Systems of Romance

Here’s one for the new romantics in the house!

I originally picked this up a while ago at the urging of a friend, but kept it on the shelf for many years. Not sure why, but I reckon some of you can relate. I recently dropped the needle and was surprised by a rather catchy pop record from 1982 that especially calls early Talk Talk to mind, with plenty of guitars for good measure. There’s a few other touchstones here, perhaps some bigger and more stadium-oriented Gene Loves Jezebel singles, mid-era Modern English, the pop perfection of The Outfield (hush, they’re great), and there’s even one track that kind of hints at a Modern Eon/Opposition sort of melancholy in the verses (#4), but it’s not terribly obvious. The final track in particular is a stunner, but I dig everything on this record from start to finish, so long as you guys can hang with something a little bigger and brighter than some of the other gems featured here.

This is the only LP from Hambi & the Dance, though a handful of singles were pulled from the record. Two singles followed, the former exclusive and the latter pulled from a second LP, which was released just as Hambi. There were quite a few big names involved in this project over the years, including ex-Adam & the Ants drummer Chris Hughes, second Frankie Goes to Hollywood vocalist Paul Rutherford, and even the Mission/Sisters of Mercy’s own Wayne Hussey (who must have been an early member, as there aren’t any credits I can find on their recorded output). Vocalist Hambi Haralambous previously worked with other members of this band in Tontrix, also notable for featuring a pre-Flock of Seagull’s Mike Score.

EDIT: Thanks to Jeffo! for sending over a rip of the exclusive 12” from 1984 as well! This one is a little more club-centric, but should also hit the spot. Without any further ado:

Hambi & the Dance- Heartache LP
1. Time After Time 4:01
2. Living In A Heartache 3:22
3. Madelaine 4:05
4. L’Image Craque 4:31
5. Spirits 4:31
6. The World 3:23
7. Dancing Inside You 4:08
8. Major Major 3:30
9. Too Late To Fly The Flag 3:30
10. Standing In The Rain

Hambi & the Dance- 25 Tears a Day 12”
1. 25 Tears a Day
2. 25 Tears a Day (Pink Version)
3. Taking My Life In Strides

*download both here*

This entry was posted on August 17, 2017 at 7:43 pm and is filed under 1980s, 1982, 1984, new romantic, new wave, uk . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.