A Flock of Seagulls stuck around longer than many critics figured, but by 1986 things looked bad for the group who had become synonymous with the term "haircut band." Synth pop from the U.K. was out, guitars were back in, and
Flock of Seagulls' stalwart six-stringer, Paul Reynolds, had quit. Undaunted, the remaining trio relocated to Philadelphia and attempted a more poppier, soulful, and American sound for their fourth album. Unfortunately, the result ended up finishing off the floundering
Flock, as the new direction was a critical and commercial bomb. With frontman
Mike Score as the primary songwriter and producer (along with veteran boardman Wayne Braithwaite, who'd worked with acts like
Kenny G. and
Billy Ocean), the group did manage one memorable single; "Heartbeat Like a Drum," with its chattering sequencers and colorful production tricks, seemed like an endearing attempt to re-create
Scritti Politti's bubblegum electro-funk. But the rest of the album -- featuring already-lifeless songs drowned in Fairlights, female backing vocals, and clumsy attempts to groove -- confirmed that the group whose chart odyssey began in earnest with "I Ran" had finally run out of steam. Reaching a career nadir with the faux-R&B of "Love on Your Knees," which combined a nursery rhyme melody with a self-explanatory sexual sentiment,
Flock of Seagulls likely drove away any remaining fans attracted by the otherworldly new wave of past hits like "Space Age Love Song" and "Wishing." That accomplished, the band had little else to do but split up, although
Mike Score would make two subsequent attempts to revive it with a different supporting cast. ~ Dan LeRoy