James Lansing On The First Time I Heard A Flock of Seagulls’ I RAN
The first time I heard I RAN it was live at a club in New Jersey.
I had read about A Flock of Seagulls in Trouser Press - the early 1980s bible of British bands, but had not heard them yet.
As I rounded the stage, the band was just starting the song. It sounded as if it emanated from another planet, and they looked like they were from another dimension.
As Paul Reynolds’ (one of the era’s most overlooked guitarists) guitar lines pulsated through me, I felt like this was music’s future; Mike Score’s iconic winged hairstyle didn’t hurt, and the tight, futuristic composition was sonic perfection.
The song’s atmospheric rhythm and driving bass encapsulated the musical landscape. The long, ethereal instrumental sections left room for one to become lost in the band’s aura.
Everything in music seemed to be changing at the time... for the better. Bands were new and exciting, they were different, and each offered its own sound and swagger. On the way home that night, my musical taste solidified. And to echo Robert Frost, in music I have continued to run on the “road less traveled by,” and that has made all the difference in so, so many ways.
| James Lansing lives with his fiance Dawn, remains an avid music nut to this day, and spends his time as a museum curator, while teaching high school kids to follow their own paths.
As Paul Reynolds’ (one of the era’s most overlooked guitarists) guitar lines pulsated through me, I felt like this was music’s future; Mike Score’s iconic winged hairstyle didn’t hurt, and the tight, futuristic composition was sonic perfection.
The song’s atmospheric rhythm and driving bass encapsulated the musical landscape. The long, ethereal instrumental sections left room for one to become lost in the band’s aura.
Everything in music seemed to be changing at the time... for the better. Bands were new and exciting, they were different, and each offered its own sound and swagger. On the way home that night, my musical taste solidified. And to echo Robert Frost, in music I have continued to run on the “road less traveled by,” and that has made all the difference in so, so many ways.
| James Lansing lives with his fiance Dawn, remains an avid music nut to this day, and spends his time as a museum curator, while teaching high school kids to follow their own paths.