Search - Psychedelic Furs :: Mirror Moves

The last great early-period classic Furs record

Bill Wikstrom | Long Island, NY | 03/22/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I don't know why this album wasn't remastered like the previous three releases were. It's certainly worthy of it as the cd dates from the first batch of albums to ever be issued on cd. Indeed as my cd was manufactured in Japan (as the first CBS cds were) when that's where all American cds were.



First off this album suffers the loss of half of the Furs (Ely who departed after making the video for Forever Now's "Love My Way" and Morris and Kilburn who were fired just before the band went into the studio to record Forever Now).

The Furs were a bit fragmented and a tad unfocused in the studio until 1989's Book of Days. Dull performances from session musicians aside this album still has some great songs that win over the listener whereas the would-be-detractions

fall to the wayside. "The Ghost In You" is a great song that

suffers a bit from the iffy keyboard sound (a sound that Richard Butler himself protested but the producer won out) but still the song is too good of a song to let misguided production ruin. "Like A Stranger", "My Time" and "Heaven" are classic Furs ballads. Those songs (much like most of the album) have something of a rainy-day, stay indoors atmosphere. "Alice's House" is a Forever Now outtake and it's a very cool psych-rocker.



The album does have a few mis-steps that indicate the misadventure-to-come known as Midnight To Midnight in the form of "Only A Game", "Heartbeat" - a good song ruined by a slick sax (not the interesting Kilburn sax lines) and ruined beyond repair on a few dance-remixes on 12"s (always a bad idea when a rock band allows someone to do a "dance" remix - an 80's epidemic for sure) and the simply "okay" "Highwire Days".



The album does boast the amazing "Here Comes Cowboys" which is a

classic Psychedelic Furs song. One of their best ever songs.

Very good commentary on fascism in general using "cowboys" as a

convienient term of reference.



The Furs would not release another album as great as this until their over-looked swan song World Outside in 1991."

A Classic

Ian Johnston | Independence, MO USA | 04/06/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Furs return with "Mirror Moves", which is one of the albums from the 1980s that I would have to classify as a "desert island CD". The production values are much slicker here and the sound is more refined and processed. However, while it lacks the bite of previous Psychedelic Furs' efforts, this CD is just plain fun. Standout tracks include: "Ghost in You", "Heartbeat", "Alice's House", and "Here Come Cowboys". If you like 80s pop-rock at all, you need to own this CD. Say, how about a remaster with bonus tracks now?"