Disc One
The first disc contains the
band’s two LPs – their self-titled 1980 debut and 1981’s Imitation Life. The debut album opens with “When Things Go Wrong,”
a song that immediately took me back to my childhood. This song was wildly
popular in Massachusetts, and for good reason. And it totally holds up. That’s
followed by “It’ll Only Hurt A Little While,” the guitar having a strong and
cool 1960s flavor. The band’s sound on this first LP certainly was informed by
some 1960s influences. This song is one of the album’s highlights, and in
addition to the wonderful guitar work, I love the way Robin Lane delivers the
title line, sort of dragging it out a bit. “Don’t Cry” is another I remember
hearing on the radio during my childhood, and it has some pep. Then “Without
You” is a solid rock song with a great driving beat, more good work on guitar,
and an edge. “Why Do You Tell Me Lies” is another one that takes me to my
childhood. This was the sound of Massachusetts in the very early 1980s, and I
still love it. What a cool song! That’s followed by “I Don’t Want To Know,” a
totally enjoyable rock song. “Be Mine Tonight” has a something of a punk feel and
an energetic, powerful vocal performance. “I
see something in you/Don’t you want to be mine tonight/I could love you/I think
that I already do.” There is a somewhat softer, prettier sound to “Kathy
Lee,” with a 1960s folk-rock feel to the guitar.
Imitation Life opens with “Send Me An Angel” and right away, you
can hear a difference in the band’s sound, which is a bit harder and doesn’t
have as much of that 1960s thing. “What The People Are Doing” has a darker
vibe, and a cool unusual vocal approach that I like. “Baby, I’ve been feeling strange/Upside down, but you’re not to blame/In
a room where shadows grow/Time fades away.” Then the title track,
“Imitation Life,” comes at you at a quick pace and rocks with a certain punk
energy. “I don’t want to live an
imitation life,” Robin sings, and from what we can hear it seems she is in
no danger of doing that. This is one of
my favorite tracks. Robin Lane then changes gears with “Say Goodbye,” a
mellower tune. Then the band delivers more of that great punk energy with “No
Control,” yet another highlight and probably my favorite song from Imitation Life. I totally dig this one.
There is something playful about it, particularly in some of the lyrics and
their delivery, and it is a lot of fun. There is even a brief drum solo near
the end. Another of the LP’s most enjoyable tracks is “Pretty Mala,” a fun rock
and roll tune. That’s followed by “Idiot,” which has a catchy groove and more
of a pop vibe. Of all the tracks on Imitation
Life, this is the one that retains some of that 1960s influence. That LP
then concludes with “For You,” a slower, passionate love song. “For you, I would do anything right/I would
do anything wrong.”
Disc Two
The second disc contains the Heart Connection EP, as well as a whole lot
of previously unreleased material. It begins with Heart Connection, which came out in 1984 and has more of that 1980s
sound in part because of the addition of keyboards to the band. Gone are any
remaining 1960s vibes, and largely gone is the punk feel. But the songs are
still enjoyable, with a different sort of charm. The EP opens with “Hard
Cover,” which is a fun, lively tune, and one I like more each time I listen to
this disc. That’s followed by “Believe In You,” which has a strong 1980s pop
sound. “Shot In The Dark” has even more of that 1980s sound. But I’m digging
it, though when I listen to it on headphones, what sounds like a drum machine
version of the kick drum is really distracting. The EP concludes with “True
Confessions.” Of all four songs on the EP, this is the one that rocks the most,
opening with a strong, fast beat. And in the middle, there is a cool section
that begins with drums and bass. Yet this track is still clearly a song of the
mid-1980s.
Those four tracks are followed
by several other tracks from those same sessions, songs that were left
unreleased until now. The first of these is “Lookin’ So Hard,” a decent pop
song. That’s followed by “The Irish Song,” which has a somewhat mellower,
prettier sound, but with a strong, passionate vocal performance. I am rather
fond of this one. “Look The Other Way” also has a strong, emotional center,
with a somewhat darker, heavier feel and an excellent vocal performance. How
was this track left unreleased until now? “When
every line that you’ve drawn has been crossed.” The sound of “Take Back The
Night” is certainly a product of 1984, but the lyrics transcend that time. “Young girl walks down the streets
alone/She’s taking a chance on her way back home/Over her shoulder, someone
moves in/She’s another victim of this world we’re in.” This song isn’t just
about violence against woman, but the elderly as well. That’s followed by
another strong track, “Words Of Love,” its beat drawing me in from the start.
This is the last of the tracks from those sessions.
The Heart Connection sessions were the last of Robin Lane & The
Chartbusters (until they reunited in 2001), and this second disc goes from the
end back to the beginning, with the three tracks that made up the band’s 1979
Deli Platters single. This includes the original versions of “When Things Go
Wrong” and “Why Do You Tell Lies,” both of which would end up on the band’s
self-titled debut LP, as well as a song called “The Letter.” That’s followed by
some early demos which were previously unreleased. “I Found Out” is a cool rock
song with some good work on drums, a demo from 1979. “Loneliness in the heart, it’s keeping us paralyzed/Nobody reaching out
to one another anymore/Everybody waiting to die.” The next track, “Rose For
Sharon,” will immediately strike you as different from everything else on these
discs so far. It has more of a country pop sound, and begins with just vocals
and drums. This is a demo from before the days of The Chartbusters. It’s kind
of goofy, but interesting in tracking Robin Lane’s progression. “Never Enough”
is another pre-Chartbusters demo, and also has something of a country sound,
but to my ears is a better song. That’s followed by another demo, but one from
much later. “The Longest Thinnest Thread” is from 1990, and is kind of a pretty
song, more in the folk realm, a return to her earliest days in the music
industry. “This vast distance between
us/Can’t be closed by telephone/Your absence has left a hole inside of me/And I
can’t bear to view myself/When you’re who I want to see.” The second disc
then concludes with “Little Bird,” a track from the 2003 reunion album, Piece Of Mind. This song is more in line
with those demos than with the band’s 1980s releases, and has a sweet,
beautiful sound.
Disc Three
The third disc contains
recordings of live performances, starting with the tracks from 5 Live, the band’s 1980 EP. This EP
opens with “When Things Go Wrong,” which Robin Lane dedicates to everyone in
the audience. The EP, by the way, was recorded at The Orpheum Theatre in
Boston. “When Things Go Wrong” is followed by “Lost My Mind,” a fun, completely
enjoyable song with some catchy guitar work, another highlight of this
collection. Then “When You Compromise” is a bright rock song. Listening to
this, I wish I had seen this band in concert. Seems like their shows would have
been a good time. At the beginning of “8.3,” Robin Lane says, “Everybody’s been talking lately about a big
earthquake that’s coming.” She then warns that the 8.3 quake is going to
come to the east coast too, “So you’d
better watch out.” This is probably the coolest track from the live EP,
with a thumping punk power. The EP concludes with a wild, rocking cover of
Johnny Kidd’s “Shakin’ All Over.”
The rest of the third disc is
made up of previously unreleased live tracks from the years 1979-1981.
Most are from 1979, recorded at Normandy
Sound. Before “Caught In The Act,” they are introduced to what sounds like an
small, intimate crowd. The band delivers for them an excellent set of rock tunes,
including a few that didn’t make it onto a studio release such as “Are You A
Hero Now” and “Psychotic Disorders” (“Maybe
you think that I’m real pretty/But don’t get too close, because I’ll just treat
you shitty/Psychotic disorders”). There are also some tunes that wouldn’t
be on a studio album until that 2003 release, Piece Of Mind, such as “Somebody Else,” “Talk To You” (one of my
favorites), “Last One To Know” and “In My World.” They also give seriously good
renditions of “Many Years Ago” and “I Don’t Want To Know,” the latter dedicated
to Sid Vicious, who died that year. There is also a cover of Del Shannon’s “Keep
Searchin’ (We’ll Follow The Sun).” Those tracks are followed by a couple
recorded at The Paradise Rock Club in 1980 – “Little Eyes” and “Waitin’ In
Line.” Then “What The People Are Doing” and “Send Me An Angel” are from a 1981
performance at RCA Studios. This collection wraps up with a couple of songs
recorded at Jonathan Swift’s in 1980 – “Way Over There” and “Violent Love.” The
sound isn’t quite as good on these last couple of tracks, but the performances
are good. I particularly like the band’s rendition of Willie Dixon’s “Violent
Love,” which has a delicious, raw drive.
CD Track List
Disc One
- When Things Go Wrong
- It’ll Only Hurt A Little While
- Don’t Cry
- Without You
- Why Do You Tell Me Lies
- I Don’t Want To Know
- Many Years Ago
- Waitin’ In Line
- Be Mine Tonight
- Kathy Lee
- Don’t Wait Till Tomorrow
- Send Me An Angel
- What The People Are Doing
- Imitation Life
- Say Goodbye
- No Control
- Rather Be Blind
- Solid Rock
- Pretty Mala
- Idiot
- For You
- Hard Cover
- Believe In You
- Shot In The Dark
- True Confessions
- Lookin’ So Hard
- The Irish Song
- Holy Man
- Look The Other Way
- Save Your Tears
- Take Back The Night
- Words Of Love
- When Things Go Wrong
- Why Do You Tell Lies
- The Letter
- I Found Out
- Rose For Sharon
- Never Enough
- The Longest Thinnest Thread
- Little Bird
- When Things Go Wrong
- Lost My Mind
- When You Compromise
- 8.3
- Shakin’ All Over
- Caught In The Act
- Somebody Else
- Many Years Ago
- Talk To You
- Are You A Hero Now
- Last One To Know
- In My World
- Rather Be Blind
- I Don’t Want To Know
- Keep Searchin’ (We’ll Follow The Sun)
- Psychotic Disorders
- Little Eyes
- Waitin’ In Line
- What The People Are Doing
- Send Me An Angel
- Way Over There
- Violent Love
Many Years Ago: The Complete Robin Lane & The Chartbusters
Collection was released on March 1, 2019.
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Really nice review. Very thorough.
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