Another beautifully remastered and presented reissue from Rock Candy, wrapped up in an informative, entertaining essay from Dave Reynolds.
 
Nobody reading this needs any introduction to Desmond Child.
"Wonderfully creative and a definite visionary", was how one of his three female partners in Rouge described him.
Child's first album as a recording artist met with some success, providing minor hit 'Our Love Is Insane'.
His second with Rouge, 'Runners In The Night' met only with apathy.
 
Insignificant beginnings for a man who would become one of the modern world's most successful songwriters. 
 
'Runners In The Night' was written in 28 days and recorded in a month. Indecent haste by today's standards, but in 1979 it was par for the course for a new band making its way in the world.
Amazingly, the album stands out now - almost 30 years later - for the same reason as it stood out then. It has a distinctive theatrical edginess and a unique ensemble sound - one guy and three girls - shot through with hard rock guitars. A lot like Todd Rundgren's early stuff.
It's certainly not the hook heavy chorus fest we would expect from Child today, but that's now and this was then.
 
Opener 'The Truth Comes Out' has an emphatic, dramatic push that typifies the album's approach. Simply constructed around a simple hook, it gets its impetus from bouncing dance rhythms and lots of girlie bgvs.
The smart, streetwise 'My Hearts On Fire' and 'The Night Was Not' (and several others) have an ear catching urbanity of tone
 
'Goodbye Baby' and 'Scared To Live' seem to come out of that whole California singer songwriter thing that became popular in the late sixties and seventies, but with a few bright, colourful flashes of New York attitude added to the mix.
 
Child's impassioned performance on the title track, 'Runners In The Night' might lead you to believe he is allegorising his own sexuality. Maybe, maybe not.
'Tumble In The Night' has a strong disco vibe, with G.E. Smith's strident rock guitar and the girls' swooping, neon lit bgvs turning it into something fresh, new and impossible to categorise.
 
And so it goes on, revisiting established popular music genres, intermingling punk, dance, rock, pop and MOR. All performed with an operatic, Broadway musical mentality.
 
Ahead of its time? Yes.
Worth buying? Unequivocally.

Written by Brian
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
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Ratings

Brian: 7/10

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