The most distinctive and unique band of New Wave - It s funny that back in the early 90 s, I daydreamed about when/if the Altered Images catalog would be put to CD. Over a decade later, all three studio albums have made more than one appearance on CD, and a total of four compilation CD s have been issued. This is definitely the best of the four compilation CD s, at least as far as sound quality goes. I first heard/saw Altered Images on MTV back in 1982. Being 12 years old at the time, I was entranced with the whole New Wave movement, yet Altered Images were nothing more than a joke to me back then. I blame it on self consciousness, as I figured everyone would point and laugh at me for liking the crazy lady jumping around like a loon in the colorfully zany video for I Could Be Happy - an often played video back in those days. In 1987, I began going on a quest to rediscover all of those MTV regulars that I did not allow myself to purchase back in the day - artists such as Lene Lovich, Pete Shelley, and of course Altered Images. That s when my nostalgia trip started, and I ve never stopped. Altered Images are best remembered for their upbeat, colorful music and image - and while some recall that fondly, others were afraid to embrace the carefree craziness of lead singer Clare Grogan. Her personality permeated though the music, videos and band interviews of the time. It was a perfect escape from daily normalcy. What many people didn t know was the band came from a Post-Punk background, having released a couple of singles and a full-length album of stark music that was light on production, although, in three short years the band would jump from style to style, trying to find something that satisfied everyone. Altered Images were originally haled with credibility, primarily due to their early association with Siouxsie and the Banshees. Steven Severin of the Banshees produced their early singles and most of the debut album, Happy Birthday , with mixed results. The music was minimal on Clare s distinctive character, though was successful in its own way. After the release of the hit single Happy Birthday, which was produced by Martin Rushent, the band had found their sound. Rushent produced the classic album Pinky Blue , showcasing the band in the best possible way. Clare was allowed to shine with her naturally charming insanity, and the band played equally engaging music to suit it. It seemed to be the perfect match. The problem was the critics bashed the band for selling out, which devastated Clare. They were relentless, and I even recall Clare in an interview stating she cried for hours after the list of negative reviews for Pinky Blue kept growing and growing. How sad that a young girl of barely 20 could not be given credit for being a colorful and individual character. Unfortunately, the wound ran deep and the band did a dramatic shift in sound for their third and final album, Bite . Of the eight original songs on that album, the production credits were split between two big name producers, Mike Chapman and Tony Visconti. It was clear the band felt the need to grow up, and I can only assume that s what led to the departure of two original members. Gone were the bouncy songs about virtually nothing, being replaced by adult situations of love and loss. Gone were Clare s crazy bows and ribbons, replaced with fashionable clothes and loads of make up. Even the videos and TV performances were fairly middle-of-the-road, though thankfully the crazy Clare we know and love would still come though on the interviews. Bite received a mixed reaction, though apparently not as bad as Pinky Blue . While some of the critics approved of the new image, some of the fan base was lost due to the dramatic style change. I admit to being slow to warm to it, but have managed to find a number of great songs on Bite . With each single released from Bite , their chart placing was lower and lower - to the point the final single, Change of Heart, sadly not included here, did not chart at all. Altered Images split soon after. I Could Be Happy - The Best of Altered Images brings together a good cross section of material from all three albums, as well as their excellent debut single Dead Pop Stars. It s a great introduction to the band, and will hopefully encourage some to purchase the full albums. While the New Wave movement spawned loads of talented, though many short lived artists with extreme individuality, none are quite as distinctive as Altered Images. There was never a band that sounded like them, and never will again. It was an amazing moment in time that has left an eternal mark. The sound quality on the CD is excellent. All songs have been taken from the original master tapes, and couldn t sound better. The only thing that irritates is after the final song on the CD, there is a lengthy bit of silence... then comes Happy New Year. This was a little holiday greeting Clare offered to readers of the Flexipop magazine. Each issue of Flexipop came with a junky little flexidisc, many times with rare songs or versions not available elsewhere. While it s a cute little novelty, the click, pops and rumble of the flexidisc are not a pleasant way to end the listening experience. The most recent of the Altered Images compilation CD s is titled Destiny - The Hits . In addition to a so-so selection of songs, there are two brand new songs. If you want to hear how Clare sounds in recent times, you may want to purchase that CD. I will say that Clare sounds EXACTLY the same, which makes it that much more heartbreaking that the band did not continue. There could have been so many other great albums over the years.
New Wave pop at its finest. - Altered Images music is an example of what good pop music should sound like- playful, cheery, and fun. And, like all good pop, it was suprisingly well-written and composed, just listen to Pinky Blue or Don t Talk To Me About Love to see what I mean.It s not complicated- Altered Images were a band that simply made really good, enjoyable music. It s happy, it s fun. And that s the brilliance of it. It simply is what it is, and what it is happens to be some of the best pop of the 80 s.
A good collection of an early 80 s new wave group - Recently i bought this one & i found several good ol Friends like I Could Be Happy, Pinky Blue, See Those Eyes & Don t talk to me About Love . I always found them as terrific singles during the early-mid eighties. But Now, i found that things are a little bit dated, cause as I get older & i hope wiser (regarding to my musical tastes), i m wondering if Matt Groening got his inspiration on the Simpsons after hearing Clare Grogan s voice, Yeah!! She sounds exactly like Good Ol Bart, Ay Carumba !!, I mean, most of 80 s musicians advanced, evolutioned or learnt something that made them better musicians as The Cure, Duran Duran or Heaven 17. That s not the case with Altered Images. Sure!!, they wrote great tunes for teenagers, but now, as an adult, i realize that the lovely Miss Grogan, actually did not sing. So she may have been the cutest girl in the world, but let s face it!!, She lacked of musical basis to be a good singer & that precisely ruins pieces like Bring Me Closer or Love to Stay Also it s a real pity that the marvelous remixes of See Those Eyes or Pinky Blue were not included in this compillation. A good point about the disc is that it features the marvelous Dead Pop Stars & the B-side of the single, Sentimental. So if you re an avid fan of 80 s music this might be a curious, good, but not an essential addition to your collection. Also, if you re a big fan Bart Simpson or if you re a little bit sadistic and you like to torture someone, with Clare s tiny whinning voice, well this disc is for you!!
Effective collection of UK 80 s New Wave group - The early 1980 s was the period of New Wave, when the punk explosion had imploded. Light-hearted synths and poppier rhythms prevailed on both sides of the Atlantic. In the UK, famed disk jockey Jim Peel and Siouxsie and the Banshees bassist Steve Severin helped a Glaswegian group Altered Images, fronted by actress Claire Grogan.Their best known song, Happy Birthday, was the title track of their debut album, and characterizes the infectious cheer of their song, with Grogan s cute-girl voice, a cross between Jane Wiedlin and a less squeaky Dale Bozzio, the bouncy guitar and drums. This peaked at #2 in the UK.Real Toys and Love And Kisses has shades of a poppier Banshees sound, not surprising as they were produced by Severin. Their debut single, Dead Pop Stars, was an unsuccessful indie single produced by Severin, and has a harder edged guitar and a more punk sound with some eerie undertones and some wry commentary: dead pop stars rotting in the studio/pretty bodies make little girls scream and I am the poster on your wall. A standout. It s B-side, Sentimental sounds like a Missing Persons song with light punk guitars.I Could Be Happy signalled a more happier power pop that characterized their Pinky Blue album, which received quite a drubbing among UK critics. See Those Eyes was another one of their big hits, with Clare and company sounding more like Missing Persons than a pop-like Banshees. Funny Funny MeTheir happy power pop style was being eclipsed by the time R.E.M. became the new thing with Chronic Town. Bring Me Closer from their last album Bite incorporated 70 s disco synths, and saw them bringing in producers Tony Visconti and Mike Chapman, which may be the reason why Love To Stay sounded like a Blondie song reject. Another catchy 70 s disco-type song, with Bananarama-type harmony backing vocalists, is their last UK Top Ten hit, Don t Talk To Me About Love. The sax ballad Thinking About You really shows their transition to a more conventional sound.Fans of Red Dwarf will be familiar with lead singer Clare Grogan, who as C.P. Grogan starred in the British sci-fi sitcom as Kristine Kochanski. And guitarist Johnny McElhone later joined the groups Hipsway and Texas.Maybe because Altered Images didn t make that big a splash in the US they aren t that well remembered here. Nevertheless, it has to be said that they did create a brief blip in the punk/New Wave era.
!!! - i have heard 2 of there songs happy birthday and another one I forget the name but both the songs are very good! I think for christmas I am gonna buy my friend it cause she cant find it anywhere and I cant download any of their music. I guarntee that any of u who buy this album will like it