The Comsat Angels - Chasing Shadows

While The Comsat Angels were oft-trivialized and underappreciated during their career, the passage of time has afforded them the coveted status of cult heroes. Their records have aged incredibly well in comparison to that of their peers due to exceptional production values other groups lacked. Aided by the powerhouse rhythm section of Mike Glaisher and Kevin Bacon, as well as singer-guitarist Stephen Fellow’s thoughtful introspections and stately guitar lines, The Comsat Angels would eventually break into the commercial market albeit with increasing diminished returns such as the clunky Land (1983) and overproduced 7 Day Weekend (1985).
Struggling to maintain their relevance as a major label act, The Comsat Angels returned to the dark melodicism of their early albums for 1986’s Chasing Shadows after inking a new record deal with the help of fan and label mate Robert Palmer. The record finds the band successfully transforming their previous insipid commercial fluff into genuinely moving material such as the pleading desperation of The Cutting Edge and aching ballad Carried Away. Chasing Shadows is especially noteworthy for containing Fellow’s finest vocal performance, as evident with the dark rock swagger of Under the Influence and plaintive Pray for Rain.
Robert Palmer himself shows up on You’ll Never Know, while Bacon’s throbbing, commanding bass drives The Thought That Counts. Keyboardist Andy Peake provides further emotional weight, as washes of ambient pads and electric piano give the record a slight adult contemporary flavour. Admittedly, a large portion of The Comsat Angel’s canon is spotty at best. However, at the height of their prowess they made some of the finest music to come out of Britain in the early 1980s. Chasing Shadows remains an exemplary record in The Comsat Angel’s discography and proved after a string of duds that the band was no one-trick pony.

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A1.  The Thought That Counts 6:03
A2.  The Cutting Edge 5:06
A3.  Under The Influence 4:22
A4.  Carried Away 5:05
B1.   You'll Never Know 4:57
B2.   Lost Continent 5:03
B3.   Flying Dreams 5:45
B4.   Pray For Rain 5:01