Name: 20/20
Album: Look Out!
Year: 1981
Style: Power Pop
Similar Bands: Records, Pezband, Strokes, The Tubes, The Knack
"One-Word" Review: power-less powerpop
Based Out Of: Tulsa, Oklahoma / Los Angeles, CA
Label: Portrait, CBS
(1981)
- Nuclear Boy 3:20 (single)
- Out of My Head 3:49
- Strange Side of Love 3:37 (single)
- Alien 3:39
- A Girl Like you 2:29 /
- Life in the USA 2:37
- The Night I Heard a Scream 3:14
- Beat City 3:02
- Mobile Unit 245 4:10
- American Dream 4:50
Album Rating (1-10): 7.5
Members & Other Bands:
- Richard Podolor - Producer
- Christopher Silagyi - Guitar, Synth, Piano, Vox (Ex Teens)
- Steve Allen - Lead Guitar, Keys, Vox (Long Players Band)
- Joel Turrisi - Drums
- Ron Flynt - Bass, Keys, Vox
- Tony Lane - Art Direction
- Nobru Tarui - Design
- Tim Guyer - Design
- Bill Cooper - Engineer
- Pat Foley - Engineer
- Shelly Heber - Mgmt
- Johnnie Randels - Photos
Unknown-ness: Never heard of 20/20. Not a fan of the font or overall color scheme of the album art, but they do look like a bunch of power pop rockers from the cover photo. The back darkly lit alley photo gives them a grittier, pub band feel, so I'm, not sure if it will be more in line with bands like Journey and Foreigner than Big Star or the Flaming Groovies.
Album Review: The album is pretty straightforward clean cut power pop, not much darkness or mysterious elements to their music, if any. I feel like the album is inspired by Star Wars with some of their lyrics on "Alien" and "Mobile Unit 245," or perhaps the pride (actually, sarcastic critique) in the US with "Nuclear Boy," "Life in the USA," and "American Dream". Either way, the album seems to capture the time in which it was recorded. "Out of My Head" feels a little Strokes-y (or the Strokes feel like this). And there is a slight tinge of psychedelia on "A Girl Like You." John Mellencamp's ROCK in the USA sounds a little like their "Life in the USA."
The nucleus of the band formed in Tulsa Oklahoma back in grade school. Inspired or challenged by cross town success of the Dwight Twilley band in LA, Allen and Flynt moved where they eventually came together with a fully formed idea of 20/20 by Mike Gallo, who departed before this record. Their first album was considered a power pop masterpiece, and this one a somewhat disappointing follow up. Like most bands, the writing was on the wall, and a third, final album followed as sales/promotion/ waned and frustration increased. Flynt & Allen regrouped in the 90's following album reissues and ended up putting a new pair of albums out in 95,98. Coincidentally, all members of 20/20 own or work in different recording studios.
Stand Out Track: Alien
Links:
Wiki
Discogs
Allmusic
Best Classic bands Top 10 power pop songs
Fredpopdom
Power Pop HOF
Pop Matters
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