01	Woman on a One Night Stand						04:59
	02	Day Breaks My Heart						04:37
	03	The Fool						04:27
	04	Pipe of Dreams						03:42
	05	Orange Street Blues						04:55
	06	Dance of Love						04:35
	07	Midnight Wire						07:19

Midnight Wire


Album released 10/75


Woman On a One Night Stand (Sonja Kristina/Norma Tager)
Day Breaks My Heart (Darryl Way/Norma Tager)
The Fool (Darryl Way/Norma Tager/Mick Jacques)
Pipe of Dreams (Mick Jacques)
Orange Street Blues (Darryl Way/Norma Tager)
Dance of Love (Darryl Way/Norma Tager/Mick Jacques)
Midnight Wire (Darryl Way/Norma Tager)


Personnel

Stewart Copeland -- Drums
Mick Jacques -- Guitars
Sonja Kristina -- Vocals
Darryl Way -- Violin, Keyboards, Vocals
Guest Musicians:
John Perry -- Bass
Peter Wood -- Keyboards
Derek Damain -- Backing Vocals
Norma Tager -- Lyrics
Produced by Ron Albert & Howard Albert;
recorded at Ramport Studios



MIDNIGHT WIRE
(released by: CURVED AIR)

Year Of Release: 1975
Overall rating = 11

Poppy 'n' sexy, if you can stand a poppy'n'sexy sound from a former prog band.
Best song: DANCE OF LOVE

If you're only ready to get into Curved Air as one of those (in)famous underground progressive bands of the early Seventies, don't even think of this album, or its follow-up, as your starting point. Midnight Wire actually introduces the third line-up of the band, and a major change of stylistics: from the thrilling mystical sound of 'vintage' Curved Air to a far more direct and mainstreamish, rather poppy sound. I was particularly interested in the album, though, because along with Curved Air veterans (Sonja Kristina on vocals, Mick Jacques on guitars, Darryl Way on violin), it also heralds the band's new drummer - STEWART COPELAND! Yes, the same Stewart Copeland that would go on to form the Police in just two years, although you sure couldn't tell it by the music: Stewart had radically changed and expanded his drumming style by the time of the Police' debut. Here he just sounds like a solid R'n'B drummer, professional and tasteful, but hardly too imaginative or creative within his limited set of tricks. Still, isn't it fun to hear none other than Copeland on an album by a former progressive band?
Anyway, first time I sat through this I was definitely underwhelmed - sappy unmemorable sludge. But the record grows on you after a while, until you finally realize that Midnight Wire isn't just an ordinary sentimental record. What they try to construct here is an interesting and, indeed, unique brand of luscious, deeply erotic "dream-pop", based on romantic guitar/violin interplay (where "romantic" doesn't necessarily mean "happy sappy" - there are plenty of passages on here that rock quite heavily, yet without descending into true arena-rock/power-ballad territory) and those irresistable libido-raising vocals from Sonja. Undoubtedly, it was HER creative spirit that transplanted itself into Blondie Harry after Curved Air disbanded.
I mean, seriously, is there any male on the planet who could resist the mild seduction of 'Dance Of Love', one of THE sexiest songs ever recorded? If your head doesn't get all dizzy and giddy at Sonja cooing out 'take my body with your soul', mister, you have apparently bought the wrong record to divert you while watching over your lord the Sultan's harem. Not to mention, of course, how darn catchy that vocal melody is, and how well Way's violin solo and Jacques' solo, all performed in that lush barocco way, mix in with the overall thematics of the song. How come it never became a radio staple is a mystery - here's a song that was MADE for polluting (or purifying?) the airwaves. Lush, gentle, deeply sexual, perfectly flowing, not too short or long, the ultimate possible pop single at an epoch where such manneristic, decadence-soaked tunes were such a total scream.
And the rest of the songs don't fall too far away, either. On a couple of tracks it almost seems like Kristina wants to be Janis Joplin; particularly on the opener, 'Woman On A One Night Stand', a full-fledged R'n'B number with hyper-expressive vocals and intricate soul-electrifying chord changes that pefectly illustrate the supposed turmoil within the singer/protagonist's soul. It's pretty funny to realize that Janis actually did have a song called 'One Night Stand', recorded with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, pretty similar in mood - but with an entirely different melody at that. Of course, Kristina doesn't possess all the rage and passion of Janis' rant, but she comes pretty close, and you can't deny the power and LUST dripping all over the tune.
Elsewhere, they blow their top on slower, relaxed ballads: 'Day Breaks My Heart' is ten times better than your average Mariah Carey call-for-love, mainly because unlike most Mariah Carey, it actually has a well-structured and memorable vocal melody for Sonja to follow. And then there are the punchier tunes, like 'The Fool', built around a pretty violin riff and at times almost developing into a convoluted kind of jig, or 'Orange Street Blues', where Sonja contemplates about having sex with a loser and ultimately rejects that possibility (or so it seems to me). These are always full of energy and are near-perfect power-pop masterpieces.
I count just two misfires on the entire record - the instrumental 'Pipe Of Dreams' is pretty and dreamy, all soaked in that very same romantic mood, but without the vocals it doesn't stand a chance of competition; and the title track that closes the album is so long and slow and ultimately boring that it simply ain't worth my time. Maybe the lyrics are good, but essentially it's pure atmosphere, and they trade in sexuality for life philosophy which is certainly NOT a good idea within such an album's context. Seven minutes of ultra-slow tempo is just plain sabotage, too.
But otherwise, Midnight Wire is an excellent record - too bad it hardly has a chance to be appreciated by anybody, as "dream-pop" lovers would prefer to solely concentrate on Stevie Nicks and the like, and prog-lovers will definitely shun this record the way prog-lovers shun the 'poppy' records of Genesis or Gentle Giant, even when they're good. Too bad; like I said, this style is essentially unique, and I'm pretty sure this album could have been a big influence for the likes of Blondie, on one hand, and for the likes of Kate Bush, on the other. Yeah, that's it - if you like early Kate Bush records, be sure to track down Midnight Wire. It's certainly a direct predecessor of her style, if not necessarily a direct influence.