Three x 7" Singles by Bram Tchaikovsky

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Bram Tchaikovsky - Strange Man, Changed Man

At the height of their popularity, Bram Tchaikovsky left The Motors to form his own band. Feeling unable to express himself in a band dominated by Nick Garvey and Andy McMaster, Tchaikovsky decided to strike out on his own. What appeared to be a foolhardy move resulted in one of the finest power pop/pub rock albums ever released. Comparable to Dr Feelgood or Steve Gibbons at their best, Strange Man, Changed Man was a revelation. Produced by his former Motors bandmate Nick Garvey on a shoestring budget, the resulting thin sound only serves to enhance the songs which owe as much to '60s pop as they do to pub/punk rock. The pure pop of "Girl of My Dreams" (a minor hit in the U.S.) perfectly encapsulates late-'70s Brit-pop and stands as one of the classic singles of the era.

Bram Tchaikovsky - The Russians Are Coming (Pressure)

For album number two The Russians Are Coming (retitled for America as Pressure) Bram Tchaikovsky (the band) toughened up things a little, with a couple of the tracks verging on Heavy Rock. You couldn’t blame them really, as they had experienced a taste of fame in the US and that country has always appreciated a band that could Rock. This was another good effort, with some great harmony singing in places. Lets Dance (no not that one) is a killer opener, all crunchy guitars and bags full of infectious energy. Mr President tends towards Hard Rock/Metal, as does Jeux Sans Frontieres (Game With No Rules), but they always retain their Pop nous. Maybe The Russians…doesn’t quite have a high like Girl Of My Dreams, but it is probably a more consistent LP.

Bram Tchaikovsky - Girl Of My Dreams 2x7”

Nobody really talks about "Skinny Tie" pop anymore. Back in the late-70s there were tons of bands trying to revive the bright, tuneful power-pop of the 60s and early 70s, most of them forgotten, only a couple of bands had one or two hits, one of them was the Knack (of course), and also Bram Tchaikovsky, ex of pub band the Motors...I'm not saying everything about that kind of sub-genre was good -- many groups were just bar-band rock faking adolescence. But there was plenty room for brilliance, the idea of reviving post-Beatles British Invasion-style innocence but occasionally colliding with Punk's nasty, not-so-innocent irony. Bram's "Girl of My Dreams" was indicative of this but very tuneful at that. So onto the single, "Girl of My Dreams" was definitely the best the late-70s had to offer as far as power-pop goes. Everything about it musically is just what was great about the genre, beautiful AM-radio melodies, harmonies, hooks aplenty. Harks back to older classics by Badfinger, Big Star and the Raspberries to name a few, and maybe even a bit of the Beatles in there for good measure.

So on first listen you'd mistakenly think it's another celebration of love and finding a girl and what have you. Until you pay attention to the lyrics to find some late-70s dark nihilism attached -- that is, Bram is actually singing about getting a blow-up doll in the mail, making whatever celebration this song is about a bit empty. So it's a single not only extremely listenable but very much of its cynical, facile time, where post-hippie 'free-love' goes awry and sex as well as love becomes commodity. So this is an essential slab of wax here in spite of how dark it is. The one record that defined the late 70s and so excellently done you can't ignore it.