- Audio CD (10 April 2006)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Captain Oi
- ASIN: B000ETQS3U
- Other Editions: Audio CD | Vinyl
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 241,682 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Everything about TENEMENT STEPS is big. Big and - a word I really dislike, but one which sums up THE MOTORS' third album perfectly - Bombastic. Bom-bas-tic. And loud. Subtlety has not only left the building, it's hotwired a nearby Datsun Cherry and got the hell out of wherever it wandered into by mistake in the first place. Here are (in every sense) the highlights...
LOVE AND LONELINESS
A superb opener. Guitar and synth heavy. Brings to mind both Blondie and Bruce Springsteen, it's breathless, but enjoyable.
METROPOLIS
In a not so parallel universe "Mer-troppa-liss" would belong in a dismal sixth-form musical, if lyrics of this calibre are anything to go by: "The trees began to disappear/Department stores were born/And let me tell you something, dear/ There's escalators everywhere..." Insane, brilliant stuff. And ever so slightly rubbish.
SLUM PEOPLE
Probably the best song. A strong rocker, yet there's a million miles between it and the happy raucousness of DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY or the wistful brilliance of AIRPORT. Is this what happens when bands split up? Clearly something changed; yes, with the departure of goofy guitarist BRAM TCHAIKOVSKY and drummer RICKY SLAUGHTER, founding members NICK GARVEY and ANDY McMASTER went and got all serious.
TENEMENT STEPS
The title track and another close shave with am-dram. Excellent, orchestral, but so bloody earnest I'd be risking life and limb singing along to this one with the car window down. Urban regeneration versus social deprivation? Sorted, mate - in just four minutes and forty-six seconds. Not.
Over-produced to within an inch of its life by JIMMY IOVINE, TENEMENT STEPS is an album you may not play too often. But when you do, it's nearly always worth it - especially now, given the inclusion of bonus tracks and remixes. One thing I shall always be grateful for, however, is that when I bought the original vinyl LP - almost thirty years ago(!) - it did something no other record in my collection had up to that point: it succeeded in making my appallingly lo-fi Amstrad Tower System (with Bass Boost) actually sound good.
RECOMMENDED
* Portentous, yes, that's another word you could use to...
LOVE AND LONELINESS
A superb opener. Guitar and synth heavy. Brings to mind both Blondie and Bruce Springsteen, it's breathless, but enjoyable.
METROPOLIS
In a not so parallel universe "Mer-troppa-liss" would belong in a dismal sixth-form musical, if lyrics of this calibre are anything to go by: "The trees began to disappear/Department stores were born/And let me tell you something, dear/ There's escalators everywhere..." Insane, brilliant stuff. And ever so slightly rubbish.
SLUM PEOPLE
Probably the best song. A strong rocker, yet there's a million miles between it and the happy raucousness of DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY or the wistful brilliance of AIRPORT. Is this what happens when bands split up? Clearly something changed; yes, with the departure of goofy guitarist BRAM TCHAIKOVSKY and drummer RICKY SLAUGHTER, founding members NICK GARVEY and ANDY McMASTER went and got all serious.
TENEMENT STEPS
The title track and another close shave with am-dram. Excellent, orchestral, but so bloody earnest I'd be risking life and limb singing along to this one with the car window down. Urban regeneration versus social deprivation? Sorted, mate - in just four minutes and forty-six seconds. Not.
Over-produced to within an inch of its life by JIMMY IOVINE, TENEMENT STEPS is an album you may not play too often. But when you do, it's nearly always worth it - especially now, given the inclusion of bonus tracks and remixes. One thing I shall always be grateful for, however, is that when I bought the original vinyl LP - almost thirty years ago(!) - it did something no other record in my collection had up to that point: it succeeded in making my appallingly lo-fi Amstrad Tower System (with Bass Boost) actually sound good.
RECOMMENDED
* Portentous, yes, that's another word you could use to...
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Punk Meets Prog In the Metropolis
13 Jun 2006
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
A missing link between punk and progressive...With a heavily industrial sound recalling Big Country's 'Steeltown', this and the Motors' previous album 'Approved By' are both cinematic, but 'Tenement Steps' is positively epic! Blistering guitar, keyboards and drums jump out of the speakers in a wall of sound which would not be out of place as the soundtrack for a gigantic post-apocalytic sci-fi film. With lyrics born from the dark shadows of the post-modern world and not exactly mellifluous vocals, this Motors set including the semi-hit "Love and Loneliness", makes up for lack of sweetness by its numerous hooks. Riff-heavy at times, melodic at others, this CD needs to be played loud!
The Steps to Nowhere
16 Feb 2007
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Sadly this is a final album of the Motors. The Magic are gone but its a great album, not excellent
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