the Psychedelic Furs - Mirror Moves

This month marks the thirtieth anniversary of Mirror Moves, the fourth studio album from the Psychedelic Furs. World-wide, it went number 92 in Australia, number 26 in Sweden, number 16 in Canada, number 15 in the UK and number 5 in New Zealand. Here in the US, it spent twenty-seven weeks on the US Billboard Album chart, peaking at number 43.


Side one opens with "The Ghost In You". As the second single, it went to number 85 in Canada, number 68 in the UK, number 59 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 32 in New Zealand. This one, with its steady current of bobbing synth waves, takes me back to my college days.

"Here Come Cowboys" is up next. You can hear the influence of bands like Duran Duran on the Furs with this track. Clearly, they were hoping to garner as much commercial success as some of their fellow Brit bands.

"Heaven" was the first single; it went to number 41 in New Zealand and number 29 in the UK. This one reminds me of a lot of college parties back in the mid-80's.

The single for "Heartbeat" reached number 62 in the UK and number 4 on the US Billboard Dance chart. I have to say, despite its performance on the US Dance chart, that this one is not really a favorite of mine. For me, it pales in comparison to the other two singles.

The tempo slows a bit as "My Time" closes out the first half.

Side two starts with "Like a Stranger".

The next stop is "Alice's House", a dance ditty with a hint of curious quirkiness.

"Only a Game" follows. This one drones on and on, threatening to put me to sleep.

The final track off the album is "Highwire Days", an actually return to the heights of which the record opened.

For me, Mirror Moves starts out strong but then quickly loses momentum. Clearly the Psychedelic Furs were in transition at this point, down a number of members from their original debut line up and searching for a new sound. This record is definitely part of that transition period.

For my blog posts relating to the Psychedelic Furs, click here.