LTM'S recent re-issue of MINNY POPS' excellent "Sparks In A Dark Room" album (initially from 1982) shone a timely spotlight on an intriguing (broadly) electro Dutch outfit, whose legacy had rather mouldered away in recent years, so "Secret Stories" comes as a welcome sister act.
By its' very nature, "Secret Stories" is a slightly patchy affair, as the tracks here (from 1980-85) come from the band's Factory singles, tracks cut from Crepuscule compilations, demos and the cream of tracks from the "Poste Restante" soundtrack and MINNY POPS' post-split reunion album "4th Floor" from 1985. Consequently, the songs - recorded with ever-shifting personnel - lack the same cohesion and focus overall.
Which isn't to say "Secret Stories" doesn't have its' moments. Indeed, for this writer, the two Factory singles "Dolphin's Spurt" and "Island"/ "Secret Story" are amongst their finest achievements. The enigmatic "Dolphin's Spurt" - spurred on by some nicely bleached, Keith Levene-ish guitar - never ceases to fascinate, and "Secret Story" is far perkier than these supposed "Factory miserablists" were alleged to sound.
The album's other major highlights come with the two sets of demos our Amsterdam heroes recorded circa November 1980 and July 1981 respectively. The earlier one (featuring short-lived guitarist Gerard Walhof) features some cool gear with "Ice Cube Wall", the creepy "Jets" and a much-improved version of previous B-side "Goddess" all copping starring roles. If anything, though, "Kogel" and "Body Language" - from the 1981 demo and featuring the "Sparks In A Dark Room" line-up of Van Middendorp, Dekker, Mulder and Roovers - are the most engaging things here. Though the recordings are relatively primitive, rhythmically Mnny Pops sound superb and - coupled with the sparse 12" version of "Time" leave you in no doubt that this was the definitive personnel set up.
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Sadly, that's where the magic truly peters out this time round. "Last Drink In The Lounge" (recorded for a Crepuscule compilation) has a certain kitschy charm, though it must be said that the tracks recorded for the "Poste Restante" soundtrack (by Van Middendorp and Dekker alone) really don't hold the attention. Even more disappointing is the fact that the four tracks from the 1985 reunion album "4th Floor" (recorded by my aforementioned 'classic' line up) are merely pale facsimiles of former glories. Indeed, of these, only "West Desert Shore" comes close to regaining the band;s previously inscrutably heady air of intrigue and ultimately the feeling is of a band long past their use-by date.
Nonetheless, "Secret Stories" remains a worthwhile project, with plenty to again shore up the notion that Minny Pops were/ are an important and (very) unfairly fogotten component in the early 1980s Euro-pop jigsaw. Twenty years on, it's good to see their reputation finally restored.
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