Although it’s nudging its’ twentieth anniversary as I write, THE CHAMELEONS debut album "Script Of The Bridge" still sounds like the most glorious rush of melody and emotion imaginable, by an instantly distinctive quartet capable of making hearts race and jaws drop to this very day.
Having been left behind after a brief honeymoon with CBS, the band settled into an (initially beneficial) deal with Statik Records and decamped to record "Script…" with engineer/producer Colin Richardson, also responsible for the band’s live sound. Admittedly, this move allowed less financial freedom, but clearly unleashed infinite creative possibilities.
Because, regardless of constraints or luxurious technology, as soon as the murky riffs that announce "Don’t Fall" kick in, you know you’re onto something that’s gonna keep on demanding your attention. The great news is that the rest of the album only reinforces this impression in spades, presenting 12 songs long on passion and drama and very short on anything remotely inessential.
So where do the major plaudits go? Well, there’s stiff competition. The creepy "Monkeyland" walks a chilling landscape of lies and deception before bursting into a dynamic chorus that – like the proud, anthemic "Up The Dow Escalator" – makes you realise just how far ahead of most of their contemporaries THE CHAMELEONS were/are. Indeed, the fact that most of the great unwashed don’t recall "Here Today" or "Monkeyland" when "New Year’s Day" and "The Cutter" are firmly lodged in rock’s higher pantheons seems ridiculous.
The whole band are buzzing throughout. Guitarists Dave Fielding and Reg Smithies feed off a kinetic six-string understanding, dressing up beautiful enigmas like "Thursday’s Child" and "Paper Tigers" in exotic melodic cloaks while Mark Burgess and drummer John Lever keep everything as tight as the proverbial gnat’s chuff; meshing to perfection to provide the required muscle for the fear’n’fisticuffs of "A Person Isn’t Safe Anywhere These
Days."
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Undoubtedly one of the 1980s finest forgotten 45s, "A Person Isn’t Safe" forms one point of the triangle of excellence that truly elevates "Script Of The Bridge." A howl of anguish and a plea for reason in an increasingly uncertain world set to propulsive guitars, it’s massively affecting, not least when Mark’s voice cracks as he sings "as they drive you to your knees!"
Yet, amazingly, both "Second Skin" and "View From A Hill" quite possibly surpass it. Floating in on an angelic refrain from guest keyboard man Alastair Luthwaite, "Second Skin" is six or so glorious minutes of utter transcendence, with Fielding and Smithies shadowing Burgess’ voice and trailing away into the ether. "View From A Hill", meanwhile, allows the album to slide away with a rare touch of dreamy delicacy, providing both a tantalising epilogue and a signpost pointing to further marvels to come.
Indeed, revisited today, "Script Of The Bridge" is still capable of throwing startling new melodic shapes, such is its’ rare strength and depth. Uncanny, too, is its’ unique ability to unite discerning people from all walks of life. Certainly, your correspondent has come across people as disparate as lawyers, fish porters, not to mention a taxi-driving friend who swears by blasting "Don’t Fall" in the middle of an empty field as the only way to slough off a bad day. Whatever, it’s strange the way a mutual love of THE CHAMELEONS has actually helped strengthen friendships.
More importantly, though, "Script Of The Bridge" represents the dawn of a great band blinking into the light and vividly articulating both the wonder and danger that surrounds them. A distinguished debut, basically.
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