TAROCK MUSIC

The Reds inhabit an inviting, ice blue quadrant of the post-punk cosmos on Cry Tomorrow, somewhere near the terse rhythmic tug of Wire, New Order’s frosty electro-glaze and the art-garage menace of the early Psychedelic Furs.

Especially beguiling is Waiting For You, a brooding beauty cut from the same hair-shirt cloth as The Idiot by Iggy Pop.

David Fricke, Rolling Stone Magazine, February 1992

One of the longest lasting collaborations in Philadelphia music is that of Rick Shaffer and Bruce Cohen, collectively known as, The Reds.  Their self-titled LP on A&M Records was an assertive statement that fit in perfectly with the era in which it was recorded.  From the beginning, Cohen and Shaffer continued to record albums, and work on numerous film and TV projects, among them numerous contributions to director Michael Mann’s television show Miami Vice, and writing songs and score for two Michael Mann films, Band Of The Hand and Manhunter, as well as New Line Cinema’s Nightmare On Elm Street 2 – Freddy’s Revenge.

Much like XTC, The Reds are much more a studio creation, in that the band does not perform live.  Cry Tomorrow, their new CD on the Tarock Music indie label, is the first output from the band in quite some time.  Reunited with British producer, Mike Thorne (Blur, Soft Cell, Peter Murphy), Shaffer and Cohen have crafted a disc that fuses the power of their earlier work with the development of their soundtrack work.

Cohen’s keyboards are the most prominent voice in The Reds instrumental sound, with Shaffer’s guitar generally providing the momentum.  The atmosphere runs from moody to aggressive, with particular standouts being the title trace, and a lurching version of the Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter.

Some of The Reds material brings to mind the approach of the influential British band Killing Joke.

• Frank Blank, Philadelphia City Paper, 1992

Colder sounding than they were at the end of the ’70’s, The Reds still emit the same edgy desperation.  Jaggeresque vocals (there’s an updated “Gimme Shelter” to drive home the similarity).  Ace British producer, Mike Thorne (Wire, Soft Cell), adds the icy sheen he helped popularize in the early ’80’s, but never lets Bruce Cohen’s synths gloss over Rick Shaffer’s switchblade guitar obligatos.

• Steve Holtje, The New York Review Of Records, 1992

Three out of four serial killers name The Reds as their favorite band.  Actually, I just made that up, but it’s not beyond the realm of possibility.  After, director Michael Mann hired them to score Manhunter the chilling prequel to Silence Of The Lambs, as well as using their music in the film, Band Of The Hand, and numerous episodes of Miami Vice.

This Philadelphia duo certainly won’t get confused with Hall & Oates, for they deal in a menacingly modern sound worthy of far greater exposure.  Since 1979, singer/guitarist Rick Shaffer, and keyboardist Bruce Cohen, recorded four albums for four different labels, and Cry Tomorrow appears on indie alternative label Tarock Music.

The Reds have an immediately identifiable sound via the combination of droning keyboards and guitar, and Shaffer’s haunting monotone vocals, and they come up with hooks that creep insidiously into the brain.  Female backing vocals are used liberally to further push the sounds home, and British producer Mike Thorne (Wire, Soft Cell, Peter Murphy) keeps it all as clean and sharp as a new scalpel.

Those raised on the sonic bludgeoning of industrial and metal styles will likely find this a little too understated, but that’s their loss.  Their cover of the Rolling Stones classic Gimme Shelter is a logical one, but the song’s familiarity robs it of some potency.

Standout cuts include Terror In My Heart (licensed for the film, Nightmare On Elm Street 2 – Freddys Revenge), Cry Tomorrow, and the sinister Waiting For You.  Cry Tomorrow remains Better Dread From Reds.

• Kerry Doole, Music Express, Toronto, Canada, 1992

(Founded in 1976, Music Express is one of Canada’s most successful music publications of all time.  The last print issue was in 1996, and is now online)

Artistic results are reached time after time by The Reds, and writing about this band cannot be considered a tough job, especially for someone like me, who has been following with passion the ensemble from Philadelphia since their first LP on A&M Records in 1979.  Veterans of the USA underground (their first single Joey was released in 1977) and authors of effective “punk and roll,” with exciting new wave influences, characterized by the wonderful voice of Rick Shaffer.

The Reds release Cry Tomorrow is made up of only two of the original band members, Rick Shaffer, voice and guitar, Bruce Cohen, keyboards, and is a pleasant collection of rarefied and hypnotic songs that keeps the interesting charm of the original style of the band.  It is right and proper to give The Reds a listen.

• Federico Guglieimi, Rumore Magazine, Rome, Italy, 1992

Strange thing, a duet who after one album on A&M, two independent albums and another on Sire/Warner Bros, lap into a brand new indie label, Tarock Music (this is the label’s first release).  The Reds consist of Bruce Cohen (keyboards) and Rick Shaffer (guitar & vocals), who both hail from Philadelphia, and if you were a fanatic follower of Miami Vice you might remember their names from the music credits from numerous episodes.

This fifth album depicts the “dark side of things,” a portrayal with serious undertones, painting an often frightening picture.  The duet succumbs to an egocentric discovery in these pieces.  Shaffer’s voice is other worldly several times, as other worldly as the album.  There is a similarity here to Gimme Shelter, but I don’t know, something frightens me, yet attracts me at the same time.  The producer is the UK’s Mike Thorne (Peter Murphy, Soft Cell, Blur, Wire).

• Merlin’s Music Box, Athens, Greece, 1992