The Fixx - Stand Or Fall

Ron, line me up *right* behind the band itself, frustration-wise, for
MCA choosing not to include the studio version of "Stand Or Fall" on
their 1989 GH CD. Those two sparse, catchy opening guitar notes
(which doubled as a riff throughout) simply mesmerized me, from when
I first heard it on MTV. I don't recall exactly when their debut LP,
"Shuttered Room", finally came out on CD, but I'm almost certain it
wasn't until well after 1989.

As an aside, The Fixx were one of my very favorite 80's bands. I often
have my personal "All Time Top 500 Songs", playing in the background
on my iPod. A whopping five of their songs appear: Stand Or Fall, Red
Skies, Saved By Zero, Secret Separation and Deeper And Deeper (first
released on the "Streets Of Fire" movie soundtrack), with their lone Top
10 (One Thing Leads To Another) just missing the cut.

Back in the day, during music meetings, I would on occasion express a
personal opinion about songs to my co-workers, when applicable. I'd
say, "I've always loved guitar hooks, and I've always hated guitar riffs!"
Almost to a fault. I noticed that many, many Top 40 hit songs would
skillfully incorporate an infectious guitar hook or two, within their
allotted 3-4 minute timeframe. And while I'll always have a place in my
heart for "Good Old Rock 'N Roll", I believe that the major reason why
the Top 40 format of my youth remained inside my soul, for decades
afterwards was, in large part, for this one reason. As opposed to 90% of
my peers, who "outgrew" Top 40, and, usually by the time they'd owned
their first car, had adopted AOR as their format of choice. (And who all
surely feel the exact opposite of me, on the "guitar hooks vs riff" issue.)

I thought that very few 80s bands had utilized the guitar hook formula
any better than the Fixx did. I was always a little bit surprised they
didn't meet with more commercial success. I just never burn out on
their songs. So cheers to lead singer Cy Curnin, who still tours regularly
with the band, in addition to issuing four solo CDs since 2005.

Edited by jimct

jimct:

Those two sparse, catchy opening guitar notes [to "Stand or Fall"] (which doubled as a riff throughout) simply mesmerized me, from when I first heard it on MTV.

I know you posted this about eight months ago now, but back when I first read it, my jaw dropped, because I've always felt the same way about The Fixx! They pretty much started it all for me, as Reach the Beach was the first album I ever bought w/ my own money back in '83. What did it for me was hearing that opening to the album's lead single, "Saved By Zero", on the radio (didn't get MTV till about four months later), but I had the SAME reaction as you, when you heard "Stand or Fall" the year before. In fact, to this day, The Fixx remain in my personal top 10, all-time, so your post above stuck w/ me...

Point being, if you haven't already, you NEED to head over to the official web site of the Ridgefield Playhouse in Ridgefield, CT, and purchase some tickets, as The Fixx will be playing there tomorrow (Friday) night! :-) They're currently on their "By Request" tour, and I caught them myself last Thursday, on the first of a two-night stand in Londonderry, NH. (It was my third time seeing them live overall.) And its ALL FIVE members from their classic '80s lineup: Cy Curnin (lead vocals), Jamie West-Oram (guitar), Rupert Greenall (keyboards), Adam Woods (drums), and Dan K. Brown (bass). (Brown was not part of the line-up when I first saw them around 1998, or again in '05, so it's great to see them all back together in 2014.) Cy still sounds FANTASTIC, and it was fun to hear them in such an intimate venue. (Have attended several shows at the Ridgefield Playhouse over the last decade as well, and while it's a bit larger, I've always felt it was pretty good, too.) And the cool part is, you can send your list of favorite songs from their entire catalog that you wish to hear - either directly through their official web site, their Facebook page, or on Twitter (just be sure to also tell them which show you'll be attending!)... :-)

As an aside, The Fixx were one of my very favorite 80's bands. I often have my personal "All Time Top 500 Songs", playing in the background on my iPod. A whopping five of their songs appear: Stand Or Fall, Red Skies, Saved By Zero, Secret Separation and Deeper And Deeper (first released on the "Streets Of Fire" movie soundtrack), with their lone Top 10 (One Thing Leads To Another) just missing the cut.

Believe it or not, they played ALL SIX of those songs last Thursday in NH! They played three of my five requests as well. ("Red Skies" and of course "Saved By Zero" also made my list, along w/ "Driven Out".) It was an 18-song/97-minute set that night...

I thought that very few 80s bands had utilized the guitar hook formula any better than the Fixx did.

In the hook-vs.-riff debate (which you also brought up in a recent thread on Night Ranger), I've always liked both - but I think you've managed to sum up quite well why I, too, have always liked The Fixx so much, in a way I'd never really considered before. In fact, at last Thursday's show, Jamie received a well-deserved standing ovation after performing his solo toward the end of "Outside" (deep cut from 1983's Reach the Beach), which prompted Cy to tell the crowd, "My life changed the day this boy walked into it! This is Jamie West-Oram," which of course got a roar from all of us...

I was always a little bit surprised they didn't meet with more commercial success.

While I certainly never rooted against them, honestly, I always felt they did pretty well here. In truth, the sad part is - like so many other artists of the time - their legacy here in 2014 has basically been reduced to just ONE song, that of course being "One Thing Leads to Another", even though in reality, they scored a dozen hits Stateside. The Fixx are a rarity, as they're actually a classic example of a British band that did MUCH better here in the U.S. vs. their native U.K., where they managed NO top 50 hits - and that's precisely why they've invested so much time & energy touring here in the U.S. over the last 20 years. In fact, after last week's show, I was able to mingle w/ all five band members for about 15 minutes, and while talking w/ Jamie, another fan next to me asked him where they all live, and he said that except for Cy, they all still live in the U.K., full-time. However, he said that Cy splits his time between both the U.K. and U.S. (which seemed to annoy him a little, lol)...

I just never burn out on their songs.

Ditto...

I don't recall exactly when their debut LP, "Shuttered Room", finally came out on CD, but I'm almost certain it wasn't until well after 1989.

Sorry, but not true. It was actually the SECOND album of theirs to be issued on CD here in the U.S. The first was of course Reach the Beach, which made its CD debut just a few months after the vinyl LP & cassette, in the Fall of '83. (You can identify the early pressings, as they were made in Japan for the U.S. market, should you want to track one down; I have one myself.) Because that album was doing so well here, by the Spring of '84, MCA decided to go back & release Shuttered Room on CD as well, prior to Phantoms that Summer. They're not easy to find today, but they're definitely early CDs, as they were pressed in Japan as well...

Anyway, awesome show from them last week. So be sure to get your tickets for Ridgefield, as quite a few seats for tomorrow night's show are still left, and don't forget to submit your song requests - believe me, you WON'T be disappointed! :-)