Eyes! China Doll

Legendary Pink Dots frontman Edward Ka-Spel released his first solo album in 1984. It was reissued shortly in 1989 and had been out of print ever since (although most of the songs resurfaced on the Down in the City of Heartbreak and Needles collections), until Beta-lactam Ring reissued it in 2005. The master tapes had been damaged soon after the initial release, so LPD sound wizard Raymond Steeg restored a good vinyl copy and worked from there. The result gives a very decent sound quality that befits the D.I.Y. feel of the music (the whole album is said to have been recorded over two weekends on borrowed equipment). Surface noise is audible during quiet passages — in “Suicide Pact,” in particular — but it doesn’t mar the listening experience. Recorded circa the Dots’ The Lovers LP, Laugh China Doll puts forth a similarly dark mood. Understandably, the arrangements are somewhat sparser and much more keyboard-based. Fellow Dotters Patrick Paganini and Patrick White make guest appearances on one track each, but otherwise this is all about the singer and his keyboards and drum machines. The man is in top melodic shape, his gothic songs negotiating a fine balance between monotonous detachment and catchy lines. “Lady Sunshine,” “Requiem,” and “Lisa’s Funeral” stand out as particularly well-written songs with gripping lyrics. Compared to Ka-Spel’s later solo efforts, this one sounds pretty straightforward and accessible, since the only experimental instrumental development is found in the second part of “Lisa’s Funeral/The Glass Moved by Itself.” [The Beta-lactam Ring reissue reinstates the studio version of "Suicide Pact" omitted from the 1989 reissue due to a faulty master; the live version that used to replace it has been moved to the end of the album, after four other bonus tracks. "Even Now," "Dance of the China Dolls," and "Moments" are taken from the 1984 EP Dance China Doll. Two of these tracks feature occasional LPD female vocalist Lilly Ak. The mood is somewhat lighter than on the album tracks. The other bonus track is a live rendition of "The Fool, with Hammers," first released on the compilation album Perhaps We'll Only See a Thin Blue Line (incidentally, a lyric from "Requiem") and taken from the same concert as "Suicide Pact." Fans of the Dots who care little for Ka-Spel's experimental endeavors can be reassured: Laugh China Doll doesn't stray very far from The Lovers, The Tower, or Asylum.] ~ Fran ois Couture, Rovi

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