I finally got a record player and

[Jyqm]

Originally Posted by cliffdweller

And I'd have to disagree with Jyqm---I wish Lindsey would have totally stayed away from the 50's retro thing! Songs like Oh Diane are just BAD! When he kind of uses the ambiance of the genre but doesn't try too hard to fall in line with the 50's sound he does much better, like for instance with Book of Love. That song doesn't come out of the mix all sappy and cheesy with manufactured feeling, but instead draws on emotional rawness for much of its pathos. That's my favorite side of Lindsey, he should have done more of that instead of trying to emulate 50's doo-wop. Sorry, I just hate that sound.

Actually, we mostly agree. I don't wish the album had gone full-on with that doo-wop kind of sound (a la "Oh Diane"), but that it had employed more of the tropes in a new and interesting way (a la "Book Of Love"). "Book Of Love" is actually the song I was thinking of when I made my post; it really is a great song, and I think it's Lindsey's most successful attempt to integrate that kind of 50s/60s pop sound into his 80s aesthetic. "Can't Go Back" is a close second. "Oh Diane," I agree, is the weakest of the bunch, though I do have a soft spot for it.