The Chameleons: Strange Times

I first heard the Chameleons in 1987, right about the time they were about to break up for the first time. I was at an 'alternative' club night in Ann Arbor Michigan and the DJ had just played The Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?" How could you top it? The next song did. I had no idea who it was, but I just remember that creepy Gothy intro that beats the Cure at their own game before building to a U2-like epic of massive proportions. I remember asking out loud, who is this and some girl nearby saying, "that's the Chameleons, they're really intense." I ended up finding the "Swamp Thing" 12-inch and then getting the album before proceeding to find the import only first two albums Script of The Bridge and What Does Anything Mean? Basically. In those pre-internet days it took real work and luck to find certain imports. The Chameleons ended up becoming my favorite band for a long time, Strange Times being my favorite for the aforementioned "Swamp Thing" and the twin 8-minute centerpieces "Caution" and "Soul in Isolation." Strange Times captures mid-20's angst better than any record I can think of (one of my escapes from a crappy first marriage), probably no coincidence that it was produced by Dave Allen, the same man who applied the magic to other 'cheery' artists like The Cure and Sisters of Mercy. These days I'm well past my 20's and I almost never feel depressed; more often than not, I'm just pissed off. When the first two Chameleons albums were reissued last year, I spent a lot of time re-discovering them; the post-punk angst of those records really resonated with me. Yet that still didn't inspire me to go back to Strange Times. I just didn't want to go back to memories I associated with that record. Kind of like not wanting to really listen to Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures. You know the record is freaking good but do you really need a gateway drug to feeling sad for the sake of feeling sad. To cut to the chase, I pulled out Strange Times and yes, the best songs are as great as I remembered but a lot of side 2 isn't as good as I remembered. Very moody and introspective, which is probably why the band's set lists even back in the day largely consisted of songs from the first two albums. Weirdly enough, the Chameleons album that I like best these days is the one I liked the least back then, What Does Anything Mean? Basically.