Chessboards is unstoppable. It's a thundering freight train from the giddyup, then commuter rail during the chorus (not due to tempo but key) then back into a freight train. Repeat. Loved it since the 80s.
I worked in a record store when this came out. After closing one night while we were cleaning up, the manager put this track on the store's sound system full blast. It became a tribal dance party.
I was lucky enough to have seen them on this tour. My ears rang for days afterwards. I can honestly say this is the only time I was at a concert where the entire audience just pulsed and grooved with every note as a single entity. I will NEVER forget that show!
We in our infancy, led down shining paths Shine, shine, shining paths, divine our disillusion Face our imperfection, I begin to wonder Onion peelings scattered, we've been crying crying. Open our eyes and tears run down I open my eyes and tears run down I look through your mind and tears run down And under the skies and tears run down. Look at our condition, stand on concrete dias Lovers frail and naked move like pawns on chessboards I had no idea, I had no conception Where have we all come from? Where are we all going? Open our eyes and tears run down I open my eyes and tears run down I look through your mind and tears run down And under the skies and tears run down. All these changes we shall witness I will try to understand Share your grief and your confusion, compassion in us cries No divine intervention, only moves on black and white Great schemes, great schemes are also made of these. Open our eyes and tears run down I open my eyes and tears run down I look through your mind and tears run down And under the skies and tears run down.
I'm just glad I came into this world just as the 80's started and I remember hearing this song in a movie called North Shore. The lyrics and sound makes it one of the best songs up to today.
Stunningly great sound and I didn't think they got any more angular than FireDances tracks which I loved, but listening now to this again I am reminded how gorgeous they got with this album and the production here, it's a sound locked in time perhaps but for me, what a great time - and great song, this album had some good ones... super unique chords and of course Jaz is mensa so the lyrics always smart yet primal.
I have been a huge fan of Night Time, the album right before this one, but somehow this album passed my radar for a very long time! But, HEY! It’s GREAT!! Very goth/new wave sounding, just like Night Time, but perhaps a bit more evolved in sound.
Haha people still talking about Rick Kane, the greatest surfer Arizona has ever had. Thanks to Chandler and Turtle. 20+ years ago. If they ever remake The North Shore ... I promise to burn down Hollywood
I miss Jaz's voice sounding like this. A certain humble, melancholic, natural feel to it back in the day. I think you all know what I am saying. Perhaps not
Yes your right there Frank! The sound was ramping up on this album. I liked that challenging vibe which was the Joke and this has plenty but melodic in equal measure. A masterpiece. If you want poor sound quality but something from an admirer of this lot then the album ‘collective Dissonance’ by Aggviral B3nbow is worth a go!
Hate to say it, BUT it is perhaps my favorite lp (stem to stern) from KJ. I ACTUALLY liked the heavier key and synth influence. It filled the soundscape with more melody and warmth. TREMENDOUS LP!
Still awesome after 36 year's hand's down I was 19 year's old when my xgirlfriend turned me on to them even though I liked them back in 82 but I listen to track's of them & my xgirlfriend got me back into them thank u Hun where ever you are??🦇🦇🦇🦇
Got into them through listening to and loving Night Time. Just getting into this album, heard their first self titled album from I think 1980 after Night Time and wasn't too keen, first 2 songs were great but the rest of it was just noise. Went back and listened to their fourth album Fire Dances and at first I didn't like it but I slowly started really getting into it, especially the bonus tracks like Wilful Days, coming from someone who listens to a lot of punk and metal (alternative versions included e.g thrash, nu metal, post-hardcore, noise rock, grunge and alternative rock and metal genres more generally) it was probably one of the rawest, most ominous tracks I've heard, retrospectively I became a huge fan of the album, at first I wasn't as keen on this more commercially friendly style but I'm starting to really get into it.
Erf, I'll try to give you a hint about the meaning of the lyrics. The whole idea could be "the more we move on and grow up, the more we can't understand what the fate is going to put us through. We could spend all our time on earth trying to figure out what will be our next act (move on the chessboard) but in vain, just like pawns we just submit to the game of life in a mix of frustration, sadness and hope as we're exposed to hard and hurting odds. Existence is absurd and yet we subconciently believe we can have full control on it, much to our despair."
We in our infancy, led down shining paths Shine, shine, shining paths, divine our disillusion Face our imperfection, I begin to wonder Onion peelings scattered, we've been crying crying. Open our eyes and tears run down I open my eyes and tears run down I look through your mind and tears run down And under the skies and tears run down. Look at our condition, stand on concrete dias Lovers frail and naked move like pawns on chessboards I had no idea, I had no conception Where have we all come from? Where are we all going? Open our eyes and tears run down I open my eyes and tears run down I look through your mind and tears run down And under the skies and tears run down. All these changes we shall witness I will try to understand Share your grief and your confusion, compassion in us cries No divine intervention, only moves on black and white Great schemes, great schemes are also made of these. Open our eyes and tears run down I open my eyes and tears run down I look through your mind and tears run down And under the skies and tears run down. 🎵
