 Sunrise The early 70s was an especially quiet period for all-girl groups. The Brill Building, Motown, and Spector acts were largely out of view, the Runaways wouldn't surface for a few years, and Josie & the Pussycats were either saviours or demons, depending on your point of view. Only Fanny had much national attention, but there were countless local bands burning musical bras across the country. Carrying the torch in St. Louis was Sunrise, a seven piece high-school act, whose set list teetered between innocuous 50s covers ("At The Hop," "Johnny B. Goode") and the styles of the times ("Half-Breed," "You're So Vain"). They tried to fuse the two into a defiant image of "a Movement … a new realization of self awareness" (according to the Rosie Paule-penned liner notes). Unforutunately, the end result stinks of a few overeager parents who were riding a gimmick instead of an actual "movement." The girls and their parents probably had a good time; the live shows had a very groovy potential; but the album falls face-flat on many levels. I'm all for girl power, but with hindsight, I'm glad I grew up in the era of the Go-Go's instead of that of Sunrise. Though I am jealous that I'm too old to have come of age with Fannypack. See how much better women's lives have become over the years?
Review by Quinzio |