Gone Digital: Army of Lovers, Matt Bianco, Steve Forbert, Kara’s Flowers, and The Monochrome Set
If it’s Tuesday, then it must be time for Gone Digital, our weekly look at five albums which may not even realize are part of Rhino’s digital catalog. As ever, the types of music we’ll be covering will be all over the place, but that’s Rhino for you: we’re all about variety!
• Army of Lovers, MASSIVE LUXURY OVERDOSE (1992): Originally released in 1991 in their native Sweden, Army of Lovers’ sophomore album was a top-10 Swedish success, resulting in an American release the following year. Although the album itself failed to chart in the US, it did spawn two significant hits on Billboard’s Dance Singles chart: “Crucified,” which hit #6, and “Obsession,” which hit #11. On the other hand, both songs were top-10 hits in Sweden, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands, offering further proof that American dancers have better taste in music than their non-dancing counterparts.
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• Matt Bianco, WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON? – EXPANDED (1984): Given their limited Stateside success, you’re forgiven if you’ve presumed that Matt Bianco is a person, but the truth of the matter is that Matt Bianco is a band founded by frontman Mark Reilly, late of the group Blue Rondo a la Turk, and featuring keyboardist Danny White and bassist Kito Poncioni, both of whom were also in the earlier group. Oh, yes, and there was one other very important member who we can’t forget: Basia. So if you love Basia and you’ve never heard Matt Bianco, give this a spin, and if you like it, check out MATT BIANCO, INDIGO, and SAMBA IN YOUR CLASS, all of which are also part of our digital catalog.
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• Steve Forbert, MISSION OF THE CROSSROAD PALMS (1995): Over the course of a career that started in 1978 and is still going strong even now, Forbert’s only released one album that’s part of the Rhino catalog, and that’s this one. Produced by E Street Band bassist Garry Tallent, the LP has been described in some circles as the best of Forbert’s career, but your mileage may vary on that front. At the very least, it’s a strong showing by the singer-songwriter and one that finds him making the jump from being “the new Dylan “ to “heir apparent to John Prine.” Although that’s, uh, probably a mileage-may-vary sort of statement, too. Anyway, just give it a spin.
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• Kara’s Flowers, THE FOURTH WORLD (1997): At the time of its release, this album made a few ripples with its minor hit single, “Soap Disco,” but it disappointed the label enough at the time that the band was dropped only a month after its release. Although the band went on a semi-hiatus while a couple of its members went to college in New York, they eventually reunited in 2001, bringing a new sound with them which helped them secure a new deal with Octone Records, but it also resulted in a name change in order to make them less beholden to their past. Enter...Maroon 5. Yes, you read that right. So if you’re a Maroon 5 fan but you don’t know Kara’s Flowers, you don’t know... Hey, calm down, we were going to say “Disco.” As in “Soap Disco.” Get your mind out of the gutter, wouldja?
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• The Monochrome Set, THE LOST WEEKEND: EXPANDED EDITION (1985): Just before wrapping up the first chapter of a career that’s still ongoing even now, The Monochrome Set released this album on Blanco y Negro and made a bid for pop stardom (or some equivalent thereof). It didn’t really work, unfortunately, but it’s a solid album anyway, one featuring the singles “Jacob’s Ladder” and “Wallflower.”
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