Some Other Sucker's Parade Kansas

Some Other Sucker's Parade

Del Amitri

A & M Records, 1997

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 07/21/1997

Since briefly tasting success with the popularity of theirsingle "Roll To Me," the Scottish band Del Amitri has been tryingto distance themselves from the slower, acoustic-tinged numbers ofgloom, doom and depression they have become known for.

Their fifth album, Some Other Sucker's Parade, is more in the pop vein that ismeant to win them more precious radio airplay. A friend of mine whohas connections to the band warned me, "You're probably not gonnalike this album, seeing how you loved Change Everything." (Apparently she also related to the bandthat, when I was listening to their debut album, I commented I wasgoing into insulin shock. Now the band won't return my phone calls- proving it's costly to speak your mind.)

I hate being told what I'm going to think. Worse, I hate toadmit that she was partially right.

Lead singer/bassist Justin Currie still is one of rock's lovablemopes - he puts into words the feelings of fear of rejection andcommitment that most men feel. The lead single, "Not Where It'sAt," captures that feeling to a "T" - our hero finds himselfattracted to a woman who is just not interested in him. This songis not getting near enough airplay that it deserves - maybe thepoor performance recently on "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" scaredsome radio execs off.