Search - Fad Gadget :: Best of Fad Gadget

As influential as it gets...

Takis Tz. | InYourHead | 01/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to a lot of electronic music the past 4-5 yrs has only helped me realise how spectacularly influential Fad Gadget was. And did I mention way, way ahead of his time?



Sure, the Gadget do have this characteristic 80s "feel" reminiscent of undeground electronic pioneers from that time. But man, do they stand out. When you compare this one man band's releases with , say, early albums of Depeche Mode you understand what kind of a genius Frank Tovey was.



This is music so intelligent and so irresistibly groovy and catchy you'd have to be completely unitiated musically to not be hooked by it. Speaking of catches, Fad gadget's music was and still is intended for intelligent people. It's not just the music itself of course. If it were "only" that we'd speaking of an entirely different concept. What makes the deciding difference between Tovey and other electronica creators from his time or even now is his lyrics.



Instead of opting for the usual pseudo sci-fi or "heard it all before" pseudo-bizzare love songs, Tovey went straight for what matters. The system. With all its angles, expressions, crashes, flows, faults and cracks.



His lyrics were not like a Rage against the Machine of the 80s. Oh no. In a sense they were way better. Politically charged like anything you've ever heard, and yet subtle, metaphorical, allegoric, poetic, and timely direct and in your face whenever the message needed to be such.



If you read his name being dropped by some of the current legends who made or are still making music in that genre, well, it shouldnt surprise you. What should indeed surprise you is that you might not be aware of the great contribution to contemporary music Fad Gadget put in.



This is as influential and as great a band as they come."

A Great Introduction to Frank Tovey!

a reader | 07/10/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Fad Gadget" ... allow yourself to taste those words for a moment. It shimmers with style. Likewise, these songs sound equally invigorating to the ears. Fans of edgy, intellegent bands like Depeche Mode, The The and Shriekback will find refuge in this music too.



Fad Gadget was more an individual and less a group. Frank Tovey captained this Goth pop experiment, which enlightened stereos and spawned imitators during the early half of the 1980s.



This collection basically samples his earlier work, before he dropped the "Fad Gadget" alias. Singles, B-sides, album cuts and a solo track make up the first disc while the second CD contains awesome remixes of signature tunes. Needless to say, these double Frisbees deliver the goods!



And I strongly recommend the four studio albums: Fireside Favorites, Incontinent, Under the Flag and Gag. Some of his most daring stuff is found only on them.



A massive Fad Gadget/Frank Tovey complication is in the works, which will include live performances, unreleased treasures and fan favorites and it will be on two DVDs and two CDs!



Anyways, I'm betting that Fad Gadget's status will remain the same, which is anonymity from the masses yet intense admiration from a select few. I doubt Frank would have wanted it any other way.



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