Nuclear Days

In the stream of excellent hard-hitting power-pop albums that were released in the aftermath of the punk explosion, there were bound to be a couple ones forgotten, or associated bands being relegated to one-hit wonder status. The Vapors for their deliciously warped one hit wonder single “Turning Japanese” (an oriental ode to the joys of the five-finger shuffle) were in fact one of the most intelligent and propulsive bands to come out of new wave, and their debut album New Clear Days is their defining statement.

The band's 1980 debut LP New Clear Days is an all-time classic. The hit, "Turning Japanese", is well-known by all. If you don't like it, there must be something fatally wrong with you. The rest of the songs stick to the same new wave pop template, and are every bit as good. There is not a single track on the album that isn't totally great. Even some of the songs that didn't make it onto the album (but did make it onto this CD) are great! Often categorized as one of the standards of skinny tie power pop, New Clear Days actually transcends genre with its quirky sensibility and thoughtful lyrics.

The album kicks off with “Spring Collection”, featuring tinny drums, lots of symbols, and the very recognizable buzzsaw guitar tones. It’s a biting attack on the transformation of punk music into a fashion statement, tempered with frustrated admissions of lust denied… What could be more appropriate than the paranoid (or maybe not so paranoid now) cry of “Is this a military state I’m in?” that closes the track.

Fenton's song writing muse would turn darker and weirder on the band's excellent second LP Magnets (the most accessible song was an ode to suicide cult leader Jim Jones!), and the album didn't even crack the top 100 on the UK charts. And that was all for The Vapors. To his credit, Fenton never gave in to the temptation to "unretire" from the music business. He gave up recording and became a solicitor. There have been no half-assed Vapors reunions or warmed-over comeback albums mimicking the new wave glories of yesteryear. The band's music remains in the early '80s, where it belongs - a cultural artefact.

Ripped from the 2000 Captain Mod expanded reissue to MP3 @ 320kbps

The Vapors; New Clear Days

1.      Spring Collection

2.      Turning Japanese

3.      Cold War

4.      America

5.      Trains

6.      Bunkers

7.      News At Ten

8.      Somehow

9.      Sixty Second Interval

10.   Waiting For The Weekend

11.   Letter From Hiro

12.   Prisoners (Single A’side)

13.   Sunstroke (Single B’side)

14.   Here Comes The Judge (Live B’side)

15.   News At Ten (Remixed A’side)

16.   Wasted (Single B’side)

17.   Talk Talk (Single B’side)

18.   Waiting For The Weekend (Single A’side)

19.   Billy (Single B’side)