It’s a simple enough question: Which artist that you first got to strictly on the basis of Look has turned out to have the most musical merit?
My answer is easy enough: around 1996 or ’97, my French-Canadian buddy Rick sent me a cassette of hits by ’60s French pop starlet Francoise Hardy, who at the time was constantly getting namechecked in indie pop circles. I listened a few times, I said “eh,” I moved on. My musical mindset at the time, both in new stuff and older discoveries, was more in tune with the peppy, bouncy and bubblegummy than with Hardy’s more mature and low-key stuff, so after a couple of listens, the cassette migrated towards the bottom of the pile on my desk at my old job as an IT librarian. I’m not sure I listened to the b-side, a hits collection by a contemporary of Hardy’s named France Gall, at all.
So a couple months later, I’m at the Albuquerque Best Buy with my friend Joyce, wandering around the CD section while she’s talking with a salesman about VCRs or something. Now remember, this was a period where Best Buy was trying very aggressively to corner the CD-sales market, complete with TV ads namedropping bands like Fugazi to make it clear how hip they were, so the CD section was both enormous and surprisingly well-stocked, and at popular prices to boot. I’m grazing through the less well-traveled sections — soundtracks, pop vocals and the amorphously-named “world” bin — looking for oddities or misfiled treasures, when I find a Polygram import greatest hits by France Gall. For all I know, this is exactly the same CD that Rick filled side two of that C90 with, but I was at the checkout with the CD in my hand immediately, because…well, how could I not?
Great question and write up, Great One. The first artist that comes to mind for me is The Undertones. NOT because I have a thing for scrawny Irish teens in floods, mind you, and not that there’s anything wrong with that…
When I saw their first album in a used bin in South Street’s old Book Trader, I was drawn into their fun, goofy Look. I’d read just enough about them to know they were a punk band I should check out, but I’m pretty sure I’d never heard a lick of their music. I simply loved what the cover shot promised. They looked a lot like how I felt when hanging with my high school friends/bandmates. To this day, when hanging with almost that exact lot, I still feel like a scrawny, goofy Irish teen wearing floods. It’s a good feeling, and the music lived up to the promise of the Look.
http://tralfaz-archives.com/coverart/U/undertonesf.jpg
Joy Division’s Closer. First spied the LP at Inner Sanctum Records in Austin in 1980. The cover haunted me, and as a moody 17-year old, I wanted to be haunted. Luckily, the music also rocked (which is what ultimately made them so great.) From the first few notes of “Atrocity Exhibition,” I knew I’d made the right purchase.
Still felt that way a couple of months ago when I put it on again after going to see Control. The working-class angst beneath it all served them well.
France Gall. Nice choice. I fell hard for Juliette Greco. http://eliptikon.blogspot.com/2007/02/juliette-greco-il-n-plus-d.html
Oh, speaking of Gainsbourg, have you head Benjamin Biolay? Definitely influenced by Serge. Among other things. the one below sounds a bit like The Church as well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23eLeo2ArOs
Ah, Undertones. Absolutely. I was in Rocky Mountain Records in early 1983 and I saw the UK version of the first album in the remainder bin for 49 cents. One look and I just thought “Yes. I must have this.” Still one of my favorite albums of all time.
They didn’t have a lot of true staying power with me, but I would have to say “The Milkshakes”. I loved their look on “14 Rhythm and Beat Greats” and I really dug that album for many years.
Boney M without a doubt.
kidding.
The Nick Cave poster that hung in the stairway of 3rd st jazz called to me for a few years before i picked up the disc.
Tender Prey was the album.
so good.
I think the last album I bought for purely Look reasons was “Rules” by Supagroup. It’s not often a Look-inspired blind purchase pays off, but for me, this one did!
http://gauntlet.ucalgary.ca/~gauntlet/eg/eg2/20050811/Supagroup-web.jpg
Townsman Chickenfrank… can you appreciate the appeal of this album cover?
I’m pretty sure I started buying Neko Case CDs based purely on some magazine photos.