Forgotten Classic Video of the Week

Today's vid belongs to Welsh band The Alarm - one of my old faves from the '80s, and one that wasn't nearly as successful as Ireland's U2, to whom they were endlessly compared. (I suppose singer Mike Peters was never as successful as MacGyver either, to whom he was frequently compared.)

The band is best known for their hits, 1985's "Strength" and 1987's "Rain in the Summertime," but my favorite (and a lot of other fans' favorite as well) has always been another cut from Strength, the bloody marvelous anthem, "Spirit of '76." I remember the song getting quite a bit of play on MTV back then, but it never really caught on with the mainstream. I guess part of the problem was that the album version was seven minutes long, with the radio edit clocking in at just under five - still a bit lengthy for the attention span deficient masses.

The band may have a similar sound to old (read: good) U2, but I've always found this song to have a rather Springsteenesque quality. I mean seriously: And Susie, she was seventeen/And more beauty in this world I swear you'll never see/I was gonna be king and she was gonna be queen/But now all she does is hide behind the tears? That's definitely more Boss than Bono.

Comments

Penny said…
ooooo..nice pick :)
I love the Alarm. I still have their first album on tape. Yes, tape no less. 68 guns indeed.
Excellent! Although my favorite Alarm song by far is "Rescue Me".
Malcolm said…
Good find. My two faves by The Alarm are "68 Guns" and "The Stand".
Professor Chaos said…
I was lucky enough to see the Alarm live at UCLA for a show broadcast on MTV back in 1985 or 86. First time I ever camped out for a show, slept in a parking lot till we got kicked out, then on the lawn in front of the stage. Hell of a live show.