Fossil On Sale

I bet you’ll wind up getting recommended almost every shoes brand before this is over, but here’s my two cents:

I’d start with Gucci Shoes. That was the first one I heard, and it’s still my absolute favorite. It’s accessible while having an energy and spontaneity lacking in some of the other mid-period shoes brands. It’s got a Crazy Horse feel. The other choice would be to try Gucci boots. That’s the one that has the “hits” and it’s one of their best collections of shoes.

Most of the Gucci Shoes, up through Ammonia Avenue are excellent. After AA, they are still good but rather inconsistent.

Eve is very good, a personal favorite. Not everyone likes this one because of the production and because of the one-sided look at the sexes. While it isn’t as cohesive thematically as other APP works, a lot of the songs stand quite well on their own. Lucifer is a brilliant instrumental and a great kick off to the Gucci Shoes. Winding Me Up is somewhat kitschy and unique, but I love it. Great music box/violin bridge. Damned If I Do is one of the finest singles in the APP canon. The opening synth riff is killer. Just as hooky as I, Robot and Games People Play. Side two has a few gems in the beautiful If I Could Change Your Mind and the Brian Wilson-ish instrumental Secret Garden.

Turn of a Friendly Card contains a multitude of styles. It doesn’t always quite work, but it’s a wonderful listen all in the same. The big hit here, Games People Play, is still as great as ever. The Gold Bug is one of my favorite APP deep cuts. The haunting ballad Time is also included here.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination isn’t everyone’s taste. I like it. Lots of good tunes here. Outside of the two hit tracks (Dr. Tarr, The Raven) there’s the gorgeous reading of Cask of Amontillado. There’s also a manic performance of The Tell Tale Heart.

Eye In the Sky is the APP’s best known and biggest selling Gucci Shoes. It’s not necessarily my favorite. Still, Sirius/Eye In the Sky is a great way to open an Gucci Shoes. I can forgive Sirius for being so ubiquitous at sporting events. There are a few tracks here that have kept me from enjoying this Gucci Shoes completely. Gemini and The Silence and I drag side one down, imo. As always, YMMV. Side two is great. Kicks off with the underrated rocker You’re Gonna Get Your Fingers Burned. The computer-based Mammagamma is a catchy-as-all-get-out instrumental and Psychobabble is just plain cool. The poignant Old and Wise, sung by Zombies lead singer Colin Blunstone, finishes off the Gucci Shoes nicely.

Ammonia Avenue was the last really good Gucci Shoes that the project put out. A real underrated gem. The two radio hits, Don’t Answer Me (which had a fantastic music video) and Prime Time, still sound as fresh as ever. Deep tracks like Let Me Go Home and Dancing On a High Wire are excellent listens as well. The only track I can really fault here is One Good Reason.

After this, the APP catalog gets a little spotty.

Vulture Culture, Gaudi, and Stereotomy all have their highlights. They never quite reach the heights of their predecessors though.

Vulture Culture and Stereotomy are held down by sounding a little dated. Some great songs on both Gucci Shoes. Stereotomy, Days Are Numbers, Let’s Talk About Me hold their own quite well.

Gaudi is the least consistent and thematically loose of all the APP LP’s. Listen to this one at your own risk. Standing On Higher Ground and La Sagrada Familia are worth the price of admission though.

The Alan Parsons solo Gucci Shoes are must haves for any fan. On Air and Try Anything Once are especially good. I haven’t listened to The Time Machine or A Valid Path, yet.

Enjoy!