I never fell for The Chameleons as heavily as many of my peers did even though I was at exactly the right age to be ripe for their schtik. They occupied that particular space that was so rich at this period in time. The 'Long Mac Northern Brigade'. Joy Division, Teardrop Explodes, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Chameleons and so many others.
The Chameleons seemed to situate themselves in the midway point between The Teardrops and The Bunnymen though they hailed from Manchester not Liverpool. Even Julian singing for The Bunnymen instead of Mac. They certainly mined the same seam as the Bunnyboys in particular. The impending dread. The 'something awful is about to happen' vibe. The 'life is pretty awful' thing, but perhaps not quite as awful as Ian Curtis might have you think.
Anyway it was great stuff to get into while you read your first Kafka, Camus and Dostoevsky novels. While I never felt Chameleons produced anything of quite the same majesty as Heaven Up Here, Wilder or either of the Joy Division albums, they still put out some pretty magnificent records. This was one of the best of those.
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