The Three O'Clock

A long-overdue reissue of the Three O'Clock's two mid-'80s albums for IRS Records (and the first appearance of 1985's Arrive Without Traveling on CD), this is a boon for fans of the neo-psychedelic paisley underground scene. Thing is, these are the albums on which the Los Angeles-based quartet begin to move away from the '60s-obsessed psych-pop of their earlier albums. Arrive Without Traveling updates the sound by a decade or so, adding a slightly glam crunch and an AM radio gloss to tunes that recall the glory days of the Sweet and Wings. The powerhouse "Her Head's Revolving" and the swooning "Underwater" are the highlights, but the whole album has the same sort of gleefully unfashionable pop/rock charm as singer-bassist Michael Quercio's buddies Redd Kross. 1986's Ever After is a bit of a stumble, with the band losing guitarist Louis Gutierrez, and with him a lot of their punch. Ian Broudie was an inspired choice for producer -- as his later group, the Lightning Seeds, would occupy a similar musical niche -- but the overall sound is oddly dated in retrospect. Quercio's songwriting is notably weaker this time around; the melodies are less sparkling and the lyrics lack his usual playfulness. For every winner, like the touching closer "Songs and Gentle Words" and the delightful "The Penny Girls," there's an over-long filler track like "Follow Him Around," making Ever After a frustratingly uneven follow-up to a terrific, underappreciated album. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide