Walk on Well Lighted Streets explained

Walk on Well Lighted Streets
Type:studio
Artist:Gleaming Spires
Cover:Gleaming Spires - Walk on Well Lighted Streets.jpg
Released:1983
Studio:Brian Elliot Studios, North Hollywood, California
Genre:New wave
Length:34:45
Label:Posh Boy
Producer:Stephen Hague
Prev Title:Songs of the Spires
Prev Year:1981
Next Title:Welcoming a New Ice Age
Next Year:1985

Walk on Well Lighted Streets is the second studio album by American new wave pop group Gleaming Spires. Like their debut, Songs of the Spires, the album was produced by Stephen Hague.

History

In addition to the core duo of bassist/lead vocalist Leslie Bohem and drummer David Kendrick, the Spires lineup was augmented on this album (as well as their previous release, 1982's Life Out on the Lawn EP) to include guitarist Bob Haag and keyboardist Jim "Jimbo" Goodwin, all of whom recorded and toured with Sparks during this time. As a result, unlike the rough demo recordings of the previous album, Walk on Well Lighted Streets features a full band arrangement[1] and a more distinctive "new wave" sound.[2] The album has been described as featuring music that "manages to be simultaneously catchy and quirky," with lyrics "more bizarre than ever."[3]

A music video was created for the song "A Christian Girl's Problems," featuring the band members dressed in Roman gladiator outfits running in place against a chroma-keyed backdrop.[4] The front cover painting, "Bed of Nails," was painted by Mark Kostabi. The back cover features photographs of the band members bordered by humorous variations of the album title, including promenade down cool shady lanes, tromp down brightly illuminated sidewalks, and come over to my house for a sandwich.

Release

Walk on Well Lighted Streets was originally released on vinyl in 1983 by Posh Boy Records. In 2021, the album was reissued on CD and to streaming services by Omnivore Recordings.

Bonus tracks

In 2021, Omnivore Recordings released a CD of the album (OVCD-445) with the following bonus tracks:

Personnel

Credits are adopted from the Walk on Well Lighted Streets liner notes.

References

  1. Web site: Gleaming Spires — Walk On Well Lighted Streets – Omnivore Recordings . 2022-05-09 . en-US.
  2. Web site: powerpopaholic . 2021-09-29 . The Gleaming Spires collection; a lost new wave discovery that deserves to be heard . 2022-05-09 . Powerpopholic . en-US.
  3. Web site: Gleaming Spires . 2022-05-09 . Trouser Press . en-US.
  4. Web site: 2014-11-24 . Sparks, Christian girls, drugs & lemon meringue pie: Meet obscure new wavers Gleaming Spires . 2022-05-09 . DangerousMinds.