Search - Translator :: Everywhere That We Were: Best of

Thanks To All Of You

Robert Darlington | Baltimore, MD USA | 09/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a good collection, garnered from the four albums we released during the 1980's. Our albums are sadly not available on CD, and this compilation has little of the band's edgier and psychedelic material; but it is still a very good collection for someone just discovering what we were about. Four of these songs were made into videos for MTV, including one video shot in Mumbai, India; but only "Everywhere That I'm Not" ever received very much airplay. Such is the way of the business of music. I am just very grateful for what I was able do do, and I want to thank all of the reviewers at this site for their kind and generous words--even though Translator has seemingly fallen off the face of the popular music map, as long as we have such great fans we will not be completely forgotten. My best wishes to all of you. Abundant peace, Robert Darlington"

Generous compilation, discover some wonderful lost songs

Robert Darlington | 01/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Translator started up around the time when new wave was in full bloom. That was a fun era because people were trying different sounds in new ways. But it's also pretty easy to date a lot of 80's music as well (if that kind of thing bugs ya).Can't say that about Translator. A lot of their music still sounds fresh. REM certainly spawned many imitators and Translator's music is not light years removed, but it's not nearly the same (and in fact, Translator and REM actually started up around the same time). The tunes are probably more straight-forward and definitely more rocking from the get-go. I never really understood why their singles weren't more popular. I discovered their music while living in the south... didn't have to be in San Fran digging Wire Train and other 415 bands.This 17 song compilation has some wonderful moments. "Everywhere That I'm Not" "Un-Alone" (great title) "Come With Me" are songs that should have shared the airwaves with a lot of other musicians. But at least this music has been saved for us to enjoy many years later. Completists will easily cry for a different lineup of songs. I'd love to have less of the 2nd recording and more of the last. And how in the world "Another American Night" was left off this I'll never know. Thank goodness for being able to record from vinyl to CD!I remember when "Evening of the Harvest" came out in '86. I was music director for a big university in the south and I was at first offput by this one. I thought it was too straight-ahead rock... too many guitar solos. Now I laugh at that thought because after a few more spins, while it was apparent Translator had changed a little, they were still a magnificant act. You can hear "Standing In Line" and "Stony Gates of Time" on this compilation from their last effort, but it would be much better for the WHOLE thing to come out on disc. We can dream. I've seen some pretty bizarre recordings eventually come out on CD so maybe one day this will as well.Great music, timeless... glad you guys had a few years to put down on tape some great tunes."

Everywhere that you're at

R. Smith | Viola, Iowa USA | 09/14/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In this day and age we are constantly bombarded with product that just doesn't last. Bands that make one decent song on a CD with the rest junk. And once in a while, a major label will put out a best of from a band back in 70s or 80s that will enough have good music to enable us to be interested in that band to seek out their albums, to alas, only availble on vinyl.



Translator is one of those bands whose albums are only on vinyl and not CDs. Everywhere That We're Not is one of these retrospectives, that has a lot of songs that could have made it on the Top 40 charts or videos that MTV could have play to promote them. In a perfect world, Translator could have stand shoulder to shoulder with the Cars or Stray Cats or Billy Idols with should have been major hit Everywhere That I'm Not, or should have been hits such as Un Alone or Standing In Line, real rock and roll and not the pop cheez that was running amok in mid 1980s suburbia.



In a perfect world, Translator would have all their stuff out on CD for the world to discover. Rhino would never reissue their stuff, so you're better off to email the folks at Wounded Bird Records (they have known to reissue albums from the likes of Romeo Void or Nantucket and I bet you that they do have access to the Sony/Columbia catalog) or Sundazed (although that's probaly asking too much since Sundazed is more into 60s-70s stuff) or One Way (if they are still releasing albums) and ask them to please reissue the four Translator albums. My faves remain the Self-titled album and Evening Of The Harvest, and they do a cool remake of Jefferson Airplane's Today on the OOP Oglio Translation album. Translator albums are a little harder to find, but you may find them at your local vinyl or antique store, in the dark corner where they sell records. Where did ya think I found mine?



But for a good overview, you can't go wrong with Everywhere That We're Not. Or Translation. But then again I'm biased. I have them both."