The Three O'Clock "Ever After" 1986

I must admit that I had never heard of The Three O'clock when I bought a couple of their CDs. In the early 80s if I listened to Rock music at all it was usually a band that was in the New Wave or Post Punk. Bands like The Smiths, Wire, and The Fall. But somehow in the 2000s I heard Jellyfish. That group led me to the Grays and then to Jason Falkner, whom I adore. I then read that Falkner played in The Three O'Clock at one time so I bought 3 CDs sound unheard. To my dismay none of the CDs had any Jason Falkner on them. But I listened a couple of times, thought, "Yeah. Pop music" and thus they have been on my CD shelf for years. I noticed a request for the band, noticed that RYP was going to post some, then thought I would post this combo CD. So, here is some more LA pop music to thrill all enthusiasts out there. - JohnnyDiegoA long-overdue reissue of the Three O'Clock's two mid-'80s albums for IRS Records (and the first appearance of 1985's Arrive Without Traveling on CD), this is a boon for fans of the neo-psychedelic paisley underground scene. Thing is, these are the albums on which the Los Angeles-based quartet begin to move away from the '60s-obsessed psych-pop of their earlier albums. Arrive Without Traveling updates the sound by a decade or so, adding a slightly glam crunch and an AM radio gloss to tunes that recall the glory days of the Sweet and Wings. The powerhouse "Her Head's Revolving" and the swooning "Underwater" are the highlights, but the whole album has the same sort of gleefully unfashionable pop/rock charm as singer-bassist Michael Quercio's buddies Redd Kross. 1986's Ever After is a bit of a stumble, with the band losing guitarist Louis Gutierrez, and with him a lot of their punch. Ian Broudie was an inspired choice for producer -- as his later group, the Lightning Seeds, would occupy a similar musical niche -- but the overall sound is oddly dated in retrospect. Quercio's songwriting is notably weaker this time around; the melodies are less sparkling and the lyrics lack his usual playfulness. For every winner, like the touching closer "Songs and Gentle Words" and the delightful "The Penny Girls," there's an over-long filler track like "Follow Him Around," making Ever After a frustratingly uneven follow-up to a terrific, underappreciated album. - Stewart Mason (Allmusic)members:

Drums, Vocals – Danny Benair / Guitar, Vocals – Steven Altenberg / Keyboards, Vocals – Mike Mariano / Lead Vocals, Bass Guitar – Michael Quercio

trax:

01 Suzie's On The Ball 02 Look Into Your Eyes 03 When We Can 04 The Penny Girls 05 Follow Him Around 06 Warm Aspirations 07 Step Out Of Line 08 We Are One 09 If You Could See My Way 10 Songs And Gentle Words 11 Watching Pictures (Bonus Track)

…originally served by JohnnyDiego…