New Wave Outpost Forum

by **Frau_Blucher** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 2:35 am

Does this early bit of Altered Images strike anyone else as having been a far more interesting angle to have pursued? It feels very post-punk. I really liked Claire Grogan and all, but regret they became kind of a pop novelty.

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by **KYYX4ever** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 2:40 am

I've always thought the same thing, Blir. This is a much darker, aggressive sound for them, and I really like this song a LOT.

by **cubby** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 3:05 am

I too agree. I always thought it sounded very Siouxsie like, especially circa The Scream. Maybe the fact that Steven Severin produced it explains some of it.

by **Rubellan** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 5:21 am

Being a tremendous A.I. fan, I do love Dead Pop Stars. But then anyone who is very familiar with the band's full output knows they were a bit schizo. The debut album was stark and dense, and I actually think could have benefitted from a better producer. Pinky Blue is classic New Wave pop fun, and Bite is more adult themed dance music that at times is very over produced. Since they didn't stay in any one spot for more than an album, I can only imagine what more releases would have sounded like. I find appeal in all of their incarnations, but I loved the insanity and bounciness of Pinky Blue the best.

Scott

by **Surly** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:35 am

I like all of their stuff, but I can't resist the pop stuff. "Don't Talk To Me About Love" and "I Could Be Happy" are two brilliant pop songs. [i]Bite[/i] is my favorite album by them.

"Words like conviction can turn into a sentence"

by **80sfreak** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:48 am

Wonder why they split up?Anyone know what Claire looks like today?

by **bigwavedave** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 4:25 pm

I agree with Surly about "Bite".

BTW, I just bought the 1981 movie "Gregory's Girl" on DVD. I haven't watched it yet, but I seem to recall Claire having a role in the movie...?

by **schwenko** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 7:54 pm

[quote][i]Originally posted by bigwavedave[/i]
<br>I agree with Surly about "Bite".

BTW, I just bought the 1981 movie "Gregory's Girl" on DVD. I haven't watched it yet, but I seem to recall Claire having a role in the movie...?
[/quote]

It's delightful, as are most of Forsyth's early flicks. Claire is super cute.[:)]

by **80sfreak** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:02 pm

Can anyone answer my above questions please?

by **plagiarism** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 11:36 pm

Here's a fairly recent photo of her, along with a short interview.

http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/ ... page_id=11

I think the band broke up because Clare wanted to pursue an acting career.

Besides the big hits, my favorite song by them is "Insects". I wonder what they were thinking covering "Song Sung Blue"...

And yes, Clare had a major role in "Gregory's Girl".

by **Sean** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 12:54 am

Their post-punk stuff is cool but they sound so polished on "Bite". I love stuff like "Another Lost Look", "Love To Stay", and "Don't Talk To Me About Love". I really wish they would somehow dig out additional stuff they did for this album that they never released. I'm happy they went in the pop direction and I think it's best to leave the Siouxsie stuff to Siouxsie. No one can do it like her.

by **KYYX4ever** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 1:05 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by plagiarism[/i]
<br>.Besides the big hits, my favorite song by them is "Insects".
[/quote]

me too, I love "Insects" the most besides their other aforementioned hits.

by **scramjet** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 3:08 am

I find "Dead Pop Stars" a little too dark and dissonant for my tastes. Altered Images couldn't seem to find a middle ground between that and the fluffy pop, although I do like their fluffy pop, for the most part.

Love Claire, though. I could watch her sing and dance all day, whether I like the song or not. Thanks for the vid, Blir. I'd never seen that one.

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by **geoffolehane** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 7:55 am

[quote][i]Originally posted by bigwavedave[/i]
<br>BTW, I just bought the 1981 movie "Gregory's Girl" on DVD. I haven't watched it yet, but I seem to recall Claire having a role in the movie...?
[/quote]

I have that one on VHS and she had a supporting part.

During the late 80's she was Kristine Kochanski in a recurring role on the Red Dwarf TV sit-com. All those DVD's are also available.

I know she has remained happily married to the A-I guitarest for about 25 years.

by **skinnytie** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:42 am

I think a lot had to do with their producers. As was mentioned before, Steve Severin from SATB produced that plus their first album, while Martin Rushent, known for pop and polish, went on to produce their 2nd album. Altered Images even redid "Dead Pop Stars" as "Disco Pop Stars" which popped up as a b-side. Night and day, between the two albums.

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