The Members - Uprhythm, Downbeat (1982)

The punk-orthodoxy view of the Members is that after a string of promising reggae-tinged singles, the septet released one fine album in 1979's "At the Chelsea Nightclub", then lost the plot completely with the follow-up, 1980: "The Choice Is Yours", after which they're ignored with an embarrassed throat-clearing. In point of fact, however, the Members rebounded after their second album (which itself is actually not nearly as bad as many would have you believe, sort of the Members' own version of "Sandinista!" in its appealing looseness and lack of consistent focus) by ridding themselves of any lingering punk associations and going for a complete sonic makeover. 

The band joined up with producer Martin Rushent (Human League, Altered Images, the Go-Go's), who was a master of making unpromisingly non-commercial bands have big shiny hit records without losing their souls in the process. Rushent nailed it immediately with the Members, concocting the utterly delightful "Working Girl." A mixture of snarky lyrics about the joys of freeloading and a genuinely transcendent chorus, "Working Girl" is a classic '80s pop single and -- despite the protestations of the punker than thou -- easily the best thing the Members ever did. Yes, including "Solitary Confinement." Sadly, the rest of Uprhythm Downbeat doesn't reach the same heights, but the good outweighs the bad, including an inspired reggae version of Kraftwerk's "The Model," the self-celebrating "The Family" and "Boys Like Us," and another minor hit, "Going West."

Tracklist:

"Working Girl" (Nick Tesco, Jean-Marie Carroll) 4:09
"The Family" (Jean-Marie Carroll) 4:11
"The Model" (Ralf Hütter, Karl Bartos, Emil Schult) 5:10
"Chairman of the Board" (Nick Tesco, Payne, Jean-Marie Carroll) 4:05
"Boys Like Us" (Nick Tesco, Adrian Lillywhite, Chris Payne, Jean-Marie Carroll, Simon Lloyd, Steve Thompson, Nigel Bennett) 4:11
"Going West" (Chris Payne) 4:10
"Radio" (Nigel Bennett) 5:52
"Fire (in My Heart)" (Nick Tesco, Adrian Lillywhite, Chris Payne, Jean-Marie Carroll, Simon Lloyd, Steve Thompson, Nigel Bennett) 4:19
"You and Me Against the World" (Nick Tesco, Adrian Lillywhite, Chris Payne, Jean-Marie Carroll, Simon Lloyd, Steve Thompson, Nigel Bennett) 4:22
"We the People" (Nick Tesco, Chris Payne) 5:10

2006 CD Bonus Tracks:

"Working Girl" (single version)
"Holiday in Tanganika"
"Every Day is Just a Holiday"
"If You Can't Stand Up"
"At the Arcade"
"Membership"

The Members - Uprhythm, Downbeat (1982)

(128 kbps, cover art included)