By Jim Rowland
Best known for co-founding The Sisters Of Mercy with Andrew Eldritch, and subsequently forming Ghost Dance, Gary Marx is back this month with ‘Red Planet Blue’, the eagerly awaited follow-up to 2024’s ‘Green Ginger Jive’.
‘Red Planet Blue’ is a sprawling, mammoth 72-minute set, primarily designed for double vinyl. As with ‘Green Ginger Jive’, it allows Marx to revisit his teenage years of the 1970’s with a plethora of 70’s-inspired songs bursting with teenage dreams and interstellar themes.
There’s less of an emphasis on good old Bolan boogie on this one, although Bolan’s influence still looms large on several tracks, with this album casting its net a little wider but still very much in the 70’s rock/pop territory.
You can certainly hear additional influences from the likes of Steve Harley, Bowie and even 10cc here, with tracks ranging from all-out glam-tastic thumpers, to delicate acoustic flavoured pieces, and most points in between.
Influence, by Marx’s own admission, has been taken from The Who’s ‘Sell Out’ album in terms of the little interludes and skits that pop up between tracks, as well as Todd Rundgren’s classic ‘A Wizard A True Star’ album where great sounding ideas don’t necessarily have to be dragged out into a traditional full-length song, and indeed many of the tracks here are very short, but link together as a whole well.
It all adds up to a weird, wonderful and clever rocket ride of 70’s flavoured rock/pop that fans of Marx’s recent output will certainly not be disappointed with. Just don’t expect to sound anything like The Sisters Of Mercy!
- ‘Red Planet Blue’ will be released tomorrow (Friday 18 September).