Gleaming Spires: “Songs Of The Spires” (1981/2021) CD Review

There was a lot of interesting and unusual music in the 1980s, with bands able to try their own styles in the pop and rock realms. There was a certain freedom that was felt, at least by those of us listening. It seemed like you could create your own identity in and through music, and everything was accepted (that wasn’t true, of course, but it was how we felt). One band that had its own style was Gleaming Spires, which came out of Bates Motel. They put out their first record in 1981, the same year that saw albums like OMD’s Architecture & Morality, The Police’s Ghost In The Machine, The Kinks’ Give The People What They Want, and Stands For Decibels from The dB’s. A good year for music. Titled Songs Of The Spires, it contains all original material, and is now being re-issued in an expanded edition, with a lot of bonus material and new extensive liner notes. The band was started by Les Bohem and David Kendrick, and the liner notes contain interviews with both.

The album’s opening track, “Going Hey Hey,” begins as a totally fun electronic tune, with what sounds like someone breathing heavily, as if jogging, exercising to the song itself. And then it kicks in, and that’s when things start getting really good. “Ooh, let’s get going really fast.” They are clearly having a good time. That’s followed by the song that turned most people onto the band, “Are You Ready For The Sex Girls?” It’s a seriously enjoyable song, and it was given an extra push a few years after the initial release of this album when it was included on the soundtrack for Revenge Of The Nerds. If you don’t pay attention to the lyrics, except perhaps the title line, it seems like a great party song. And, sure, it is. But it is more than that. Check out these lines: “Are you ready for the lonely girls/The sad, sad, old, sad, lonely girls/They got time on their hands/They got skin like seals/They can talk about love/They know how it feels.” Then check out these lines from “While We Can”: “I watch out, I don’t take enough chances/Makes me a criminal in the eyes of romance/Let’s spend it while we can, while we stand to lose/Every tiny bravery loosens up the noose.”

A steady electronic rhythm is established at the beginning of “When Love Goes Under Glass” before the actual beat begins. This is a damn fine pop song. It seems like it should have been a big hit. I mean, seriously, with lines like “Nights are made to wreck/To smash up and forget” and “Let’s finish off our hearts with a bayonet,” how could this not have been a hit? Another of the album’s best songs is “How To Get Girls Thru Hypnotism.” Misspelling of “Through” aside, that is a fantastic song title. With a title like that, you might expect it to be as fun as “Are You Ready For The Sex Girls?” But this one has a darker vibe, and a line like “How to make ‘em do whatever you want” is actually scary and rather sad. What I especially love is when Les Bohem starts to belt out the lyrics. “But I know that’s a lie, I can see that I’m shaking.” It’s a gloriously naked moment. And then he nearly begs, “Lie to me, lie to me, lie to me.” It is like a demand coming from desperation, and is compelling. That’s followed by “Talking In The Dark,” a wonderful song, which, according to the liner notes, was originally written for Bates Motel. “Try to keep the day from breaking in/And stealing all our chances in the dark.” The original album concludes with “Big Hotels,” an interesting song that takes us to specific locations and vividly relates a tale of moments.

Bonus Tracks

This disc contains ten bonus tracks, including six previously unreleased songs from Bates Motel, the flip side from the “How To Get Girls Thru Hypnotism” single, and the three tracks from Life Out On The Lawn. The bonus material begins with the Bates Motel tracks, starting with “The Way Marlena Moves,” a completely enjoyable power pop gem. That’s followed by “Real Time,” another cool tune, this one related to film. The lines that stand out for me are “If you master your mistakes/You can turn them into facts.” How about that? Then “Only The Young Die Young” has a good punk energy, fitting for its title, and features some good guitar work. The first lines of “Dedication” are “This is a dedication/To everything that will not last.” Well, that covers most everything, doesn’t it? When I read the news, I console myself with the reminder that it won’t last. The beginning of “Unexpected Overnighters” reminds me just a bit of the end of The Cars’ “Just What I Needed.” This is a playful song with a cool bass line, and is one of my personal favorites. How was this song left unreleased until now? The final of the Bates Motel tracks is “Real Love,” a mellower, more pensive song which opens with the lines “People change, people lie/People come and go like questions.” A little later they tell us, “People fade, chances die/And the lies come so quickly/I want to feel real love again.”

We then get “Walk Right,” the flip side to the “How To Get Girls Thru Hypnotism” single. In this song they offer some advice, perhaps to themselves, perhaps to us: “Hold on now, don’t cry now, don’t go get stupid/Keep calm now relax pal, let’s keep things lucid/Walk right, great big smile.” But the lines that really stand out are “I think a nice sharp kitchen knife/Would more than set me free.” The song takes an odd turn toward the end, and it is so brief that for a moment I wonder if it’s a glitch with the disc. Then the last three tracks are from Life Out On The Lawn, released in 1982. “Life Out On The Lawn” is an odd one. Check out these lyrics: “A warm green glow/Making the concrete/Soft beneath your feet/Makes the rock rise/To its knees.” It will likely quickly grow on you. That’s followed by “Somewhere,” which is quite a bit different from the rest of the tracks. It is like a show tune, and I can’t help but wonder if we’re meant to take it seriously or not. The disc ends with “Passion Pit.” The work on keys at the beginning sounds almost spiritual, and so the opening lines really caught me off guard the first time and made me laugh aloud: “She had great big breasts/I remember that best.” Yet, it’s a wonderfully depressing song. Check out these lines: “But every caress/Is a nail in your coffin/And every promise a lie/It never gets better/And all of your life/Is a search for a door that’s not there.” Wow.

CD Track List

1. Going Hey Hey
2. Are You Ready For The Sex Girls?
3. While We Can
4. When Love Goes Under Glass
5. The End Of All Good Things
6. Watch Your Blood Beat
7. How To Get Girls Thru Hypnotism
8. Talking In The Dark
9. Big Hotels
10. The Way Marlena Moves
11. Real Time
12. Only The Young Die Young
13. Dedication
14. Unexpected Overnighters
15. Real Love
16. Walk Right
17. Life Out On The Lawn
18. Somewhere
19. Passion Pit

This expanded version of Songs Of The Spires is scheduled to be released on September 17, 2021 through Omnivore Recordings.