[Still Pink] -- The Prisoners released their debut album – A Taste of Pink! – 40 years ago this week, on December 9, 1982. What? You never heard of The Prisoners?
They started in 1980 as a three-piece outfit – guitar (Graham Day), bass (Allan Crockford), and drums (Johnny Symons) – in Rochester, Kent, England. In early 1982, they became a quartet when Jamie Taylor joined them on organ. Well, Taylor initially used a (then) modern Casio keyboard, set to an organ sound and played loudly through a valve amplifier. Later, the band employed a Vox Continental organ as something of a lead instrument. That organ and guitar combination gave The Prisoners a retro vibe as they channeled 1960s psych and 1970s punk into their garage band ethos.
The Prisoners had a decent local following, but never found commercial success. And they called it quits as a band after their fourth album in 1986. They are still active, individually, in the music scene, performing and producing. But a full-on reunion seems unlikely.
Their debut, A Taste of Pink!, was the very definition of an overlooked gem -- an uncut, brash, and unruly gem, but one not without certain charms. Unfortunately for The Prisoners, Pink! did not chart and it had no singles to speak of. The embedded YouTube video in this post replicates the order of the 12 tracks on the original 1982 release (even specifying which side those tracks were on). It also includes two bonus tunes. I find "Better in Black," "Come To The Mushroom," "Till The Morning Light," and "Don't Call My Name" to be the standouts on the original release. Regarding the two bonus tracks, my fave is "Melanie." Let me know what you think!
Flashback: A Taste of Pink! (December 1982)
And that's all till next week. Dedicated 80s-philes can find more flashbacks in the Prophet or Madman archives or via Bookended's 80s Flashback tag. As always, your comments are welcome on today's, or any other, flashback post. And if you like what I'm doing here, please share the link with your friends. If, however, you don't like the flashback, feel free to share it with your enemies.
I'll see you in seven!
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