Name: Three Colors
Album: s/t
Year: 1985
Style: College Alternaive, Jam
Simialar Bands: Mission of Burma, mid-period XTC, Billy Ocean, Talking Heads, World Party, Live
"One-Word" Review: 80's Stylized Meek Jam Band
Based Out Of: Boston, MA
Three Colors - Cover / Record
Three Colors - Back / Insert
Three Colors - Record / Insert
Three Colors - s/t (1985)
- One Big Tree 3:51
- Bowling Ball 3:11
- Curious One 4:10
- Next 4:12
- Rise Out of Nothing 2:30
- Red Room 2:55
Album Rating (1-10): 5.0
Members & Other Bands:
Chris Harford - Guitar, Vox, Drawing (Band of Changes, Ween, Jimmy Wilson Group, Hyperjinx Tricycle, Holly & The Italians, Mark Mulcachy, The Saras, HUB)
Hub Moore - Bass, Vox, Artwork (HUB, The Saras, Chris Harford)
Dana Colley - Sax, Harmonica (Morphine, Treat Her Right, Chris Harford, Twinemen)
Barry Stringfellow - Drums
Max Moore - Keys, Vox, Artwork (Juryman, Spacer)
Paul Q Kolderie - Producer (Sex Execs)
William Garrett - Mixing
Linda Sullivan - Management
William Garrett - Mixing
Linda Sullivan - Management
Ali Moore - Artwork
Chris Bergan - Artwork
Dave Johnson - Artwork
Peter "Sticks" McCarty - Artwork
Greg Calbi - Mastering
Thom Moore - Mixing, Recording (You Got It)
Bill Smythe - Photography
Craig MacCormack - Photography
Ian Churchill - Photography
James Harford Sr. - Photography
Ms. Donna - Photography
Sean Slade - Producer (Uncle Tupelo)
Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard
of this band. But from the cover and the back pictures, I’d imagine this to be
some post punk band. I like the action and energy of the cover image, and the
simplistic 3 color boxes as a name/logo is also pretty simple and attractive. With
no year on the cover/back made me a little wary, but at 6 songs, it was not a
big commitment.
Album Review: Upon seeing the
band members, I had high expectations for this album. I’ve already been a fan
of Chris Harford through Ween, and I have a couple of Hub’s solo albums. Then
to find out one of the members went on to form the prestigious Morphine, I bit.
This was recorded at Fort Apache, by one member from a previous TSM entry, the
Sex Execs, who were a great band in their own right. But the album falls victim
to its time, and comes off as representative of an archaic time in music
history, rather than a set of songs that holds up over to today.
“One Big Tree” is
the self-released single that starts the album off with a bit of a late-period Talking
Heads vibe. It has a suppressed vibe, but is distinctly 80’s in production,
horns, and pseudo-Caribbean style. The song lacks a specific structure, and
does bring to mind other elements of Murmur/Big Express XTC.
“Bowling Ball”
begins with loungey period sax. While this might have been en vogue at the
time, it is, today quite dated, and stylistically inferior. The underlying
vocal melody is good and catchy, but the production choices draw attention
away.
“Curious One” is
a slower, slinking song, which balances the atmosphere the music creates with
appropriate curious lyrics. By the chorus, the song enters jam band territory
with a Kenny G era appropriate solo.
“Next” Starts off
with a rather basic drum beat and occasional bass accompaniments. Bored “La La
La’s” are added, and a jammy, repetitive guitar riff starts. The song has a
good energy to it, but it enters more Dave Matthews band territory than I’d
ever care to follow. The harmonized vocals in the chorus seal the deal of
satisfactory song production. And I think that is it…the songs have promise and
good qualities, but the manner of which they are presented does not add luster.
“Rise Out of
Nothing” starts off with a sleepy, lazy melody, and never evolves past this.
There is a bit of forced energy but it is unwarranted, and it feels like a bad
Live song.
“Red Room” starts
with a bit of fun “Save It For Later” English Beat chord changes, and is
followed up with Harmonica, and the building verse leads to the most catchy
power pop chorus. The meekness / politeness of the vocals sucks the energy and
motivation behind the energy the music is trying to generate. It feels too
polished and smooth, in a bad way. But the song is by far, with its progressive chord and tempo shifts, the album's star for my
tastes.
Stand Out Track: Red Room
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