80's Flashback

The The, Uncertain Smile, 1984. My favorite track from my all-time favorite rock album. There are several versions of Uncertain Smile and if you were clubbing back then, you'll probably know the ten-minute 12" version with the gorgeous sax and flute solos by Crispin Cioe. But this, the album version, closes with three minutes of astounding keyboard work by former Squeeze member Jools Holland, the likes of which I've heard nowhere else. The The had scant success in the U.S., although its primary member and creator Matt Johnson made a little bit of coin here last year when another fantastic track from Soul Mining, the gloomily cheery This Is The Day, was used in an M&M commercial.