What was the last album you listened to?

Artist: The Buggles
Album: The Age of Plastic
Genre: Synthpop and New Wave
Year: 1980
Standout tracks: The Plastic Age, Video Killed The Radio Star, I Love You (Miss Robot), Elstree and Astroboy (And The Proles On Parade)

This short-lived but still very productive synthpop duo will probably be forever known for their 1979 hit song Video Killed The Radio Star, that and because it was later gonna be the very first music video to appear on the newly arrived TV channel MTV back in 1981.
For me however, it was through playing GTA: Vice City (2002) where I first heard the song mentioned above and which got me interested in this quirky but very catchy band, whom to my frustration (just as with Gary Numan) did not feature on any of the "complete" collection of albums that was released on CD from the video game back in 2002.

Anyway, a few years later on I picked up a dirt cheap remastered version of The Age of Plastic and liked most of it but again it have mostly collected dust in my music collection and not been something I often listen to as a whole, every now and then. So I am a bit interested to hear if I have missed out on something or maybe finding a new favorite which might have gone me by the last time.

01. The Plastic Age - Opens up with some weird "breathing" noises along with a ringtone or something similar, before the song finally arrives around the 40 second mark. Not a bad way to start things off with and while not as memorable as the next one, I still think it is one that proves these guys had more to offer than just one big hit single and that's it. 

02. Video Killed the Radio Star - One which I guess does not need much of an introduction. It still sounds like a fantastic combination of quirky and charming lyrics/melodies to what in some way do remind me of what could have been an ABBA number or tried to be. Anyway, I think it worked out damn fine at the end of the day. 
This album version includes a beautiful outro which I have always enjoyed to the shorter radio version. 

03. Kid Dynamo - Is a far more straight forward or upbeat number than the first two, and is more guitar driven as well. Not a bad cut and I enjoy the energy it packs but still it is one which never have done much for my part and is much closer to a filler than a stand out cut.

04. I Love You (Miss Robot) - This funky yet sad electro ballad is one I have always been fond of and surely among the best work The Buggles made.

05. Clean, Clean - Continues in a similar and very upbeat way to that of Kid Dynamo, which sadly for me is not something that I was looking for. Quirky yes but in a more annoying than catchy manner and again not a very good song to follow such a great act as Miss Robot.

06. Elstree - Next up is my favorite of theirs, which is a beautiful and very sweet tribute to that of Elstree Studios and where we hear it through the words of a failed actor. 
Such a fine song should have deserved a much better fate on the charts, sadly I guess it was just not meant to be but for me, I like to think it was one of their best and most overlooked gems they ever recorded.

07. Astroboy (And the Proles on Parade) - Another beautiful and very atmospheric song which comes with some great vocal delivery by Trevor Horn. 
Should have been considered a single release instead of mediocre stuff like Clean, Clean or Kid Dynamo. 
This record contain some outstanding production details and especially the lovely and dreamy outro is something that could have gone on for several minutes longer.

08. Johnny on the Monorail - Is the final song and sadly not a very impressive way of ending things with, however, it almost make up for it by adding along a very promising last 2 minutes of music. 

My CD remaster also comes with a track called Johnny on the Monorail (A very different version) along with Technopop and Island. 
The last two is actually not that bad, Island kind of reminded me of something Jan Hammer could have written for Miami Vice and where Technopop I thought it was a more catchier and far more enjoyable cut than some of the weaker moments that ended up on the album.

I kind of knew that this album would not be a great one, as it contains just a little too many "fillers" but I think The Buggles did a good job with what money they had at the time and already back then you could sense that these guys was not gonna "settle" down as just another one-hit-wonder act, as Trevor Horn and Geoffrey Downes would go on to make big names of them self in the years to come and would have far more to offer than just Video Killed The Radio Star.

6,5/10