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RUBBERLEGS
- "Leg Warmers - Reheated" Writer's Note - I first heard the current RUBBERLEGS duo live-in-concert while hosting a special TRACK ARTIST NIGHT at Meow Mix Bar in NYC this summer. Not exactly "track artists" per se, but perhaps "sequence" artists, GORDON SMITH and "BUNNY" THOMAS ROLANTI both sing & play live over pre-sequenced music programmed into their two trusty synths. |
I booked them
to open the evening, yet the fab duo drew more audience than any of the
following acts. See photos I took
of them onstage at www.roberturban.com/meowmixjuly2003.html
Both novel & retro, RUBBERLEGS in concert are great fun - especially
in a party atmosphere. Now fans can
enjoy their percolating synth pop on CD, too, thanks to the modern magic of
digital restoration.
"Leg
Warmers - Reheated" is a "remix" CD of RUBBERLEGS material
created & recorded as far back as 1983, when the act was a trio. The CD is
also a tribute to original 3rd band member ROBERT MESRACH - (now deceased), who
was also Gordon Smith's lover of 14 years. Robert died in 1994 of AIDS. He
co-wrote much of the CD's material & performed much of it's music. The CD's
booklet offers both text & photos in loving memory of this seminal
RUBBERLEGS artist.
Nearly all the
instruments & vocals on "Reheated" were recorded in the '80s.
Virtually nothing has been re-recorded. The original cassette & reel-to-reel
tapes (remember tape?) were resuscitated via careful processing, in stages,
using Sound Forge tape hiss removal, some compression, and a final "juicing
up" of frequencies via a BBE Sonic Maximizer plug-in.
I must say - the results are startling if not miraculous.
The final sonic production is crystal clear, with true & even
fidelity throughout.
As a product
of the I-LUV-THE-EIGHTEEZ age, RUBBERLEGS were naturally electro-pop-siblings of
other 80s new wave/techno acts like HUMAN LEAGUE and GARY NUMAN. However-
RUBBERLEGS's sound was and is considerably more upbeat & chipper than their
often dreary, angst-ridden rock brethren. In fact, this listener hears elements
of even earlier, happier times in RUBBERLEGS. I'm reminded of hippie groups like
THE LEMON PIPERS, NAPOLEAN XIV, GENTLE GIANT, late 60's bubble-gum & other
oddity psychedelia. With RUBBERLEGS there's also a more elemental working of the
synths & drum machines into the music; and more friendly fun to the lyrics -
reminiscent of more progressive 80's groups like DEVO & MISSING PERSONS.
Handsome lead
singer Gordon Smith croons over RUBBERLEGS's perky electropop sound in a most
engaging way. His sparse,
well-sung phrases are punctuated here & there by various dubbed-in spoken
words, vocal chirps, falsetto tweets and whispered asides. Gordon’s innocent, earnest & self-effacing delivery is
at once both charming and disarming. One
cannot help but love this guy - a sort of kinder, gentler David Byrne.
Gordon also displays a gift for witty, double-entendre-laced lyrics -
evident in humorous songs like "Hotprint" and "People who Talk in
Elevators". (hint - anyone
who's day job is in a corporate/office environment will especially dig Gordon's
clever observations). My personal
fav song on "Reheated" is the preview mix of "Bound &
Gagged" - unusual in it's rockier style and perhaps a harbinger of heavier
RUBBERLEGS fare to come.
True to it's
new wave aesthetic, RUBBERLEGS gets a lot of fun mileage out of the continued
repetition of a simple phrase - be it vocal or instrumental. This mantra/zen-like
minimalism helps provide a deeper mystique to what otherwise might appear as
just a regular pop song. RUBBERLEGS
lyrical hooks like "I lost my leg in '52" and "I want to go to
China", repeated ad infinitum, can mean both nothing and something; be both
flippant and thought-provoking; all at the same time.
Think back to MTV's new wave/techno golden age, when we were all turning
Japanese while wearing sunglasses at night and u get the picture.
Since the
tracks on "Reheated" are re-animations of past recordings, they retain
all their original synth patches. Listening in has a time-warping, nostalgic
effect on the ear. With vintage Yamaha DX7 sounds, classic analog horn/string
pads, clap-traps, pingy beat-boxes, etc - RUBBERLEGS offers fans a big dose of
genuine retro-80's fun. This is
also true of their live shows, where they've been known to pull out gems like
DEVO's "Whip It" or GARY NUMAN's "Cars".
The 2nd half
of the CD is comprised of restored instrumental pieces - some composed, some
improvised. These are more musically more adventurous than the previous songs,
and often more spooky. Again,
Robert Mesrach's talents are prominently featured . Listening to these
"living in the past" musical reveries - I was immediately reminded of
the numerous tapes & videos I myself have tucked away... of past jams, live
shows, rehearsals, etc - many involving colleagues no longer around.
Any musician in a similar situation should appreciate how dear these
memories must be to the surviving RUBBERLEGS members.
Gordon Smith
& Bunny continue to perform the songs on "Reheated". They also
continue to evolve - with a CD of all-new material expected soon. With
"Reheated", they have invited the world to not only observe the
talents of their departed comrade Robert Mesrach, but to also share in their own
experience of the man and their continued memory of him.
Painstakingly restored onto CD as if engraved into a diamond forever...
the album is both a loving tribute and a tribute to love.
- ROBERT
URBAN, URBAN PRODUCTIONS, NYC
RUBBERLEGS
"leg warmers Reheated"
Sick Puppy
Productions - available at cdbaby.com
visit www.rubberlegs.com
Music &
Arts Reviews by ROBERT URBAN published at:
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