{"id":212,"date":"2013-07-27T19:10:15","date_gmt":"2013-07-27T19:10:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=212"},"modified":"2013-08-05T20:28:45","modified_gmt":"2013-08-05T20:28:45","slug":"487-cyndi-lauper-shes-so-unusual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/batterymedia.com\/blog\/?p=212","title":{"rendered":"RS #487: Cyndi Lauper – She’s So Unusual"},"content":{"rendered":"
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#487<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/dt>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n

Cyndi Lauper,\u00a0She’s So Unusual<\/em><\/h3>\n
Release Date:<\/strong>\u00a01983<\/div>\n
Previously Owned:<\/strong>\u00a0No
\nFirst Time Listen:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes<\/div>\n
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Let’s not get carried away… she’s only ‘somewhat’ unusual.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Impressions: <\/strong>\u00a0Ah Cyndi, I was numb to your music when this album came out, as\u00a0your hits were so hard to get away from. Radio. MTV. Commericals. I couldn’t even find refuge in pro-wrestling because you’d show up there too! Let’s give this a listen… Not a bad guitar-driven opening number, “Money Changes Everything” almost sounds like Psychedelic Furs or New Order-ish (although it’s two minutes too long.) “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” is one of those cultural touchstones that’s difficult to even think of as music. But, that funhouse guitar\/organ riff still is pretty damn catchy and she really belts out the vocal. “When You Were Mine” is okay, but I think her vocal style doesn’t always get me. I say doesn’t always, because “Time After Time” actually gets me. She nails the vocal here and the lean guitar\/organ\/drum machine arrangement is surprisingly affecting. If this was on vinyl, it woud have had a good Side 1, but then “She Bop” kicks off the so-so second side. While I enjoy the subversive quality of the track, the dumb chorus where she congegates the verb ‘bop’ always bugged me. \u00a0“All Through The Night” is a nice tune, but almost ruined by one of the worst sythesiser solos I’ve ever heard. The dubby “Witness” features slightly better-than-usual ’80s production, but doesn’t leave a mark. “I’ll Kiss You” is terrible. Just terrible. “He’s So Unusual” was promising as a retro Betty Boop ditty but Lauper cops out with the buried sound and short running tim. “Yeah Yeah” is filler.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Starred Songs:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0“Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” “Time after Time”
\nSneaky Track:\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0“Money Changes Everything”<\/div>\n
Should this album be on the list?<\/strong>\u00a0First side makes a good case, but the album lost me on Side 2. There are some good singles, but a “great album?” Tough call.<\/div>\n
Replace with:<\/strong> I personally put something truly unusual like Fiona\u00a0Apple’s ambitious, wild “When The Pawn Hits the blah blah blah…” album in here instead.
\nWill you listen to this again?<\/strong>\u00a0No<\/div>\n
Verdict:<\/strong>\u00a0Tough one to rate as it’s not exactly my cup of tea, but it came across like a real mixed bag of a few great pop singles, a few clunkers, dated production, with the colorful, talented yet vocally-limited Lauper in the middle. Kind of a mess to sort through…<\/div>\n
Rating:<\/strong>\u00a0So my math is: Side 1 \u2605\u2605\u26051\/2 + Side 2\u00a0\u2605 = Total Rating\u00a0\u2605\u26051\/4<\/div>\n<\/div>\n