Vemillion Runs Out the Clock, 3 out of 5 StarsThe Three O'Clock was one of the bands in Los Angeles' paisley underground, and probably the best of the bunch next to the more successful Bangles. About the same time Prince was having his dalliance with Susanna Hoffs, he was also launching his Paisley Park custom record label. It turns that the Bangles dug the Three O'Clock, and Prince, just having written "Manic Monday" for the ladies, signed these boys personally. Prince then handed The Three O'Clock "Neon Telephone" and sent them into the studio.
The result was "Vermillion," The Three O'Clock's swansong. After the delightfully trippy pop that the band delievered on the IRS albums Arrive Without Travelling and Ever After, "Vermillion" seemed downright tame. There were stories that Warners was trying to push lead singer/songwriter Michael Quercio into teen-idol territory and he was balking, stranding this album between cool psych-pop and outright poptune territory. And while The Three O'Clock still sounds good, "Vermillion" is a limp across the finish line for a band that could have been 80's huge.
It's interesting to note that Jason Faulkner of Jellyfish was on board for this album, and contributed the terrific "Love Has No Heart." Prince's contribution, "Neon Telephone," was hooky enough but a trifle in his songwriting. "When She Becomes My Girl" skirts Lola territory. There's plenty of good songs here, like "Ways of Magic," "Love Explosion" and the closer, Qurcio's "Through The Sleepy Town," but even with The Purple One's backing, it wasn't enough. Since you can get "Vermilion" used on the cheap, I can recommend this to fans of 80's power-pop ala 20/20, Shoes, or the aforementioned Bangles.
1 comment:
Well - I finally found your blog. Apologies for not posting a comment before now. As soon as I finish my current Kinks album-of-the-day blog entry, I'll be back to peruse your thoughts here.
Just a short note on The Three O'Clock - I have Arrive Without Traveling and it is pretty darn fine. I have not heard Vermillion. Too bad that Jason Falkner came along just as things were falling apart. He is an awesome musician in his own right.
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