ISMISM [AKA: SNACK ATTACK]

"How long would it take to fill the bath"

Titled "Ismism" throughout the world except the USA where it was bizarrely re-titled "Snack attack", this may well be Godley and Crème's most accessible release.

Here we have two of Godley and Crème's best known songs, both of which were major hit singles. It took the duo many more years than I am sure they had anticipated to rediscover a formula which would send them back in the singles charts. Then, like the buses, along come two at once. "Under your thumb" is undoubtedly Godley and Crème's best recording of their entire career. Lyrically, the song is of the "I'm Mandy, fly me" type, telling a mysterious did it/didn't it happen story. The double paced rhythm throughout is a real masterstroke of production, the track having a real urgency while all the while adopting a dual identity.

"Wedding bells" is a highly orthodox pop song with straightforward "get me out of here" lyrics. The song has a real 10CC feel to it, proving that Godley and Crème could revert to such a style when they wanted to.

The opening "Snack attack" (which gives the US release its name), could well be described as rap, the song having a Pet Shop Boys ("West End Girls") feel. Saxophonist Bimbo Acock, the only artists other than G&C to appear on the album, adds some drifting sax to this extended rhythmic chant.

Unfortunately, it is by no means all good news, with tracks such as "Joey's camel" reminding us that the duo are frequently prone to putting cleverness before creating something which is actually listenable. If "Joey's camel" was bad for this, "The problem" takes things to a whole new height. Here we have one of those brainteasers, apparently requiring endless mathematical calculation, recited rap style and resulting in the question posed in the above heading. It really is all so pointless and excruciatingly dull. The latter part of the track is really a separate entity repeating the tedious mantra "The room is ready for Ralph".

"Lonnie" yet a again utilises the by now frankly annoying spoken word method of delivery. If it was not for Bimbo Acock's incisive sax bursts the track would have no redeeming features whatsoever. "Sale of the century" is a much more appealing retro ballad, marred only by the rather muffled vocals. The lyrics of the closing 8 minute "The party" describe what may well have been a real experience at such an event. With conversation stoppers such as "I don't like your stuff very much. . . I prefer a gentle and melodic touch" and ". . write yourselves a hit or three like "I'm not in Paris" or "The dean and me"". While the lyrics are undoubtedly amusing in a cringe-worthy way, once again the mumbled semi-spoken delivery completely destroys any potential for enjoyment.

In all, another album by Godley and Crème which has clearly been put together with an eye for detail, but which ultimately fails. Aside from the two irresistible singles, "Ismism" is an exercise in self indulgence and missed opportunities. A difficult album to rate given the extreme highs and lows.

By the way, I don't believe the bath will ever fill, the plug's not in.

About eighty nine percent of this album is bad enough to be embarrassing, which is to say out of nine songs we have one keeper. Why is so much 80s music so bad you might ask. Well, the reason why is that people were so caught up in distancing themselves from the supposedly so passe 70s that they forgot to have good taste and discernment and instead replaced all that with this undying urge to sound 'modern', which meant over reliance on 80s gimmicks like drum machines, synthetic horns and shallow adoptions of ethnic rhythms and trends.

Most of this album is sort of watered down takes on early techno, rai (the 80s trendy replacement for reggae from Egypt, had a feature run in Cosmo magazine) early hip-hop and African pop that sounds twice removed from the Talking Heads already somewhat watered down take on the genre. To make matters worse most of the lyrics are delivered in this 80s pseudo rap that really isn't rap and gets real annoying really fast. These guys are so obsessed with their neo-beatnik wordplay that they just don't know when to shut-up which would have been approximately a couple lines into the first song, a rousing treatise on snack food when want we really are hungry for is something a little more substantial like maybe a rip on the fast food industry's disastrous effect on world climate and hunger. Oh no, we get a silly album cover with garish funny hamburgers (nerd alert - US album cover and title differs from the UK version) ha ha ha, who cares.

Anyway, enough about the bad stuff because we have one really killer artsy pop song on here that easily made the album worth the fifty cents I put down at the local thrift store. I mean a really really good dramatic artsy pop song ala David Bowie or Stevie Wonder, but in a very 80s sounding format that sounds great for a change. Under Your Thumb is the mysterious story of one woman's solution to an abusive relationship that grows into a universal cry in which the woman becomes a part of us all. This melancholy tale is driven by a pulsing synthetic minimalist/gamelan keyboard sound and very original spiraling chord progressions that raise her story to the beyondest. For some weird reason this is the only song on the whole album that has really good vocals that actually sing abeit in that real pure 80s soaring Aha kind of way.

A totally forgetable trendy 80s record that somehow comes up with one song that probably rates in my personal top twenty of artsy pop songs of all-time, go figure.

After splitting from 10CC after the album "How Dare You", Godley & Creme created some good albums, but wallowed in obscurity. At the time, the mindless music press was obsessed with disco & punk (both on their way out of fashion), and new wave. All of these were essentially simplistic forms of pop music, and very easy to produce (hence the major label trolls enforced the validation).

How did Godley & Creme respond? By noticing the up and coming rap music, and attempting to create their own version. Bad idea.

Most of this album is made up of G&C's version of rap. Each seems to be made up of one joke stretched out into five minutes or more. The end result is a bunch of track too tedious for repeat listenings.

Snack Attack is an homage to overeating. Joey's Camel, the best of the rap pieces tell a story of escape in old Egypt. The Problem is an absurd take on a word math problem. This meshes into Ready For Ralph, where ralph in this case means vomit. The Party is a depiction of the pretentious at a party. Not inspired. At least Bimbo Acock plays some nice sax solos here and there.

The rest of the songs are low grade Godley & Creme pop songs. Barely worth mentioning. The exception is Under Your Thumb, a poignant song about a woman's attempted escape from (I assume) an abusive lover.

One good song. One star.