Search - Vapors :: New Clear Days

New Wave Classic, revisited and augmented

Brent A. Anthonisen | Alpharetta, GA, USA | 08/01/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It says rather a lot about the interest in this band that there are actually more "best of" compilation CD's available twenty year after their recording career began (three) than full-length studio recordings (two) released during the duration of that career. "New Clear Days", their debut, still rates above any compilation, and the bonus tracks included with this release make it a worthy addition to any collection. The first track, "Spring Collection" sets the pace (which could be described as heavily caffeinated) and introduces the mix of a very confident rhythym section and sardonic lyrics. "Turning Japanese" is of course the song everyone recognizes by now (ESPN's morning radio show even played it after Ichiro Suzuki's debut with the Seattle Mariners) and is indeed the class of this CD. "Cold War", "America", and "Trains" revert back to the first track in terms of style, and "Bunkers" uses a punk energy and reggae beat not dissimilar to some of the Clash's earlier work, released not long before this album. "News at 10" and "Somehow" set the table nicely for "60 Second Interval" and "Waiting For The Weekend", two obvious tracks calling for release as singles. "Letter From Hiro" was the closing song on this album's original format, and like "Turning Japanese" borrows from Japanese music (the bass guitar "solo" that begins this song's fadeout confirms how wonderfully recorded this instrument was throughout the entire CD; every nuance, from the percussive striking of the strings with a pick to the muted, sustained tones generated from the use of the sponges found on the bridge of Steve Smith's Rickenbacker 4003 is partial testimony to the care shown in the engineering of this recording...further evidence can be found in the "channelling" of individual instruments a la the 1960s to enable appreciation or each musician's performance...a good headphones experience, in other words). The "bonus tracks" included after "Letter From Hiro" include previously unreleased songs, a live track of an early crowd favorite ("Here Comes the Judge"), and a single version of "Waiting for the Weekend", which features additional lead guitar work and a more pronounced second rhythym guitar than the album version, making this track the best of the extra tracks (if not better than the album version familiar to Vapors fans who may already have this album in its previous CD format). All-in-all, this album is a pleasant and competent example of the amorphously-termed "New Wave" from the early 1980's that MTV helped to bring to the forefront of American popular music...just as it was dying out in Great Britain."

A real Vapors fan must have put this CD together.

T. Petteys | Littleton, CO USA | 12/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The company releasing this CD and the Magnets CD I must give my utmost acknowledgement as they put everything by the Vapors on these two CD's. Before these were released I had three other Vapors CD's that filled in gaps but this CD and Magnets are now the only Vapors CD's you will need. The New Clear Day cd features the British release that included two songs, Cold War and America not found on the US edition, but also this cd includes Prisoner that was on the US edition but not the British! Bonus tracks include the single remixes and B-sides such as the fantastic songs Here Comes the Judge (live) and Billy, and the single remix of Waiting for The Weekend is also fantastic and included here. Also included is Talk Talk and Wasted, and Sunstroke. I couldn't have done it better, simply a must have.The Magnets CD is the same story. This also features the singles except it doesn't inlude the Spiders single, which to be honest is very similar to the original, only hardcore Vapor fans can hear slight differences. So my advice is to get these two Vapors CD's and your mission accomplished. Though if you are really a completist, David Fenton, the lead member who composed most of the songs, did release a single after the band brokeup in 1983, tracks are Fresh Air and Buried in Snow, but to be honest, not up to his normal par."

I'm Dumbfounded

John C Shelhorse | St. Louis, MO United States | 01/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Why isn't this band here today? I'm trying not to be nostalgic, but the pure pop melodies, the seering guitars and mature, thoughtful lyrics add up to so much more, and deserve to be so much more than a forgotten album from 1980. There is so much good music on this album besides Turning Japanese that it is difficult to understand how this band, and David Fenton particularly, could have just faded away. This is a great album; a seminal new wave record."