The opening chords of "Someone" do not bode well for enthusiasts of electronic music. The combination of acoustic drums and piercing guitar resembles a form of glam rock that could be dismissed as a lesser imitation of Roxy Music. However, after approximately thirty seconds, keyboard sounds begin to surface, hinting that something more intriguing and original may be on the horizon.
In fact, even the instrument that created these sounds is quite intriguing. You can tell the sound has an acoustic element and is clearly polyphonic; so it can't be from a synthesiser of the period. So what is it? Well, after some poking around on the internet it seems group member Derek Forbes played something called a Baldwin Electric Harpsichord on this record. The instrument used was actually owned by Abbey Road studios and had even been used by The Beatles.
As the record unfolds some typically seventies shrill mono-synth sounds emerge and the guitar work becomes increasingly impressive. Whilst some of the lyrics are a bit cliched and the mix is unbelievably flat and monaural, it doesn't seem to matter. And that's the magic of this album, it is raw and unsophisticated but the hooks are strong enough to carry the day. The most amazing thing to me is that the principal songwriters, Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill, were only nineteen or twenty when they wrote and recorded these songs.
Standout tracks are "Pleasantly Disturbed" (which reminds me of ELO), Chelsea Girl (I am told this is a thinly veiled imitation of Velvet Underground but, as I have never knowingly listened to them, I have no idea) and the title track (even if the timing of the various band members does seem to be slightly out of step). Whilst this record has absolutely none of the hallmarks of their later material it serves as a testament to the budding talents of the principal songwriters. 3/5
