Sunday, July 28, 2019

Those XCleavers - First Album/The Waiting Game (1982-84)

Not unlike the Another Carnival post from a couple nights ago, here's more Wisconsinite rock o' the '80s spiffyness for ya'll.  Those XCleavers were from the Milwaukee side of the tracks, and from what I've been able to gather they didn't make huge inroads elsewhere, save for some airplay in the Midwest.  This foursome were hardly hipster snobs, opting for risqué AOR rock with some occasional reggae flavorings.  Their self-titled bow from 1982 isn't terribly remarkable, but still a fun listen, a la what the Greg Kihn Band was peddling at the time.  The band's 1984 follow-up, The Waiting Game was an overall improvement, boasting considerable new wave definition, even better songwriting, not to mention stronger hooks.  I'm not sure if they had any videos to their credit, but given their wily sense of humor, the XCleavers would have slotted in perfectly on the then-burgeoning MTV in the Reagan era.  There's two full albums (and then some) for you to feast on below, so have at it.

  s/t (1982)
  01. Smooth, Wild & Dirty
  02. Butt I Will
  03. 18 (Unprotected)
  04. Suzie La Bruzie
  05. Facts of Life
  06. Nocturn Dub
  07. White Reggae
  08. Trying To Have Fun
  09. Skip A Beat
  10. Klubb Talk
  11. No Brain Needed
  12. Mondo Commando
  13. What's In Style
  14. Reprise

  The Waiting Game (1984)
  15. In God We Trust
  16. Right Right Girl
  17. Nobody But You
  18. The Waiting Game
  19. Some One In My Dreams
  20. Duplicator
  21. Silence The Critics
  22. Quicksand
  23. Riot
  24. Take A Hint
  25. People

  bonus
  26. Little Drummer Boy
  27. Nice Legs
  28. Confusion (Do The)

Hear

3 comments:

Konrad Useo said...

What a welcome post. I've actually been looking for this group since their release. Never saw a sign till now. I used to hear them on college radio. Many thanks.

spavid said...

Glad I could help! I only learned of them fairly recently.

JRT said...

Always wondered what the story was with these albums getting a reissue on the One Way label.