I used to watch A LOT of MTV when it first went on the air. And then for maybe 10 years after. At the beginning, every band seemed flamboyant and weird, even for the 80's. Every video seemed iconic. But one band that always stood out was Missing Persons. That was probably in part due to lead singer, Dale Bozzio.
For a strange New Wave band, they had a lot of videos that were in regular rotation on MTV in the early days. And in each of their videos, Dale was always oddly and scantily dressed. As a kid, her punky sexuality scared me a little b/w made me feel funny in the pants. Her weird and revealing style could definitely be seen as an influence or precursor to Lady Gaga (especially according to youtube comments) with lots of tape, little fabric and wild makeup and hairstyles. She actually started out as a Playboy Bunny, which led her to L.A. and then to working with Frank Zappa with her future husband and Missing Persons drummer and co-founder, Terry Bozzio.
Although a lot of 80's bands are remembered as much, if not more so, for their style, Missing Persons' first album had a string of hits including "Words," "Walking In LA," "Destination Unknown" and "Mental Hopscotch." Spring Session M is probably one of my favorite New Wave albums, combining a sense of punk, hard rock playing ability, plenty of keyboard and catchy pop melodies. And besides Dale's unique look, she also had a unique singing style, hitting high notes with an unusual squeak. Terry Bozzio had a unique and energetic drumming style of his own as well, as you can see from any of their videos.
Missing Persons put out 2 other albums, but I can't say that I listen to them that often. There are some good songs here and there, but nothing as solid as their first album. The band and the Bozzio marriage split soon after the release of their 3rd album Color In Your Life. Their albums were re-released on CD a while back, but are all out of print now.
Missing Persons - Noticeable One
This is the 1995 CD Reissue version.
Thanks so much, I've been wondering about this band forever. Got any Material Issue, Sisters of Mercy, Curve, Pale Saints, Leather Nun, Savage Republic, Died Pretty, Romeovoid, Wire Train or Flesh for Lulu while we're at it?
ReplyDeleteKidding. Thanks for starting "the new, cool blog," though, and if you've got any editorial opinions about those bands above, please let loose. Otherwise I'll just sit back and wait to see what you drop next.
the only ones i have of those are romeo void and pale saints. the other bands are a little more on the goth/industrial/alternative side, not really my thing. i remember a bunch of them from 120 minutes. material issue always seemed like a band i'd like though, but they didn't quite have enough bite or something. maybe i should revisit them.
ReplyDeletethanks for checking out the blog!
Thanks for providing this, I have taken advantage of your kindness and downloaded this album even it is normally against my wont to rip anything from the net. However, the CD prices for this album are inflated to say the least and the official digital downloads are a joke, not even including Mental Hopscotch. The band is not making any profits from sales anyway these days I guess, so for once, what the hell.....cheers !!!
ReplyDeleteHELP IT SAYS I NEED A PASSWORD TO ACCESS THE DOWNLOADED FILES WHAT IS THE PASSWORD?
ReplyDeletecheck the "about" section, top left of the page.
DeleteYes, this Band is superb! I like it so much :) Thanks~ Greg from missingpersonsinaustralia.com.au
ReplyDelete