (4.5 Stars) Elstree (4 Stars) Astroboy (And the Proles on Parade) (5 Stars) Johnny on the Monorail (5 Stars)
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