Sound Advice: CD Reviews - Platinum Blonde (Alien Shores)

CD Review:
If you were around in Canada in the '80s, you will know this band. Out of the three studio albums produced, this was their best. The album went quadruple platinum in Canada. It was also one of the first albums I purchased from a Canadian band (along with The Box, Rough Trade and Loverboy).

After listening to it back then a few times, I threw it out and got pissed at wasting my money. The phenomena known as Platinum Blonde were all the rage and after hearing "Crying over You," I decided to buy the LP. Alex Lifeson of Rush fame put in some guitar work on the album so I figured it was a good bet. But, after a few plays, I got bored of it and thought that the ones who said the band was just a new wave girl band were right.

I have been looking back at the '80s music I listened to, just to see if my thought that the decade was the worse in musical history, this is continual proof that I was right. I found a tape of this album at a local used music store and purchased it for a buck. So I'm not reliving the disappointment of being ripped off again with this second buy.

With hits like "Crying over You," "Situation Critical," "Somebody Somewhere," and "Hungry Eyes" all from heavy video rotation on the then new music channel MuchMusic, Platinum Blonde is considered one of the best pop/new wave bands produced in Canada to this day. If you like Duran Duran, you make like this band. Personally, I don't.

Scott D. Brown