3WC*
	Produced by Bruce Fairbairn (track 6 by Roy Thomas Baker, Mick Jones, Ian McDonald and Bruce Fairbairn)
	Released on 1980
	no chart information
	Find it at GEMM
SB 7110 cover [high resolution photo]

I n picking up this album for a dollar, I felt I was closing the book on the extracurricular adventures of Foreigner. Instead it came with a pricely cost, opening the book on strange new worlds with names like Stories and Prism. (“You would use a book analogy, you weenie,” chimed the troll.) If, like me, you were expecting two-fisted rock in the fashion of Foreigner, save your money for Lou Gramm’s records. Lloyd straddles the middle world of rock and new wave on 3WC* like a male version of Pat Benatar (artistically not physically). Despite the grave title, Third Wave Civilization isn’t a blueprint for the future (if Lloyd had any inkling into the future, he probably wouldn’t have recorded a version of Gary Glitter’s “Do You Wanna Touch Me”). Instead, it’s music that would have felt right comfortable in 1980 and, today, maybe a little self-conscious. Lloyd writes some of the music himself but takes help when it’s offered, including two great songs from Bryan Adams (let’s see if that gets past spellcheck) and a winner from Mick Jones. Going back to those Bryan Adams songs, they’re interesting because they pre-date Adams’ own success with them: “Lonely Nights,” “Straight From The Heart.” While Lloyd’s weary voice is well-suited to the ballad, “Lonely Nights” is hands-down the best thing on here and should have been the album’s uncontestable hit. A second single (if I was picking them) would have been Jim Vallance’s “Can’t Get Enough of You,” which captures the taught post-Cars sound better than the opening Glitter track. But the thing of it is, I’m not even supposed to be here reviewing this album. I was lured by the presence of Mick Jones and Al Greenwood, only to find that 3WC* and 4NR are dissimilar alphanumerical creatures. So me and my dollar are going home, itching from two new species of underbrush called Prism and Stories.

SB 7110 back cover

TRACK LISTING

1. DO YOU WANNA TOUCH ME (OH YEAH)    (Gary Glitter/Mike Leander)    3:23
2. STOP IN THE NAME OF LOVE    (Brian Holland/Lamont Dozier/Eddie Holland)    3:26
3. DEDICATED TO YOU    (Ian Lloyd)    4:56
4. LONELY NIGHTS    (Jim Vallance/Bryan Adams)    3:30
5. CAN'T GET ENOUGH    (Jim Vallance)    3:07
6. TROUBLE    (Mick Jones)    3:36
7. WALK AWAY    (Al Greenwood/Ian Lloyd/Bruce Fairbairn)    3:34
8. STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART    (Bryan Adams)    2:36
9. THIRD WAVE CIVILIZATION    (Ian Lloyd/Jim Vallance)    3:18
10. WANDERERS    (Ian Lloyd)    2:27

CREDITS

IAN LLOYD -- lead vocals, backing vocals
AL GREENWOOD -- synthesizers
MICK JONES -- lead & rhythm guitars
JIM VALLANCE -- drums, bass, guitars & keyboards
Bryan Adams -- rhythm guitar (4)
The Aliens -- all instruments (6)
Paul Dean -- rhythm guitar (1)
Bruce Fairbairn -- backing vocals
Nancy Nash -- backing vocals (2)
Jimmy Douglass -- mixing engineer
Geoff Turner -- mixing engineer
Geoff Workman -- engineer
Sandi Young -- art direction
Larry Williams -- photography

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