Daniel Amos - Doppelganger - 1982

I went through a phase in the eighties where I listened to a lot of Christian Rock.  It was mainly because my parents had been told at church by other parents from other parents that Rock & Roll was going to send us all to hell.  And the only thing we could do now was to listen to Christian Rock.  I still think it was a marketing gimic.

Regardless, there were some great tunes that came out of it all.  One of the 4 or 5 Christian bands I will still listen to, Daniel Amos was introduced to me by a childhood friend that came to visit one summer in Chicago.  I got this one, and also Volume III - Vox Humana.  These two albums still get pulled out every other month, to this day, for a spin.  Funny, quirky, new wavy, but POWERFUL.  And, not in an overbearing preachy sorta way.  It's hard to put a finger on it.  It's REAL in a SURREAL way.

The album starts sounding really good about "Do Big Boys Cry", and by the time you get to "Little Crosses", you're ripping it up.  The best song?  There isn't one.  I'd say the middle 7.  It's one big story, it's not like you can just listen to one or two tracks, and you sure as hell can't put it on shuffle.  It's like Floyd, Beatles, the Buggles and Billy Graham all mixed up into one.  Don't believe me?  You tell me what it sounds like, then.

Loooooong out of print.  There are no b-sides.  There are no demos.  Only one cover that I know of.  Were there even any singles?  Don't know.  Doesn't need em.

If you like power pop/new wave/early 80s pop, you will like this album.  Let me know what you think.

Daniel Amos - Doppelganger - 1982

Curve - Doppelganger - 1991

1991 was the year after High School, and my first year in College.  Lonely, afraid and wondering what the hell I was planning on doing with my life, I completely immersed myself in music.

1991 was good in the fact that New Wave had petered out, and Post Punk was actually mainstream.  Grunge was beginning to take hold in the US, and in Europe, Madchester was the rage, as well as Shoegaze, the British version of Grunge.

If Shoegaze had gone mainstream, it would've been lead by the likes of Curve.  Doppelganger, their first full length album followed 4 brilliant EPs.  The album and it's associated singles sounded like a mix of Grunge and Proto-Techno with a hint of Manchester Sound.  Layer Toni Halliday's voice over the top, and you have a lush (sic) and gorgeous album that can easily stay in your player for days without tiring.

I hated the original album cover, so I used the graphics from the Fait Accompli single from the album.  I then attached all of the b-sides on the end of the album, along with the mix of Horrorhead and the extended mix of Fait.

So lovely....  but wait until you hear Cuckoo...

Curve - Doppelganger - 1991