Magnets

David Fenton was obviously growing tired of being written off as lightweight after "Turning Japanese" and responded with the more ambitious and mature Magnets. Here he explores the darker side of life; discussing the Kennedy assassination ("Magnets"), police harassment ("Civic Hall") and even cult leader/mass murder Rev. Jim Jones ("Jimmy Jones," the failed single). Musically the band is more sophisticated, taking the occasional misstep in the arrangements by adding an annoying synthesizer in songs like "Spiders." Virtually ignored by both critics and the buying public, this is a strong follow-up that deserved a better fate.

Nuclear Days

In the stream of excellent hard-hitting power-pop albums that were released in the aftermath of the punk explosion, there were bound to be a couple ones forgotten, or associated bands being relegated to one-hit wonder status. The Vapors for their deliciously warped one hit wonder single “Turning Japanese” (an oriental ode to the joys of the five-finger shuffle) were in fact one of the most intelligent and propulsive bands to come out of new wave, and their debut album New Clear Days is their defining statement.

The band's 1980 debut LP New Clear Days is an all-time classic. The hit, "Turning Japanese", is well-known by all. If you don't like it, there must be something fatally wrong with you. The rest of the songs stick to the same new wave pop template, and are every bit as good. There is not a single track on the album that isn't totally great. Even some of the songs that didn't make it onto the album (but did make it onto this CD) are great! Often categorized as one of the standards of skinny tie power pop, New Clear Days actually transcends genre with its quirky sensibility and thoughtful lyrics.

The album kicks off with “Spring Collection”, featuring tinny drums, lots of symbols, and the very recognizable buzzsaw guitar tones. It’s a biting attack on the transformation of punk music into a fashion statement, tempered with frustrated admissions of lust denied… What could be more appropriate than the paranoid (or maybe not so paranoid now) cry of “Is this a military state I’m in?” that closes the track.

Fenton's song writing muse would turn darker and weirder on the band's excellent second LP Magnets (the most accessible song was an ode to suicide cult leader Jim Jones!), and the album didn't even crack the top 100 on the UK charts. And that was all for The Vapors. To his credit, Fenton never gave in to the temptation to "unretire" from the music business. He gave up recording and became a solicitor. There have been no half-assed Vapors reunions or warmed-over comeback albums mimicking the new wave glories of yesteryear. The band's music remains in the early '80s, where it belongs - a cultural artefact.