hypersongs

Strange Times

Their third album, recorded over five weeks at Jacob's Studio in Surrey.
The Chameleons, 1986

Burgess says it was recorded at Jacob's Studio over about five weeks, after a month of rehearsal in a hired school hall near Hawkshead in the Lake District, with the material only loosely sketched. David M. Allen produced, Mark Saunders engineered, Fielding played lead guitar and an ARP String Ensemble, Smithies rhythm guitar and the cover illustration, and Lever drums and percussion. The CD adds bonus tracks including "Paradiso" and covers of Bowie's "John, I'm Only Dancing" and the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows". Singles were "Tears" (June 16, 1986) and "Swamp Thing" (September 1, 1986). Melody Maker's Ian Gittins called it a marvellous departure and a wonderful record, the New York Times's Robert Palmer the band's most inventive and winning album yet, and PopMatters one of the finest albums of the 1980s. Burgess has called both this and Script of the Bridge his favorite, at different times. Reissues followed in 1993, 2020, 2022 and May 3, 2024.

Track listing

  1. Mad Jack3:55
  2. Caution7:46
  3. Tears (Original Arrangement)5:05
  4. Soul in Isolation7:28
  5. Swamp Thing5:56
  6. Time / The End of Time5:41
  7. Seriocity3:00
  8. In Answer4:54
  9. Childhood4:39
  10. I'll Remember3:39

More from The Chameleons

Script Of The Bridge (1983), What Does Anything Mean? Basically (1985), Tripping Dogs (1990), Here Today... Gone Tomorrow (1992), Dali's Picture (1993), Aufführung In Berlin (1993), Strip (2000), Why Call It Anything (2001), This Never Ending Now (2002)

Sources

  1. Strange Times (The Chameleons album), Wikipedia
  2. The Chameleons Vox: Mark Burgess interview, The Quietus (2014)
  3. Chameleons UK, PopMatters (2002-10-09)