Search - Dr & Medics :: Laughing at the Pieces

WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?

Robert Burns | 06/19/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"after waiting 20 years for this album to come out on CD, why do they put a CD out that has little in common with the original album? They leave off "Burn" in favor of its marginal b-side "Barbara Can't Dance"; They omit the one awesome b-side from this era, the song "Laughing At The Pieces"; They completely omit "Miracle of the Age"; and what they do include is in a completely different order.I have waited so long, and loved the album so much I bought this CD anyway (it is a great guilty pleasure as mid-80's faux-psychadelic stuff goes.) However, whoever is responsible for butchering this album for this CD has reached a new low in poor re-issue judgement."

I'm waiting

HungryHippo1970 | MI | 07/04/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I nearly yelped in my seat at work when I saw that this had been released on CD!Maybe it's being too hopeful of me after waiting for over a decade for the CD release of this album, but I'm holding out in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, there might be the very slightest chance that a version with "Miracle of the Age," "Burn," and even "Laughing at the Pieces" will be released. I listened to the U.S. version of this album countless times when it came out, from beginning to end. I'll have to stick with my record (water-damaged as it may be) for the time being, though. If this was the U.S version along with the extra track(s), it would definitely be 5 stars from me. As it stands, I have to give it 3, only due to the omitted tracks.sighThen again, maybe I'll just break down and buy it for the sake of having something at all from this fantastic debut."

UK mix of glam and 60's harmonies is cool bizarre oddity

Daniel J. Hamlow | Narita, Japan | 02/24/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I had a most wanted list on out-of-print CDs years ago, which consisted of titles I had on cassette but foolishly gave away without checking that they were released on CD. Doctor and the Medics' Laughing At The Pieces was one of those on top of the list. How to describe their music? Psychedelic, 60's fun rock, power-pop, 70's glam, 80's techno, layered synths, with some Grass Roots-type harmony vocals, particularly the two female vocalists, Colette and Wendi, named the Anadyn Brothers, and totally off-the-wall lyrics."No One Loves You When You Got No Shoes" combines a frantic glam guitar, harmony vocals, lyrics equating shoes with roles and utility, and even a break involving a soft jangly Byrsds-like guitar before the main theme gets back in gear.The more mid-paced rocker "Watermelon Runaway" has some bizarre strung-together words that don't necessarily make sense as they do in making the verses catchy not to mention eyebrow raising: "swimming so green/dead sardine/acrobatic team."Their cover of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit In The Sky" was the song whose weird psychedelic video, the swirling black lines, and those bizarre Anadin Brothers that intro'd me to them. It went to #1 in 23 countries, including the UK of course, but not surprisingly, not in the US. With the heavy distorted psychedelic guitars."Lucky Lord Jim" is about some young celebrity "all blonde hair and curls", "with perfect gifts for perfect girls" and how he's pampered and guarded. at one point, there's a trade-off in vocals all pointing to Jim. Doctor: "Hear that sound!" backup singers: "Where? or "He's the one" "Who?" or "Feel that hate" "Where?" The answer is "sitting in that chair," where Jim's sitting.For sheer frenzy, there's "Smallness Of The Mustard Pot" with its 60's rock sounds and glam rock guitar riffs. That is contrasted by "Ticket To Ride" meets "Louie Louie" guitar riffs meets Grass Roots of "Moon Song" with its call to nature motif. There is a nice lengthy and light guitar solo at the end of the song.Another standout is the danceable glam of "Come On Call Me" which combines 50's/60's early rock with early Go-Go's type rock.This CD has four songs that weren't on the original cassette release in the US. They are "Fried Egg Bad Monday" and "Barbara Can't Dance." Then a familiar riff, followed by "My my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender." Yes, it's a cover of the Abba song, and the vocals aren't as full and rich as Agnetha and company, but the energy's still there. The other cover song is an electrified/synth version of Elvis Presley's "Burning Love"The only issue I have is the exclusion of two songs that were on the cassette version I bought in the 80's. That one had the second single "Burn" and the Andy Partridge-produced "Miracle Of The Age." However, as those were lesser songs compared to the rest, it's not much of an issue as it is an FYI. As for the rest of the album, it's a mostly non-stop 80's glam party rock that only lasted for this album and their next one. A bizarre oddity set in the 80's, and it could only have been from the UK."