Prior to getting a copy of the 30th anniversary re-issue of Walking Into Mirrors, which is out now on Angel Air Records, I have to admit that I'd never heard of English singer-songwriter Johnny Warman. In a nutshell Warman first did time in a band called Bearded Lady in the mid 70's that went tits up shortly after releasing their first single in 1975. After his solo career failed to get off the ground his next effort was with the group 3 Minutes which also didn't last long, however the demos created with that band ended up setting the stage for his debut solo effort Walking Into Mirrors which finally saw the light of day in 1981.
Although his career up until that point had been a series of starts and stops Warman had at least managed to make a few important contacts in the business, and he must have called in a few of those favors here because the cast of musicians backing him up on this album is impressive to say the least, as three out of the four members of Peter Gabriel's backing band lend their talents to this record. The rhythm section is made up of Jerry Marotta on drums and Tony Levin on stick & fretless bass, along with Larry Fast on synthesizers and keyboards. Dave Lawson (keyboards and sequencers) and John Giblin (bass) are also featured while Warman handles all the vocals and guitars.
The music on Walking Into Mirrors is at times to comparable to both Peter Gabriel and Gary Numan's work of the time, although to be fair Warman's vocal style is considerably warmer and more inviting as opposed to Gary's distinctly colder and mechanical delivery. Some similarities to Numan can also be found in the synth arrangements on "Radio Active" and "Searchlights", and the subject matter of "Martian Summer", a track that features some stellar keyboard atmospherics. The leadoff single " Will You Dance With Me", "(SOS) Sending Out Signals", the slightly reggae feel of "Dancing Dolls" and "Screaming Jets" all would have sounded right at home on one of Gabriel's solo albums. In fact Warman even managed to cajole Gabriel into contributing backing vocals to the latter track, so the comparisons aren't entirely unfounded. Surprisingly the bonus tracks tacked on to the end of the album aren't just filler as can often be the case. "American Machines", "Automatic Kids" and "King Robot" are strong enough, that in my mind they sound as if they could have been contenders to go on the original record. The disc also includes the promo videos for "Screaming Jets" and "Walking Into Mirrors".
Walking Into Mirrors is definitely one of those albums that never got the recognition that is deserved when it was originally released, and yet in the subsequent years since it has kind of developed into a cult classic. Hell I'd never heard of it until the folks at Angel Air decided to dust it off and give it a proper reissue. The album has held up remarkably well over time and that's because both the songs and the musicians performing them are all top notch. Certainly worth checking out.
Track Listing
1) Walking Into Mirrors
2) Radio Active
3) Searchlights
4) Martian Summer
5) Screaming Jets
6) Three Minutes
7) Will You Dance With Me?
8) (SOS) Sending Out Signals
9) Dancing Dolls
10) Fantastic Light
11) American Machines (Bonus Track)
12) Automatic Kids (Bonus Track)
13) King Robot (Bonus Track)
14) Future Fun (Live)
15) Here Come The Reds (Bonus Track)
16) Golden Lions (Bonus Track)
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