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Face To Face

Posted:
Mon Oct 16, 2006 9:28 pm
by Surly
I know this band isn't new wave, but I'm pretty sure some of the '80s enthusiasts here will be interested in this. Wounded Bird has released the first two albums from Boston band Face To Face on CD. Their self-titled debut from 1984 features the MTV hit "10-9-8." The reissue includes the dance mix of that song, along with the dance mix of the second single, "Under The Gun" (produced by Arthur Baker). They've also reissued the band's second album called [i]Confrontation[/i] from 1985. There's one non-album bonus track, plus the 12" mix of "Tell Me Why."
"10-9-8" is one of my favorite songs from 1984. It's cool to finally see these albums on CD, and they are available now on the Wounded Bird site. I can't wait for their upcoming Translator reissues!!!
"Words like conviction can turn into a sentence"

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 12:32 am
by devildog
I have the original cd of their first album. I considered it one of my rare gems but no longer now that it is coming out again. I'll certainly scoop both of them. I hope Wounded Bird releases all of the Translator albums, not just one!!

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 12:42 am
by SomebodySomewhere
I just blew a ridiculous amount of money on a truckload of Buy 1, Get 1 free Deep Discount DVD promotions, so these'll have to wait (not like I can have them sent to my house anyway, seeing as Wounded Bird is anti-New Yawk), but what is this "One Wish?" I saw them in concert probably a half dozen times between '83 and '88 and don't remember that at all. Good stuff? Can any of the resident little pirates on the forum be so kind as to email me an mp3 to tide me over until I can pick these bad boys up?

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:15 am
by My Aural Stimulator
This is great news. Although I'm familiar only with 10-9-8 and Under the Gun, I've always wished that I had bought the albums when they were available.

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:28 am
by British
I think I have a picture of the singer around on my work hard drive somewhere. She's pretty, and has a soulish voice.

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 2:33 am
by schwenko
[quote][i]Originally posted by British[/i]
<br>I think I have a picture of the singer around on my work hard drive somewhere. She's pretty, and has a soulish voice.
[/quote]
Laurie Sargent, IIRC,
The band was from New Hampshire (although I seem to remember that they were lumped into the Boston category).
I remember when they played THUMS (Thursdays Underground Music Stage) in Concord NH. Burt Thomas played them on Alternating Currents, on WEVO.

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:24 am
by devildog
[quote][i]Originally posted by schwenko[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by British[/i]
<br>I think I have a picture of the singer around on my work hard drive somewhere. She's pretty, and has a soulish voice.
[/quote]
Laurie Sargent, IIRC,
The band was from New Hampshire (although I seem to remember that they were lumped into the Boston category).
I remember when they played THUMS (Thursdays Underground Music Stage) in Concord NH. Burt Thomas played them on Alternating Currents, on WEVO.
[/quote]
Laurie Sargent put out a solo cd in 1987-8. It is pretty good. I think you can find it used on ebay, etc. Face to Face put out a third cd in 1988-9, which has more of a rootsier rock sound than their previous albums. It is hard to find.

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:28 am
by i_like_lectric_motors
[quote][i]Originally posted by devildog[/i]
Laurie Sargent put out a solo cd in 1987-8. It is pretty good. I think you can find it used on ebay, etc. Face to Face put out a third cd in 1988-9, which has more of a rootsier rock sound than their previous albums. It is hard to find.
[/quote]
The Laurie Sargent cd came out in 1997. Last I heard, she was in The Twinemen with the surviving members of Morphine.
-------
Results:
Too much damage done. Go away. [78%] 63 votes
Yah! Kimiiii is back! Hip hip hooray! [22%] 18 votes

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:36 am
by Sean
Awesome!!! I love the video for Under The Gun too.

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 3:43 am
by devildog
[quote][i]Originally posted by i_like_lectric_motors[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by devildog[/i]
Laurie Sargent put out a solo cd in 1987-8. It is pretty good. I think you can find it used on ebay, etc. Face to Face put out a third cd in 1988-9, which has more of a rootsier rock sound than their previous albums. It is hard to find.
[/quote]
The Laurie Sargent cd came out in 1997. Last I heard, she was in The Twinemen with the surviving members of Morphine.
-------
Results:
Too much damage done. Go away. [78%] 63 votes
Yah! Kimiiii is back! Hip hip hooray! [22%] 18 votes
[/quote]
Yep, 1997 is right. Sorry about that!

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:06 am
by SomebodySomewhere
[quote][i]Originally posted by schwenko[/i]
<br>The band was from New Hampshire (although I seem to remember that they were lumped into the Boston category).[/quote]
Uh... no. The farthest outside of Boston they were was Cambridge.
[quote][i]Originally posted by devildog[/i]
<br>Face to Face put out a third cd in 1988-9, which has more of a rootsier rock sound than their previous albums. It is hard to find.[/quote]
I guess "One Big Day" was a natural progression for them considering what the members would all go on to do, but aside from "As Forever as You," "Never Had a Reason" and "Ever Since Eve" -- arguably the least rootsy tracks on it -- I think it's a complete bust. Although, on the upside, it doesn't have a bad case of Madonna-itis, like "Confrontation."
Kind of sad to hear John Ryder talk about how they planned "Ever Since Eve" to be a duet with Steve Tyler... until Billy Beard killed the whole deal. Couple that with their A&R guy quitting their first label and then their second prior to the release of their second and third albums -- leaving them with basically zero promotional support -- and it's not hard to figure out why they ended up one-hit-wonders.
And "Under the Gun" is still one of the biggest pieces of shit that ever was.

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 5:23 am
by Grunch
Anyone ever meet them face to face?? And have a confrontation?? Glad these are finally on the way for releases. I have the original Cnfrontation, but never was able to have the 10-9-8 except for a CD copy.
Laurie Sargent (sp) was fine, indeed.....

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 7:24 am
by schwenko
[quote][i]Originally posted by SomebodySomewhere[/i]
<br>[quote][i]Originally posted by schwenko[/i]
<br>The band was from New Hampshire (although I seem to remember that they were lumped into the Boston category).[/quote]
Uh... no. The farthest outside of Boston they were was Cambridge.
[/quote]
Here is the Wikipedia entry:
Face to Face was a new wave Boston, Massachusetts quintet. Guitarist Stu Kimball formed the band in New Hampshire during the late '70s with a close group of talented friends. The group moved to Boston in 1980 and was signed by Epic Records in 1982. Their highest reaching single was "10-9-8" from their self-titled first album, which peaked at #38 on the Top 40 charts. They disbanded in 1988, approximately one year after switching labels to PolyGram Records. Laurie Sargent went on to record as a solo artist and is currently part of Twinemen.
I guess it depends on the meaning of "from"[:D]

Posted:
Tue Oct 17, 2006 9:18 am
by SomebodySomewhere
[quote][i]Originally posted by schwenko[/i]
<br>Here is the Wikipedia entry:
Face to Face was a new wave Boston, Massachusetts quintet. Guitarist Stu Kimball formed the band in New Hampshire during the late '70s with a close group of talented friends. The group moved to Boston in 1980 and was signed by Epic Records in 1982. Their highest reaching single was "10-9-8" from their self-titled first album, which peaked at #38 on the Top 40 charts. They disbanded in 1988, approximately one year after switching labels to PolyGram Records. Laurie Sargent went on to record as a solo artist and is currently part of Twinemen.
I guess it depends on the meaning of "from"[:D][/quote]
"From" means where they were when I was following them around. What else?!
I had heard Kimball and Sargent had some early incarnation of the band put together when they were at New England College, but I didn't think it was under the same name. I could be wrong -- it's been a while. (On the other, it's also wikipedia.)