The differences in opinion between the brothers encapsulated the challenge Gene Loves Jezebel was having with its career. I recall “Desire” being a prominent song of the time, but its chart success – or lack thereof – suggests it was less the breakthrough for them than I thought. Moderate chart success came with their singles reaching the top 100 in the UK charts, and “Motion of Love” reaching #88 in the US. Discover and House of Dolls are filled with catchy, dark pop melodies with outsized choruses, all built on solid R&B structures. That period was a weak one for modern rock, and Gene Loves Jezebel was one of the bright lights, helping bridge modern rock from the lighter, synth-driven period of new wave into the guitar-laden era of grunge. They came to my attention when the great song, “Always A Flame,” was on a Vertigo Sampler album I had.Īfter a move to their label’s parent, Beggar’s Banquet, and a deal with Geffen in the US, the major label support helped them issue two of the best albums of the latter half of the 1980s. The second album was also strong and developed their sound, moving to a larger, more expansive structure. After some promising attention around their early indie singles, their first album, Promise, seemed to be setting them on their way after a #8 spot on the UK Indie chart. It was guitar-driven, with echoey vocals and heavy bass-infused rhythms. Their early sound was the darker pop similar to the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cure, The Cult, Cocteau Twins, and Theatre of Hate. The band came together around the twin brothers, Jay and Michael Aston.
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