The Flaming Mussolinis - Charmed Life mp3 download

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The band formed in 1984, although various members had been in local Teesside (North-east U.K) bands since the late 70s. The most notable of these bands was Basczax. They signed to CBS in house label Portrait Records in 1985 and were tipped for big things. The band released five singles: 'Swallow Glass', 'My Cleopatra', 'Masuka Dan', 'Girl On A Train' and 'A Different Kind Of Love.' They also released two albums: 'Watching The Film' (1986) and 'Charmed Life' (1987). Although compared to bands like U2 at the time, "The Flaming Mussolinis" was a band with a strong pop sensibility which set them apart from such comparisons.[citation needed] They had a near hit with their second single 'My Cleopatra'. The band split in 1988.

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The Flaming Mussolinis keep missing the bull's-eye on Charmed Life. Although the band should be credited for at least trying to write noteworthy tracks, the group can't pull it off. Whenever the Flaming Mussolinis come close to finding a swell hook, it slips through their fingers. One of the problems is Alan Savage's voice. There's no character or emotion in his flat vocals. It doesn't help that the lyrics are inundated with clichés. In "Two Mountains High," Savage sings, "Only love can set us free/Break the chain that bounds your heart/That would be a start." Ouch. Such banal songwriting wouldn't be a shocker emanating from an '80s metal act; however, the Flaming Mussolinis strive for the shimmering, anthemic rock of early U2, Simple Minds, and Cactus World News, and the lyrics almost embarrassingly pale in comparison. "Jonestown" is an overwrought diatribe about religious cults. "There's no hell for the hypnotised/It takes a madman to make it happen," Savage roars, making the listener cringe with every hardly insightful line. "Different Kind of Love," "Over and Over," and the jangly "Invisible Man" have their moments, but nothing memorable. Much of Charmed Life is dull; even producer Tim Palmer's studio gloss can't hide the holes in the Flaming Mussolinis' material.