ABSOLUTELY IMMUNE

I was somewhat bemused that, until a few years after I got involved in this blogging malarkey, I had never heard of the late-80s synthpop act, Act.

The duo, consisting of the Scots-born musician Thomas Leer and the West German-born singer Claudia Brücken, came together in 1987 just after the break-up of the initial line-up of Propaganda, with whom Claudia had enjoyed some success back in 1985.  Act weren’t around all that long, something in the region of 18 months, but it was a period that coincided with when I wasn’t paying too much attention to music, which is why their four singles and sole album, all of which were issued by ZTT, completely passed me by.

Laughter, Tears and Rage was the name of the album, and in 2004, it was given an extended release in a limited edition box set across 3xCDs.  It brought together the album, all the singles plus b-sides, a number of remixes, instrumental versions and some tracks that hadn’t previously seen the light of day.   The box set goes for upwards of £55 on Discogs – I don’t own a copy, but I did use a bit of villainy a few years back when someone temporarily made all three discs available to download, which is how I came to actually hear their music.

It’s a bit hit-and-miss, although some things are very good indeed.  I’ve kept an eye out for some second hand copies of their releases and was quite pleased that two of the 12″ singles popped up in a shop in Glasgow last year with very reasonable asking prices, and I thought it would be worth bringing one to your attention today.

mp3: Act – Absolutely Immune (extended version)

It was their second single, a follow-up to Snobbery and Decay which had actually managed to break into the charts in May 1987, reaching #60.

Absolutely Immune has a sound that’s not a million miles away from that of Propaganda, which is no surprise given the producer was Stephen Lipson who had been involved in their hit album A Secret Wish.  There was, however, no appetite for the music and the single didn’t make it into the Top 75.  Neither did I Can’t Escape From You, which was the duo’s third and final single (a copy of which I also picked up in the Glasgow shop), with a similar fate befalling the album.   Act called it a day shortly afterwards, with ZTT having to absorb a big loss on its investment.

There are two tracks on the b-side of this 12″

mp3 : Act – White Rabbit
mp3 : Act – Bloodrush

The latter would be included on the CD version of Snobbery and Decay, but not the vinyl version. The former is a cover, of a 1967 hit in the USA for Jefferson Airplane, one that has been used on numerous occasions in film and television, including Full Metal Jacket, The Sopranos and Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas.

JC