The Chameleons - the most underated band of the 80’s?
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A couple of years ago a very good friend of mine introduced me to The Chameleons. The first thing that struck me was, how the hell hadn’t i heard of this band before? Being very familiar to other Mancunian greats of the time and the past, Joy Division, Stone Roses and of course The Smiths i was surprised to have not heard ‘hype’ about The Chameleons.
The four piece fronted by the steaming mass of charisma that is Mark Burgess combine original melodies and ideas with the typically 80s, epic, drums drowned in reverb and booming, heartfelt lyrics and vocals. What more can you want from a band?
Within one play of their debut album Script of a Bridge i had already decided that The Chameleons were my new favourite band. Containing songs such as Second Skin and Less Than Human that can cripple the soul of even the most content of characters. Just as i was thinking it doesn’t get any better than this, i was presented with What Does Anything Mean? Basically album number two, and… wow. I was convinced Script of a Bridge couldn’t be toppled but boy, was i wrong. Perfume Garden, Home is where the Heart is and P.S. Goodbye are probably my favourites but the whole album is perfect so its hard to segregate.
A little after the release of the 3rd album Strange Times,the band fell apart. Rumours of acrimony and hostility due to the grief that followed the death of manager Tony Skinkiss seemed to be a probable cause for the split. This was the main blame for lack of worlwide success and many say The Chameleons were on the way but split at a crucial time. Even so, the short career between the years of 1982 - 87 is strangely similar that of The Smiths who made it ‘big’ from the outset.
Being far too young in the eighties i guess i’ll never know how they didnt storm the globe but if you are a fan of 80’s indie this band comes with a five star (out of five) recommendation.
They reformed in the new millenium so go and check out their website!