Thursday 7 May 2020

Doris Norton ‎– "Parapsycho" (Disco Più ‎– DP 39021) 1981


Its 1981, It's Italy;every other country has gone punk kerazzy, men are wearing dresses in certain London nitespots, but Italy are still doing Progressive Rock......which was about as much a 'Punk Rock' thing to do as is possible in 1981,in London,...but not in Italy. Van Der Graaf Generator were still getting number one albums,and Beatle-mania style scenes greeted their regular tours there.
Qute fucking right too? Who wants 'The Clash' (yawn), churning out their eclectic musically correct bland-outs from 'Sandinista' when you have VDGG doing 'Pawn Hearts' Live!? I know what I'd certainly choose.
Doris gets some stick for making programmed new wave Italo-disco music,fair enough; but here's Doris's Prog concept album about mental illness. She's singing like mickey mouse on PCP, there's electric guitars, proper well-played keyboards, and shifting song tempo's!? 
She must have nipped home to the UK after this, to visit family or something, then became exposed to Gary Numan, or Gary Numan exposed himself to her...I dunno. She must have got the change in direction from somewhere.....certainly not from Italy.
This is either her best album, or her worst....I can't make up my mind.....but bonus track,"Precognition", has got one of the chunkiest Synth basslines ever to accompany any clueless cheesy rock guitar riff,ever.


Tracklist:

1 Parapsycho 3:00
2 Ludus 5:10
3 Psychic Research 4:06
4 Telepathia 3:00
5 Hypnotised By Norton 9:24
6 Tears 2:16
7 Obsession 3:08
8 Precognition(Bonus Track) 5:11


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I like you weird sense of humour, but of course in 1981 VDGG were forgotten, still in Italy, and Clash charted n. 36, 14th or 15th non italian artist, btw.:)
https://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_yenda/lpe1981.htm

parmalee said...

Kinda seems like she was at a complete loss for titles, so she grabbed an Amon Duul I record and said, "These'll do."