CITY OF FEAR

I was SO excited to read that FM (Cameron Hawkins and Martin Deller) is planning to FINALLY release this album (along with Surveillance and Direct To Disc) onto CD!!! (I read this on a website for NEARFest- a yearly prog concert that takes place in PE, I believe). This is long overdue! I remember purchasing this album from a Woolworth's department store for maybe .99 cents in CT (shortly after seeing them open up for RUSH on their Moving Pictures and/or Exit Stage Left tour) and thinking I had hit the JACKPOT!!! I couldn't wait to rush home and play it. I Instantly loved the poppier stuff on the album like "Up To You" (which I'd remembered them performing live- with Ben Mink playing GUITAR- maybe a white/cream hollow body Gibson 335? Not sure- just know it wasn't a mandolin or violin- in fact, he only played violin on a few songs and electric guitar for all the rest-while Cameron was 'stuck' behind his MANY keyboards with his bass on as well. Anyways...), "Noboby At All" and ESPECIALLY "City Of Fear." The one song I remember NOT liking (and was the only bummer for me) was "Riding The Thunder." Never liked that song. Reminds me today of the horrible stuff the band ventured into that came after this very fine FM album (Con-Test? Tonight??? YUCK!!!). I love the first four FM albums- Black Noise, Direct To Disc, Surveillance and COF. But I think this will always be my favorite. I'd heard that right after this album was released, Passport records went bust (?) and that's why there really wasn't any push for it? Too bad. I think on this album they finally got things right. This album really could've broken them big time in the U.S. Can't WAIT to hear them on CD officially. I also really liked that live reunion album they did a few years back! Wish they would tour and get Ben back in on it! I LOVED his work with k.d. lang (esp. the album Constant Craving). I also enjoyed his solo album. Not too crazy about Nash The Slash's stuff, although I like his work on BN. I picked up a couple of his solo albums (on casette) a few years back and was really disappointed. I love the conciseness of this album. I love BN, too, but I think that that album had spots that needed a little 'tidying up.' (I can just hear my brother and others who LOVE that album screaming in disagreement!) And Surveillance came close- love the songs but the sound of the album bothered me- some thinness in places. But COF was where they really pulled it all together. Fine tuned it. I really don't think they 'sold-out' (I don't think RUSH sold out with Permanent Waves or Moving Pictures, arguably their two BEST albums, just because their songs were shorter!) Anyways...

Can't wait to add these CDs to my collection! LONG OVERDUE!!!