Our Daughter's Wedding

A few weeks back I committed a serious faux pas on the record collector circuit. I was participating in a Saturday morning in spring tradition - arriving first at a tag sale to get a look at the records. This guy had posted on craigslist something like "thousands of records for sale". I was not the only one to see this posting. There were about 5 other people there. The 5 of us are squatting, going through records in crates on the driveway. OK stuff but nothing great. The best thing there was a german pressing of a Kraftwerk 12" but otherwise it was mostly classic rock mixed in with some basic new wave and 80's junk. The dynamic at these things is very odd. Obviously we all have something in common because of what we're doing with our Saturday morning. At the same time we all are angling to see what the others have and if they're passing anything over out of ignorance, stupidity or poor taste. A little like the uneasy alliance with the Russians during World War II. Yes, we're on the same side, but what exactly are you doing over there?

So here's how I got into trouble. I look over and see a guy pull out a copy of the 1982 LP "Moving Windows" by Our Daughter's Wedding. I think for a second (obviously not about how to use my manners) and say, "That's a disappointment waiting to happen." The guy looks over and says "Huh?" I still haven't realized I am in the wrong. I go on to explain that the record is horrible garbage and, to back up my claim by displaying knowledge about the band, "don't expect a second 'Lawnchairs'." That was the end of the exchange. Seems like I'm just helping out a comrade? Wrong. After the guy puts it back in the crate, officially passing on it, I catch a glimpse of the guy running the tag sale. He's giving me a disapproving look. Now I realize it - I have cost him a sale. Even if it was a record in the $2 crate, it was still a sale. And I can sense by looking at this guy that he knows, from the same experience as me, that this record is hard to give away, let alone sell for money. He was on the brink of a major achievement - selling an Our Daughter's Wedding record that DOES NOT contain "Lawnchairs" - and I had cost him this glory with my untimely advice. I felt horrible. My total was $36. He did not round down to $35 even though he had to ask his wife for four singles to make change. I left in shame.

I got to thinking about this and realized that, while I can't fix what I did, my opinion of the record may have changed so it was time to listen to it for the first time since 1991. Perhaps doubling my time on this earth since the last time I heard it would change my perspective. So I have spent my evening listening to "Moving Pictures" by Our Daughter's Wedding. Here's my track by track review.

A1 : Auto Music : Some serious sequenced bass on this one. Pretty solid new wave song. No "Lawnchairs" though. This was one of the singles on the album.

A2 : She Was Someone : "...not just a girlfriend." Yuck. Not only is this no "Lawnchairs", it's no "Auto Music" either. Horrific new wave.

A3 : Elevate Her : This was also a single. Also pretty solid. The 12" of this is actually good. Yes, I have that too. In fact, I have everything this band ever recorded. Still no "Lawnchairs".

A4 : Track Me Down : Bad song. Braying, sassy vocals.

A5 : Daddy's Slave : Very minimal. The singing sounds like a bizarre hybrid of Was (Not Was) and Rick James. I love Rick James but this is not a good thing.

A6 : Longitude 60 : They trade vocals here. One guy intones "Longitude 60" or "Parallel 10" while the braying, sassy guy goes on about something.

B1 : Love Machine : "We could be a love machine". I hate to go back to Rick James here, but the music sounds like a lost Mary Jane Girls song. The thing is, if Rick James came up to you and said "we could be a love machine", you'd probably believe him. This guy is somehow less convincing.

B2 : Always Be True : "Don't ask any questions or tell any lies...tell any lies". The chorus is pretty good and it's got a good driving beat. And Mr. Sassy keeps it in check. Not bad. But still no "Lawnchairs".

B3 : Moving Windows : The title track. "They're looking in, giving me grins, sending me gestures and waves." Not a good song. Someone needs to tell Mr. Sassy that the words "night", "right" and "light" only have one syllable. "Rah-ah-height"

B4 : Paris : Starts like a nice slower OMD song and then the guy starts talking. "What I see, I like to touch. What I touch, I like to feel." "It's been great, it's our first date." Oof.

B5 : Buildings : With what's come before this song, no one could have expected this. This song was also released as a single. Offbeat, totally unobvious and suddenly it just takes off and turns into a truly great new wave song. Where did this come from? On their last shot, they actually may have topped "Lawnchairs".

They sign off the album with a synthisized voice thanking "the people who were on 84th street on the night of May 21st, 1982". What kind of party was this? I'm just going to assume that "Buildings" was inspired by this night. A high point to end their only album. A independently released 12" surfaced in 1984. I gave this another listen too. I'm just going to pretend "Buildings" was the last thing that came out of Our Daughter's Wedding.

After all this catharsis, I actually feel even worse about my faux pax. Not because I cost the tag sale proprietor his $2, but that I cost someone the chance to hear "Buildings". Well, don't say I don't try to right a wrong.

Our Daughter's Wedding: Buildings