Starry eyes (The Records) (LP 4509 - 4511)

The Records  Shades in Bed (Vinyl, Virgin Records, 1979) *****  

The Records  The Records (Vinyl, Atco Records, 1979) *****  

The Records  Crashes (Vinyl, Virgin Records, 1980) ****  

The Records  Smashes, Crashes, and Near Misses (CD, Virgin Records, 1999) ****  

Genre: Power pop 

Places I remember: Marbecks Records, Amoeba Music, JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Starry Eyes (Shades in Bed)

Gear costume: Teenarama (Shades in Bed)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7

Active compensatory factors: The Records is a power pop band I instantly fell in love with. The group is Will Burch (drums), Huw Gower (lead guitar), John Wicks (guitar), Phil Brown (bass). All band members sing which makes for some great vocals and power pop harmonies. 

They had a lot going for them musically with their debut album - Shades in Bed (in the US it was called The Records with a different cover). Promotion wise it was a disaster. 

Both album covers were terrible misfires. Where their music is bright, catchy and energetic, the covers are gloomy and obscure. The album title on the UK cover is hardly readable.

The music though? Glorious. Side one in particular is great with Teenarama, and Starry Eyes (both Burch/ Wicks songs) clear standouts. Girls That Don't Exist, Girl and Up All Night are also terrific pop songs.

Side two isn't quite as spectacular but is still full of brilliant layered guitars and harmonies that add up to a five-star classic. Insomnia gets the blood pumping ever time. All up, it's a power pop masterclass by The Records.

For some bizarre reason the American version of the debut plays around with the song order (swapping the lead off song on each side) and Starry Eyes was replaced with the single version.  

Crashes continued with the winning power pop formula (according to AllMusic - 'delicious melodies, great lyrics, and perfect harmonies'), but for some bizarre reason it wasn't as big a seller as the debut. 

A real shame because Girl in Golden Disc and Hearts in Her Eyes are potential hit songs. Pretty much every song on the album maintains the high standards. Huw Gower had moved on to fresh pastures before the recording of Crashes but the new recruits do a good job to my ears.

The compilation Smashes, Crashes and Near Misses neatly serves as an introduction to this very under-appreciated band. It also includes the B-sides to the Teenarama and Starry Eyes singles, and two songs from their third album (Music on Both Sides).

Where do they all belong? Re that third album - I've not yet come across it anywhere - Music on Both Sides (1982).