Sunday, September 10, 2006

Of arpeggios and synth sparkles

I'd like to add Icehouse's "Electric Blue" to Scott Woods' list of great arpeggiated guitar ballads of the eighties (inspired by Jane Dark's initial post) *. This Australian band's only American Top Ten hit was cowritten by John Oates (yes, that John Oates), who surely had everything to do with the excellent falsetto call-and-response harmonies -- and little to do with Ira Davies' adenoidal wailing, unfortunately. The 12-inch remix extends said arpeggios and the indelible chorus into a seven-minute wonder that has no low points. I've been listening to it fairly obsessively for the last six weeks, to what end only God knows.

* There's a notable subcategory awaiting development: Great Hits With Synth Sparkles. "Electric Blue" and Eric Carmen's "Hungry Eyes" are examples. So are ABC's "Be Near Me" and Siouxsie & The Banshees' "Cities in Dust." Any others?

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