"Shake Appeal" (Sire/Warner Bros, 21-04261 & Music Action, MAP-9009)
And then they were two.The Reds®, consisting of founding members Rick Shaffer (vocals and guitar, and Bruce Cohen (keyboards), have found themselves in a situation, not unfamiliar.Constant adversity, but with this change, the loss of Tommy Geddes (drums) and Jim Peters (bass), the band has found a new "brother in arms" so to speak with producer Mike Thorne (Wire, Soft Cell, Nina Hagen) the bands' actual first choice to produce their A&M self titled album.Thorne's production captures the delicate balance of the keyboard textures and slashing guitars without losing the essence of the bands' heart and soul. The evidence is on the new five song extended play Shake Appeal named after the track on the "Raw Power" album, recorded by one of their musical influences, Iggy Pop.The results are best exemplified on tracks "Laughing," "Waiting For You" and the closer "Beat Away" which has a booming Joy Division feel propelled by Shaffer's haunting vocals and disturbing lyrics. While this particular recording does not have the raw energy of the earlier Reds recordings, this one is something along the lines of a David Bowie/Iggy Pop collaboration in power and overall ambient effect, but a track on the second side,"Till The End," will remind you of The Doors and Jim Morrison with a dub/delay breakdown in the middle section and a very danceable groove.
