Search - Pale Fountains :: Pacific Street

For fans of HMS Fable.

Christopher G. Huttman | Atlanta, GA USA | 06/26/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Pale Fountains were the first band Michael Head of Shack and Strands fame was in. This is their debut record plus assorted b-sides and singles from the same era.It is pleasant enough, and makes a nice companion piece to HMS Fable. Sadly though, some of the tracks are better represented on the 12 inch singles if you can find them. Most apparent is "Just a Girl" which as the B-side of "Someting on My Mind" remains an excellent tweepop masterpiece but the version represented here has somewhat annoying female=soul background vocals.Still, minor quibbles aside this Pale Fountains release remains an intriguing look into one of the great modern misunderstood geniuses, Michael Head. And because not many people bought Pale Fountains records when they came out, this CD reissue is probably the only way most of us are ever going to hear them at all. So, Kudos."

One of the finest records of the '80's

Christopher G. Huttman | 08/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If nothing else, I have to credit this record for introducing me to 'Forever Changes' way back in the mid '80's. That's unfair though, because 'Pacific Street' deserves to be known on it's own terms - it's a fine record full of subtlety, emotion and, well...honesty, that seems to have been overlooked. I used to go to parties in 1985 and (as teenagers do) judge people by whether they'd heard this album or not. Sadly, never enough people had. I've changed and grown more mature, but somehow the number of people who've let this record pass them by hasn't done. Don't be one of them - some music ages and grows stale; fine songwriting doesn't and 'Pacific Street' is as fresh and as valuable today as it was way back then. Oh, and if you haven't heard Love's 'Forever Changes', go get that as well....."