Care

By the time an album was released from the British duo Care, the group had been defunct for more than a decade. Care formed in Liverpool, England, in 1983. Featuring singer Paul Simpson (ex-keyboardist for the Teardrop Explodes) and guitarist Ian Broudie (of Big in Japan and Original Mirrors), Care blended Simpson's enchanting, heartbroken vocals and pensive lyrics with Broudie's shimmery riffs and gleaming synthesizers. Care's first single, "My Boyish Days," introduced the band's new wave style: sparkling keyboards, chiming guitars, and Simpson's dreamy, depressed croon. Care's next release, the lovelorn "Whatever Possessed You," sounded like the missing link between Echo & the Bunnymen and Joy Division. "Flaming Sword" landed on the British Top 50 in 1983; however, Simpson departed from Care before they could complete their Love Crowns and Crucifies LP. At the time, Simpson was involved in a self-destructive relationship with a female musician who was contributing to the album. Furthermore, Broudie's taste for gleeful commercial pop scraped against Simpson's need for darker, more serious fare. Consequently, the recorded tracks for Love Crowns and Crucifies were shelved. Simpson then re-formed the Wild Swans, while Broudie created the Lightning Seeds.

Read More