The Age Of Plastic +3(Ltd.Reissue): The Buggles: Amazon.co.uk: Music

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Buggles's critique of much more than video and radio, 15 Nov 2005

By A Customer

The Buggles have their place in music history because their quirky hit "Video Killed the Radio Star" has the distinction of being the first music video shown on MTV. But their 1980 debut album "Age of Plastic" deserves to be remembered on its own terms; not just for the "futuristic" music, but because the lyrics represent a coherent critique of the world of technology as being full of potential but fraught with peril. Even a cursory look at "Video Killed the Radio Star" shows the song is offering up less than subtle ironies about the medium of pop music, not to mention the fledgling MTV. The Buggles consisted of the tandem of Geoffrey Downes on percussion/keyboards and Trevor Horn doing bass/guitar/percussion/vocals, both of who were obviously more interested in producing. That same year they produced the Yes album "Drama," and the pair ended up joining the group and replacing Jon Anderson and Rick Wakeman.

Pay attention to the lyrics on this album. "Kid Dynamo" is about the death of imagination in the age of mass media, a proposition that is clearly becoming more and more obvious with each year. "I Love You Miss Robot" is not kinky, despite its title, and is about the pitfalls of human dependence on technology. As for the music, it is pretty diverse. ""Video Killed the Radio Star" is upbeat and peppy while "Johnny on the Monorail" is the exact opposite, dark and brooding. Of course, at the time the use of electronic devices was considered cutting edge and the novelty of it all distracted from the potency of the lyrics. The Alan Parsons Project tried to do something along these lines with with 1977's "I Robot," but that effort seems ponderous and pretentious when compared to "Age of Plastic." I think I could make a compelling argument that this is one of the top ten, or at least top two dozen albums, from the decade (and you can go either way on that as the end of the 1970s or the start of the 1980s).

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb production values, 5 Jun 2006

By	fallingforstars (West Yorkshire, UK) - See all my reviews

You'd be forgiven for thinking that this was one of those early 80's nonsense bands that spoke of so much technobabble. This however is far from the case. Every track has an immediacy and something relevant to say at whatever level you choose to judge it. As well as the high tech approach there's plenty of evidence of tenderness and poignancy here within much of the material. Trevor Horn's customary penchant for the big sound, the grand wash of colour is ever present as well as Geoff Downes' solid keyboard contributions. A great album and a worthy follow up in "Adventures In Modern Recording" make it a pity that the duo only produced two albums.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Superb, 4 May 2007

By	M. Evans - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Recently discovered this album and I've not stopped listening to it since. It is absolutely outstanding, in fact probably the best album I've ever heard. There is not one weak track on it, every track could have been a single. It's a totally'upbeat' sounding album, but has a wistful, melancholy feel to it as well. Difficult to pick the best track, but I'd probably go for "I Love You (Miss Robot)" which is a sublime piece of futuristic electro pop, and the dynamic "Johnny On The Monorail". The bonus tracks are very good as well, and not just filler like on a lot of reissues. I can't praise this album highly enough. Buy it! You won't regret it.

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3.0 out of 5 stars An 'average' album.

'The Buggles', like so many groups that had just one major hit, probably made a mistake in the choosing of their follow-up single which was not so powerful. Read more

Published 12 months ago by FAMOUS NAME

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The Age Of Plastic +3(Ltd.Reissue)

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