Mirror, Mirror, Who’s the Most Dramatic of Them All?
A BMT Mixtape
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Serendipity steps in once more. I found the main photo for today’s story after I wrote it!
All of these alt 80’s dudes are talented and gifted with exceptionally powerful voices. But they’re just a little more than the average guy from that era. Somehow their vanity and overly dramatic performances stay on the right side of the line, though. They fascinate and captivate rather than annoy.
Read on to learn the unlikely and obscure voice that serves as inspiration for my latest alt 80’s musical story.
I finally saw Erasure about a year ago here in Austin. I can confirm that Andy Bell really doesn’t do subtle. Vince Clark is pretty chill while Andy struts, preens, emotes, and prances.
I’ve shared elsewhere that Two Ring Circus was one of my first CD purchases, so I’m rather sentimental about Erasure.
The orchestral remix of “My Heart So Blue” remains one of the swooniest songs of the entire genre. Unfailingly lovely over 30 years later.
Austrian alternative-pop crossover wonder, Falco, is primarily remembered by Americans for his exuberant “Rock Me Amadeus.”
My love goes beyond his US hits. A favorite is this extended cut of the deceptively bleak “Jeanny.” It fluctuates between rockin’, pretty, melancholy, and bombastic.
Falco is so theatrical, utterly unique, and defies category. He gives a powerhouse of a vocal, alternating between big notes and hushed words.
