All of This and Nothing

Album Review

The Psychedelic Furs acquired a million or so more fans in 1986 after they re-recorded their early '80s classic "Pretty in Pink" for the John Hughes box-office smash of the same name. The Top-40 success of "Heartbreak Beat" a year later took the once enigmatic new wave band further into the mainstream. 1988's All of This and Nothing is basically a tutorial for late Furs converts. The group's original followers probably have most of the lyrics memorized, but the album is an accessible and enlightening introduction to the band. "Imitation of Christ" and "Sister Europe" are from the group's self-titled 1980 debut, and their dark, ragged edges offer a glimpse of the band's less commercial younger days. On the gorgeous "Love My Way" the Furs have more of a pop flavor, giving hints at the group's subsequent transformation. It was on 1984's Mirror Moves that the Psychedelic Furs completely softened their abrasiveness and began writing warm, keyboard-laden songs. Accused of selling out at the time by diehard aficionados, the Psychedelic Furs actually improved on Mirror Moves; their music became more pleasing to the ear, as exemplified on the hauntingly beautiful ballad "The Ghost in You" and the soaring "Heaven". Richard Butler's voice remained as raspy as ever, but it took on a more romantic tone that was very appealing. 1987's ultra slick Midnight to Midnight is represented here by the aforementioned "Heartbreak Beat". "Heartbreak Beat" has silly, clichéd lyrics (i.e. "There's a heartbreak beat/And it feels like love"; nevertheless, its nonsense hooks are deliriously catchy. With ts swirling guitars and sarcastic lyrics, "All That Money Wants" was seen as a return to the Furs of old when it was included as a new track on All of This and Nothing. It's not. The tune merely combines the dissonance of their first full-length with their stronger melodic sensibilities in the mid-'80s. All of This and Nothing effectively summarizes the Psychedelic Furs' evolution from a left-of-center British rock band to a stylish alternative pop act.