The Lucy Show
Undone

LA RECENSIONE

I still remember the curiosity that grabbed me, passing by my music-pusher's shop, when I heard this ballad with a pulsating rhythm, an enticing guitar arpeggio, and this slightly nasal, dynamically compelling voice.

I went in and asked him, ''Who the heck are they?'' ''The Lucy Show'' - he replied - ''and this one's called Ephemeral (This Is No Heaven).'' I had never heard of them before, and since that always intrigued me, I closed myself in the booth to listen to this LP. The band was composed of: * Mark Bandola - vocals, guitar, keyboards * Rob Vandeven - vocals, bass guitar * Pete Barraclough - guitars, keyboards * Bryan Hudspeth - drums.

The charm of this 1985 album lies entirely in the skillful blend of the rhythmic section, with a well-defined bass always present to counterpoint the tracks, the guitar played with rich arpeggios and fast solos, never distorted, the singer's suave voice (at some points it reminded me of the 'Comsat Angels', if anyone knows them) that never loses sight of the melody of the tracks, avoiding unnecessary vocal narcissisms.
There are certainly some (2-3) ''forgettable'' tracks, but the sense of cohesion combined with a very open dynamic has always made me listen to them all in one breath, with the woofers moving the air in front of me and me imagining endless roads to travel to the sound of their music.

Unfortunately, only ''Mania'' was released on CD, but I managed to do a fine job with the version released on chrome-bromo-tungsten-molybdenum tape.... for those who might be curious. :-)

Tracklist
1. Ephemeral (This is no Heaven) (3:42)
2. Resistance (3:59)
3. Come Back To The Living (3:39)
4. The White Space (4:17)
5. Wipe Out (3:11)
6. Twister (3:26)
7. Undone (4:04)
8. Remain (3:47)
9. Better On The Hard Side (5:22)
10. Remembrances (3:47)
11. Dream Days (4:49)

Back then I thought ''what a refreshing breeze'' and I still think so.