Like any niche, gothic rock had it’s own cluster of self limiting beliefs. Now it’s visual iconography and sub-cultural dynamics are more familiar – and there is even a modest renaissance underway musically. In it’s early eighties heyday though the walls separating these third generation punks from the mainstream were for most effectively those of a prison.
There were outliers of course, but notably when the for instance The Cult crossed over onto daytime radio and Top of The Pops it was via the hook laden She Sells Sanctuary, a song that retained an air of mysticism but nailed it to a meaty hard rock chassis.
Michael and Jay Aston escaped South Wales for London at beginning of the decade, making themselves the core of Gene Loves Jezebel and releasing Promise and Immigrant as they built a circuit following. Glass ceilings however are glass ceilings, so when guitarist Ian Hudson was replaced with former Generation X member Gary Stevenson, the brothers realised they had an opportunity.
Listening back to Discover now the play they made for wider recognition – particularly on American college radio, which was becoming a powerful gatekeeper – is obvious. Whilst some care was taken not to completely marginalise long time fans with the likes of Sweetest Thing and Maid of Sker, there was no hiding that Desire (Come And Get It), Over The Rooftops and Sweetest Thing were all obvious tokens of ambition. Having made Discover for a new audience, the walls came tumbling down as a result, while the scene they left behind would eventually disintegrate.You can after all only please some of the people all of the time.
You can read a full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 