TRANS-X - LIVING ON VIDEO

Trans-X came out with its one and only hit way back in the early 80's. They're a Canadian band in the New Wave genre. A few posts back I was discussing a show I used to watch as a kid called "The Palladium". This is another band I discovered through that show. The band's one big hit, 'Living On Video' was a huge favorite of mine back then. I bought the tape and although I wasn't getting into all of the music, I still loved a few songs here and there. All these years later and the music sounds quite dated. The songs are made up of flimsy synth arrangements with very little substance holding them together. Still, it's a fun record for those of us who enjoyed those early synth bands.

There are lots of memorable tunes here. Mostly as a result of rather ridiculous lyrics such as 'Monkey Dance' and '3D-Dance'. But you can't blame them for trying. Trans-X's songs were some of the first I taught myself how to play on keyboards and piano.

The lead singer of the group has a European accent. The band is obviously from Montreal when you consider the ease with which he moves from English to French. All the while you have that nifty faint Eurotrash tinge to his voice filtering through his vocal delivery. With an average song length of over five minutes per track, this record has the potential to become extremely boring. Be prepared. There's also a female member of the group who's apparent only contribution revolves around mediocre singing and groaning. Not exactly an influential singer in the making.

This particular CD includes a re-recorded version of 'Living On Video'. I'm not partial to it. It also features a nice remix of 'Message On The Radio' and the French language track of 'Living On Video'.

So my favorite Trans-X songs are as follows; 'Living On Video', 'Message On The Radio', '3D-Dance' and 'Through The Eyes Of The 90's'. The other material is take it or leave it. I seem to remember there was a different track I really liked on the cassette that isn't on the cd. I'll have to research it more. As I listen to the record, there just seems to be something missing. Still, it has been a long time since I listened to it. You never know, I could be imagining it. My final words: FOND CHILDHOOD MEMORY OF A FUN 80'S BAND.

TRANS-X - LIVING ON VIDEO
01. Living On Video
02. Message On The Radio
03. Nitelife
04. 21st Century
05. Josee
06. Digital World
07. Eyes Of Desire
08. 3D-Dance
09. Monkey Dance
10. Through The Eyes Of The 90's
11. Ich Liebe Dich (I Love You)
12. Living On Video (Re-Recorded)
13. Message On The Radio (Remix)
14. Vivre Sur Video