SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: B-MOVIE – HIDDEN TREASURES

B-MOVIE
HIDDEN TREASURES
WANDERLUST/CARGO

B-Movie released their debut EP on a small, independent label in 1980.  By 1981, they were signed to Some Bizarre Records and were part of the early 1980s electro-beat/New Wave/Post-Punk scene. Sadly, somehow they got lost on the Some Bizarre label, who were very busy with Soft Cell and The The at the time. And although the band recorded a couple of singles for the label, their scheduled and planned debut album never saw the light of day in 1982. Some Bizarre were distributed through Phonogram in the U.K. and Canada. With all of these labels involved, and two bands doing extremely well, some extremely talented bands fell through the cracks. B-Movie fell through the cracks and never got to complete and release their debut album back in the early 1980s.

It has been over 40 years, but what should have been their debut album is finally being released. It is better late than never, and a chance for fans of the band and that genre/era of music to hear a rather good album. Of course it contains their biggest hit, the wonderful “Nowhere Girl” but there is so much more to the band and the album. “Nowhere Girl” is an important song in their career, the crazy laughter, the monotone voice, everything falls into place, and, although very danceable, it is a depressing slice of electro pop that was closer to The Cure than Soft Cell. However, B-Movie’s music was a bit more melodic than The Cure and much more accessible.

The album kicks off with “Citizen Kane”, an odd subject about which to write a song, but Soft Cell were writing and singing about “Kitchen Sink Dramas”. But the song is also a great example of how lead vocalist Steve Hovington used his voice.  It was a musical instrument in the band. From the flat, but effective vocals of “Nowhere Girl” to the plaintive voice in “Remembrance Day”, a song that has a great deal in common with The Chameleons. “Marilyn Dreams” is yet another example of the band experimenting with sound and layers.

Perhaps that was the band’s downfall, not establishing a set sound. The last track on the album, “Beginning To Fade”, a slow, depressing song, is clearly influenced by Soft Cell. But, they still manage to make it their own, mainly due to the vocals. But some of the songs have not aged as well as say early The The or The Chameleons. This has to do with the production and arrangements, more than the song itself. A song like “All Fall Down” would benefit with a remix to highlight the strong melodic piece of the song buried under the heavy guitars.

Hidden Treasures is exactly what the title promises. When the band signed their own deal with Sire Records in North America, they did release an album, Forever Running, in 1985. It cobbled together some newer songs, and a few from their abandoned real debut. The band split in 1986 but returned in 2013 with the interesting album, The Age Of Illusion. In some ways, however, Hidden Treasures has an almost mythological feel to it. It has been written about and discussed for so many years, perhaps the story is larger than the album.

B-Movie remains together and performs today. It is an interesting exercise to see where the band would have gone had they released their debut album in the early 1980s and been allowed to grow and develop. As it is, the long overdue album has been released, and in many ways, it is a time capsule of a different time in music. It is a great album, with some very fine songs, and very much deserves to be heard. The CD version has seven bonus cuts, assorted B-sides, remixes and a brilliant song, “Mole”, which was only available on the hard to find Some Bizarre compilation released in 1981.

Artist Links