Syd Straw was never particularly prolific, only making two more albums in the next two decades. I never heard much else by her, but seeing as I've been reminded of her (and as her stuff is all up on Bandcamp), I think I'll explore a little more.
The single version of Future 40's emphasises Michael Stipe's contribution a touch more than the album mix. No doubt the record company thought they'd take advantage of the presence of rock's most enigmatic frontman who was on the cusp of superstardom. Whatever, as a feminist rallying cry, it may sound somewhat dated nowadays. On the other hand, with a moron with such disrespect for women in the White House, maybe it's become sadly relevant once more. Maybe 28 years isn't such a long time after all...
Stipe can be seen loitering in the video while Ms. Straw wears lots of costumes and drives around the desert. How very 80s...
Good song, What I remember best about Syd Straw was that she was the waitress at Exterminator Chili in lower Manhattan in the 80's, and then she was a rock star, in a minor way.
ReplyDeleteBlimey, it's been a very long time since I heard this. It still sounds very good to these ears.
ReplyDeleteI can't ever recall hearing this. It's good....but not as majestic as Stipe's collaboration with Kristin Hersh.
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