Man, people love to hate on this album. The review on AMG is contemptuous, and even the one guy over at The Motherpage doesn't have much good to say about it. But I love it for two reasons, here enunciated for your pleasure.

1. It came out in late 1983, but I don't think I copped it until spring of '84, probably because I saw a review in "Rolling Stone" or something like that. (Wow, I guess it must have been this one!) Which means, of course, that this was one of the tapes on heavy rotation the spring that I graduated from high school and the summer that followed, along with Urban Dancefloor Guerrillas and a bunch of others. (Remembering: 1984, Violent Femmes, Born in the USA, "When Doves Cry" and then subsequently Purple Rain, that one Lionel Richie album, etc.) (There are a lot more of course, my brane don't work so good today.) So: sentimental attachment yes.

2. But good lord what a fun record. "Let's Dance" is a huge huge slab of P.Funk/Bootsy ambiguity; huge bouncy beat with psychedelic backwards/forwards vocals, nasty James Brown riffs, perfect example of on-the-one-ish-ness, all in service of such a sad story! (To wit: loser can't ask girl to dance, goes home to whack off while the narrator and little cartoon aliens make fun of him. BEEN THERE.) The title song is classic George bad pun action but in service of preventing nuclear holocaust -- was that the last summer we actually thought it might happen? --, "Silly Millameter" runs some excellent changes too. Sure, George really shouldn't rap, but it's not like he really thinks he's good or anything, and the sci-fi reincarnation thing is lovely. And then you have Blackbyrd McKnight's filthy solo all over "Quickie," truly his high point. Hazel's here, Bernie's here, George and Garry trade leads on "Stingy"...people who hate on solo George really need an attitude adjustment via my foot and their ass.