Sigue Sigue Sputnik - Flaunt It

Name: Sigue Sigue Sputnik
Album: Flaunt It
Year: 1986
Style: New Wave, Electro, Techno
Similar Bands: EMF, Quintron & Miss Pussycat, New York Dolls, Adam & the Ants, Thompson Twins, Yaz
One-Word Review: Dystopian-Future-Pop
Based Out Of: London, England
Label: Manhattan Records, Capitol Records, EMI

 Cover, Lyrics-Liner Notes, Record

Back, Liner Notes, Record

Flaunt It (1986) [as listed on the record]

1. Love Missile F1-11 4:48 
2. Atari Baby 4:56 (T3,S1 on album)
3. Sex Bomb Boogie 4:46 (T4,S1 on album)
4. Rockit Miss USA 6:05 (T1, S2 on album)/
5. 21st Century Boy 5:11 (T2, S1 on album)
6. Massive Retaliation 4:56
7. Teenage Thunder 5:20
8. She's My Man 5:35

Members & Other Bands:

• Martin Degville - Vox (Sputnik 2, Sigue Sigue Sputnik Electronic)
• Tony James - Space Guitar 2000 (Generation X, Sisters of Mercy, Carbon/Silicon, Fin de Siecle, London Cowboys, Sci-Fi Sex Stars, Bizet Boys, Rawhides, London SS)
• Neal X - Big, Big Guitar (Marc Almond Band, Montecristos, Adam Ant, Sex Gang Children)
• Ray Mayhew - Electro Drums (Mayhem Deranged, Sci-Fi Sex Stars)
• Chris Kavanagh - Electro Drums (BAD II, Sci-Fi Sex Stars)
• Yana Ya-Ya - Effects (Sci-Fi Sex Stars)
• Giorgio Moroder - Producer
• Brian Reeves - Engineer
• Laslo - Programming
• Hugh-Scott Symonds - Video
• Andy Kemp - Off Life Editor
• Grant @ MPL - Online Editor
• Bonnie Anderson - MM Tech VDX
• Tony Sellinger / Gibbo - Video Game
• Paul Smith - Suits
• Touche Ross - Accountants
• Brian Carr - Design, Illustrations
• Graham Ball - Illustration
• Mike Morton - Illustration
• Frank Griffin - Design
• Joe Shutter - Cover
• Syd Brak - Cover
• Peter Paul Hartnett - Illustration
• Rob Hallett - Attorney

Album Rating (1-10): 7.5

Unknown-ness: Never heard of them. But if you can dig through all the info and imagry on the record, you get the sense that they are going for the futuristic sound of Times Square in the year 2000 (it being 1986). I imagine something like music from a Blade Runner or Total Recall type universe. So what that might include is anyone's guess...I'm banking on futuristic-industrial music with electronic effects and advertisements sampled and layered throughout their songs.

Album Review: As expected, it is a chaotic, over-stimulation of the ears, with lots of little catchy bits layered over top of each other, and advertisement samples separating some of the tracks and layered in the songs. The vocals are of a snotty new wave variety. And at the base of all their songs are good melodies and dance-able rhythms. I imagine this is what folks though the future of rock would be in the Dystopian futures as shown by the films listed above. The lead track was featured in Ferris Bueller's Day Off/ Their look, somewhat of a futuristic, enhanced Billy Idol makes sense since Tommy James was in Generation X. And some of the ad that bookend the tracks were, in fact, actually purchased by companies...L'Oreal & i-D Magazine specifically, and the Discogs link lists the ads split out from the tracks.

Stand Out Track: 21st Century Boy

Links:
youtube
website
discogs
allmusic
Guardian Interview
IMDB
1986 article in People
Sputnik Music