The 3rd studio album from Idle Cure continued their arena rock sound that was so successful for them. Producer Bill Baumgart returns with Mark, Pete, and Steve for another successful album. I was doing a but of research on this album and I found some spirited conversations discussing whether not not this was their best album. Like I say they didn’t always agree but I think generally Idle Cure fans do consider this their best album. Now keeping in mind I did not hear any of their music until just the last few years I think their debut was the best. If I had to pick a favourite track for this album there’s no doubt for me that it’s “Talk It Out”.
Tracklist
1 – Pray – 4:38
2 – It’s No Fun Anymore – 4:01
3 – Human Solution – 4:58
4 – Picture Of Love – 3:49
5 – Contend For The Faith – 4:07
6 – Talk It Out – 4:28
7 – Don’t Turn Away – 4:04
8 – If You Mean It – 3:30
9 – Dead Or Alive – 3:58
10 – Ordinary Man – 4:07
Credits
Art Direction – Ed McTaggart
Drums – Clark Edmond
Engineer, Mixed By – Dave Jahnsen
Guitar, Vocals – Mark Ambrose
Keyboards, Vocals – Pete Lomakin
Layout – Joe Potter
Lead Vocals – Steve Shannon
Photography By – Scott Lockwood
Producer [Production Assistant] – Beth Wisner
Producer, Engineer – Bill Baumgart
Companies, etc.
Phonographic Copyright (p) – Frontline Records
Copyright (c) – Frontline Records
Recorded At – The Mixing Lab
Mixed At – The Mixing Lab
Recorded At – Jedi Masters
Mixed At – Jedi Masters
I seem to remember their second album being the most popular at the time, but maybe that was just in my area.
I grew up in this era as a teenager during the 1980s. Idle Cure wasn’t even on my radar (never heard of them) until I moved to Tulsa in 1987. I was into metal (Stryper, Barren Cross, Whitecross, etc.), and our youth group band (world-class musicians) opened one night with the song Breakaway, and that was it…I was hooked. A year or so later my girlfriend handed me a cassette tape on the tail-end of our first date…The Tough Love album. We’d been listening to it while driving home, and although I knew about the band, I’d never listened to much outside of the song Breakaway. I fell in love with the album and purchased their 1st release as a result…which is my favorite album. 2nd Avenue certainly shows the band maturing and Steve’s vocals are on display. However, the first album is not only creative, but the overall “feel” of the entire record is ahead of its time. The ballads are remarkable and the song, Silent Hope seals the deal with its creepy, energetic vibe. After almost 40 years, this is still my go-to album for Idle Cure…although I love all of them.
I always thought of Idle Cure as the answer to Survivor in the secular scene.