Truth (the) - Playground

Name: The Truth
Album: Playground
Year: 1985
Style: Jangly Pop
Similar Bands: Hall & Oates, Dire Straits, ABC, Tears for Fears, China Crisis, Howard Jones, Spandau Ballet, Style Council, JoBoxer
"One-Word" Review: pub rock with a smooth new car smell facelift
Based Out Of: UK
Label: IRS, MCA

Cover, Record

Back, Record

Playground (1985)

1. Spread A Little Sunshine 3:35
2. Exception of Love 3:07 (single)
3. So Many Things 2:52
4. Always On My Mind 4:02
5. I'm In Tune 2:44 /
6. Playground 3:22 (single)
7. Solution 3:25
8. It's A Miracle 5:18
9. Thursday Club 3:35
10. You Play With My Emotions 4:15

Album Rating (1-10): 7.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Dennis Greaves - Guitar, Vox (Nine Below Zero, NHS Voices, The Co-Operative, Perfect Crime, Gwyn Ashton, Steve Marriott, Squeeze, Glenn Tilbrook & the Fluffers)
• Mick Lister - Guitar, Vox (The Stowaways, Perfect Crime, Moody Marsden, Jamai, The Beat, Tony Hadley)
• Chris Skornia - Keys (Fabulous Poodles, The Boyfriends, The Cane, The Planets, Billy Ray Cyrus, The Overtures)
• Allan Fielder - Drums (The Climb)
• Richard Parfitt - Bass (60ft Dolls, Blood Brothers, McAlmont & Butler, Lene Marlin, Duffy, David Sinclair Trio, Martin Carr)
• Carolyn Lovell - Cello (Flesh For Lulu)
• Dennis Weinreich - Producer
• Hein Hoven - Producer
• Trevor Hallesy - Engineer
• Dave Powell - Thanks @ Konk Studios
• H.T Murkowski - Photos

Unknown-ness: I had never heard of this band. I found 2 of their records in a dollar box, but decided on this one after simply reading it was a better / more popular record...but did not hear it at all. With a 1985 date, I assume this is smoothly produced pop with a bunch of synth effects in place of typical instruments.

Album Review: It is one part jangly pop, but also has a bit of a blue-collar pub rock edge, if only a small bit, underneath the mid-80's overproduction sheen. They possess standard nasally British vocals, and some Blue-Eyed, Mod-revival pop experimentation on a couple of the tracks with synthesized horns.

This is their first album, three years after Greaves and Lister formed the band and a handful of non-album singles. Two more albums followed, with the middle one being the big hit in the US (Weapons of Love), with some songs being featured in the 1987 sci-fi film The Hidden. They were on track to follow in the Jam's footsteps, but ended up coming off without their power and drive, and ended up succumbing to the era's Miami Vice soundtrack bands in the states, and never recovered back home. You can hear it quite clearly on the track "Is There a Solution," which is musically great until the Phil Collins like vocals and chorus hit.

Stand Out Track: Exception of Love

Links:
Wiki

Discogs

Allmusic
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