Having grown up in the 80s and with my parents singularly disinterested in modern music, I discovered music, like so many others of my generation, through the biggest bands of that heady era. Bands like Duran Duran, with their outlandish garb and cracking singles, Iron Maiden (the red vinyl and demonic artwork of ‘number of the beast was all it took to get me hooked) and Queen were all regularly on the radio representing home-grown rock whilst from across the pond bands like Motley Crue and Guns ‘n’ roses seemed impossibly cool. Clearly I wasn’t the only one to be taking notes because over in Finland Jyrki 69, Archzie, Timo-Timo, Lotto and Bazie were similarly inspired and, in 1989, The 69 Eyes formed, adding shades of The Doors, sisters of mercy and the Mission to their sound. It paid off. The collision of hard hitting rock, killer pop hooks and the doomier elements of the gothic movement proved to be remarkably enduring and the band have now released ten albums, the most recent being ‘X’, released in 2012. ‘The best of Helsinki vampires’ is a two disc compilation that covers that remarkable career in admirable detail. Featuring 28 tracks, it does as good a job of representing the numerous highs of the 69 eyes’ epic career as you could hope for and it also proves to be a perfect introduction to the band’s music.
Collecting together the band’s hit singles, as well as offering up new track ‘lost without love’, ‘best of…’ pulls no punches. It kicks off with the one-two punch of ‘lost boys’ and ‘perfect skin’, both perfect examples of gothic rock complete with the sort of hooks that stick in the mind for months. It’s immediately clear just why the 69 Eyes have endured and their catalogue sits on a par with that other revered gothic institution, the sisters of mercy. Amongst the gems on offer you’ll find the driving pop of ‘Brandon Lee’ and the new single, in particular, is noteworthy thanks to a sky-scraping chorus that has as much in common with early U2 (before Bono’s ego went native) as it does with creepy, hard-rock infused homages to the doors. Highlights fly thick and fast and there’s a juicy vein of quality that runs through the whole package, with the likes of the chugging ‘feel Berlin’ doing a good job of predicting latter-day Manic Street Preachers whilst the hard ‘n’ heavy ‘dead girls are easy’ showcases the band’s heavier roots.
If best of compilations aren’t your thing, then Nuclear Blast have you covered because also coming out on the same day we have special editions of ‘Paris Kills’ (2002), ‘Devils’ (2004) and ‘angels’ (2007). Of these albums, ‘Paris Kills’ is probably the most well-known thanks to its going platinum but all three are strong examples of the 69 eyes at their not inconsiderable peak and each reissue offers up bonus tracks in the form of radio edits, rare remixes and unreleased recordings.
Listening to ‘Paris Kills’ now, it is easy to see why the album captured the hearts of fans. It kicks off with the sound of a jet plane landing (a trick used by the Beatles to grand effect on the White album) and details some of the bands most accessible tracks. The likes of ‘crashing high’ with its driving beat and restrained guitar work is clearly the work of a battle hardened band maturely appraising their style to deliver a powerful distillation of their best elements. That’s not to say the band don’t rock out and the likes of ‘grey’ and ‘stigmata’ pack the sort of rock punch that could easily set the rock club dance-floor alight, the latter in particular hitting that peculiar vein of velvet clad gothic rock that made Type of Negative a perennial favourite amongst rock fans of a darker persuasion.
‘Devils’ had a hard act to follow, but it doesn’t show and the band sound sublimely confident on the pure driving rock of ‘nothing on you’, a song that emphasizes those doors influences, whilst the string-enhanced ‘sister of charity’ shows that some bands were unafraid to dabble in the dark, electro-tipped rock territory that Paradise Lost were so unfairly pilloried for on ‘host’. Arguably a darker, tighter record than its predecessor, ‘Devils’ impressively sees the band expand rather than consolidate their sound, and far from being content to sit on their platinum-selling laurels, the 69 eyes do a fine job of exploring the various elements of their sound without sounding like they’ve settled on a formula.
It was to be another three years before ‘angels’, but the gap seems to have lit a fire under the band, because where ‘devils’ is largely a stately album, ‘angels’ kicks off with its brutal title track and barely lets up with songs like the self-explanatory ‘rocker’ proving to be a near perfect anthem for the disaffected. It is an album of highlights with songs like the haunting ‘ghost’, the stuttering ‘perfect skin’ and the pummelling ‘Los Angeles’ all proudly carrying the 69 eyes name forward.
Inevitably on all of the above releases the production is impeccable, perfectly marrying the synth elements with suitably gnarled guitar and, at the heart of it all, Jyrki 69’s rich baritone, penetrating the miasma and delivering the lyrics with immense grandeur. Sadly we haven’t had a chance to assess the packaging, but Nuclear Blast have a good track record in this department and it is clear that these justly revered albums have been treated with appropriate respect.
The ultimate question, of course, is should you buy these albums? For those looking for a primer, or a handy compilation of the band’s greatest moments then the best of is absolutely the place to start. As for the albums, if you don’t already own them then you owe it to yourself to track these beauties down. The perfect marriage of gothic rock, hard rock and pop sensibilities, each of the three albums on offer are, quite simply, excellent. If, however, you already own these records then it is unlikely that the three bonus tracks will entice you to further expense. Overall, then, this reissue campaign offers newcomers the perfect opportunity to discover the 69 eyes, whilst the best of justifies its title by managing to avoid a single weak moment. With 28 songs on offer, it’s a generous package that lasts some two hours, whilst the special edition CDs each offer three additional tracks. A most welcome reminder of the immense power of the 69 eyes, the best of, ‘Paris Kills’, ‘Devils’ and ‘Angels’ are all set for a 10th April release in Europe via Nuclear Blast and come highly recommended.
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