Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Donnie Iris and the Cruisers - No Muss...No Fuss (1984, HME)

Thought this would be an ideal follow-up to yesterdays Mystery Monday selection (if you missed it, sorry).  Probably the least well known of Donnie Iris' '80s albums, No Fuss... tacks in the direction of his rollicking debut LP which placed him on the trajectory of a mainstream breakthrough, Back on the Streets.  Unfortunately that trajectory would gradually decelerate, really through no fault of his own, and by 1984 he found himself on the indie HME imprint.  Without a doubt, there's a gratuitous pedestrian slant was baked into No Fuss's Rundgren-esque pop/rock recipe.  Mind you this played quite well in an era when there was still plenty of tolerance for enterprises such as Donnie and the Cruisers.  Sure to cost me a few punk points, there are nonetheless several delectable salvos of dumb fun, with "Injured in the Game of Fun," "Follow That Car," and "10th Street" ranking among my favorites.  No Fuss... was briefly reissued on CD and sold through Donnie's website.  It has since become a pricy collectors item, at least on Amazon.  The two albums that preceded it, The High and the Mighty and Fortune 410 are available here and here, respectively.

01. Injured in the Game of Love
02. 10th Street
03. Ridin' Thunder
04. You're My Serenity
05. L.O.V.E.
06. Follow That Car
07. Don't Cry Baby
08. State of the Heart
09. Headed for a Breakdown
10. I Want You Back

Hear

5 comments:

MKV said...

Yeah and now that you've jogged my memory to find my Captain Sensible and Ian Dury files to listen to followed by watching some Are you being served? Some classic 3rd doctor Dr Who. I would say another thanks as I went on this tangent. My file is finally coming through after oh so many attempts, happy hour has just been extended. Cheers.

bglobe313 said...

OK, I'm in high school I get a beat box (oversized cassette player) and decide to tape songs off the radio. Number 1 on that cheapo cassette I still have: "Ah Leah".

Ace K.

panzan said...

I live in Pittsburgh, been here all my life so far (42 years). As you might know, Donnie Iris lives here. He is a local treasure. You can still hear his hits on the classic rock station, multiple times a day, every day. And he still plays a few sold otu club shows every year.

bglobe313 said...

Hey Panzan,

Weren't the Iron City Houserockers from Pittsburgh?

Their album "Have A Good Time But Get Out Alive" is great. And, of course, Joe Gruscheky (?sp) was a good enough "working class" songwriter to get Bruce Springsteen to work with him.

Ace K.

Anonymous said...

Any chance you have album #1 = Back on the Streets? Can't seem to find it anywhere.