First they were one of the features on the "Where Are They Now" music
video show archives, then, Surprise! They do an out of nowhere new album
called "Elemental" a couple years back - and have you had your "Fixx"
today? So Cy Curnin and band bring "The Fixx" back for another go, this
time expanding upon the straight-focused folk rock and acoustic approach
from "Elemental" in polishing up the many old favorites from their past.
But where's "Are We Ourselves?" I can't believe they didn't include
that one! Nonetheless, "1011 Woodland," something to do with the
Nashville studio where this two-disc rejuvenation process took place,
spreads a new coating of polish on their pop-flavored past in what is
essentially an unplugged set, only this time with a maturity built on
experience that excludes any of yesterday's artificial ingredients.
This however does not always work to perfection, even though hearing
catchy favorites like "Driven Out," "Stand Or Fall" and "Secret
Separation" stripped to their bone speaks well of a still existent
talent, we lose the character by minimizing some of the flash and dazzle.
Somehow, the effect of the "Red" in "Red Skies" just doesn't yield
the desired result without following the trail of a synthesized comet.
The atmospheric content, call it "new wave" or whatever, lent a certain
charm that's been effectively eliminated in favor of a strict AOR
presence.
We're not apt to compare "The Fixx" now, or at any other time
in the past, with a Frankie Goes to Hollywood or Duran Duran, though
both still exist in one form or another. But this latest version of "The
Fixx," "Two Different Views" if you will, is an interesting listen if not
necessarily the fine wine, though the mellowing process is strongly
apparent.
"Saved By Zero" starts off disc two and continues on their
live-in-studio effort and carries the lead extraordinarily well, as does
"Lost Planes" which, after all this time, is what we're looking for. Let
it all hang out, cut loose, plug in and wail away! "Red Skies,"
".Another bedtime lullaby," as Curnin's announcement echoes behind an
apparently live forum, comes across resoundingly clear and it's a welcome
relief to hear this true to form interpretation of their most popular
song.
"One Thing Leads To Another," going all the way back to their
"Reach The Beach" 1983 release, and "Deeper And Deeper," close strong in
rounding out a live trilogy featuring their most popular hits following
fourteen refurbished songs, some legitimate hits, and a few also-rans
that altogether make up a pretty solid two-disc set with not enough
information.
