The Buoys Timothy

The Buoys: Billy Kelly (vocals); Chris Hanlon (guitar); Fran Brozena (keyboards); Gerry Hludzik (bass); Carl Siracuse (drums).

This is highly produced midtempo pop/rock, with flutes, horns, and other attributes that didn't have a lot to do with rock & roll. Apart from "Timothy" -- one of the strangest "death songs" ever to grace the charts, about three miners trapped in a cave who resort to cannibalism -- which at least has a sort of beat, the material here is largely pseudo-sophisticated pop/rock with arty pretensions. The flowery compositions ("Sunny Days/Memories," "The Prince of Thieves," etc.) come complete with prominent string sections and flutes, and the occasional guitar run and prominent drum roll (just to remind people that this is a rock band they're listening to). These 18 songs comprise The Buoys' entire history on Sceptre and Polydor. ~ Bruce Eder