VIPS - Need Somebody to Love

  by Steve Kinrade

published: 24 / 12 / 2020

Label: Select Label
Format: N/A

intro

Steve Kinrade enjoys new Optic Nerve Recordings retrospective 'Need Somebody to Love', which compiles together all the studio recordings of lost 70's new wave band, the VIPs.

It would be a case of stating the bleedin’ obvious to say that 2020 has been one awful year for everyone. A lot has happened, and copious amounts of energy has been expended in trying to keep the stable door shuttered that houses The Four Men Of The Apocalypse who are trying to bolt. We all have had our trials and tribulations. So in this context, this 'Need Somebody to Love' compilation is like a welcome shaft of sunlight, offering joy, happiness and the musical recollection of much happier times. Unfortunately, there is nothing much information wise about this band; they do share their moniker with other groups, which somewhat confuses the issue. They were, however, once housed snugly on the GEM label, which was a subsidiary of RCA Records back in the day. Along with the UK Subs, they attempted to scale the north-face of the Top 40. Seventeen tracks in all, with pretty well the same sonic production values, similar beats, run of the mill lyrics, yet all infused with an enthusiasm, an infectious energy, that harks back to the days of a more innocent age. Catchy melodies abound, the music promising to short-circuit even the most arthritic of us into throwing the proverbial shapes. Basically, when you have titles such as 'Stuggart Special', 'Causing Complications' (to these ears simply majestic) and 'Run Run Belinda' you just know what’s coming down the track. This is a delicious mix of punk, post-punk, psycho- billy, surfer-rock, whatever. The older you have lived, the more musical references you will get. And when it comes to genres, all bets are off. Even the classic Hippy Hippy Shake is given the VIP treatment. There, I’ve said it. This is a selection of songs that will make you smile, dance and LOL. The VIPs will make you remember a world when things seemed to be more simple, less frightening. Which, at the time of writing, isn’t a bad thing, is it?

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