Street Light Shine

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Street Light Shine
Studio album by
the Shirts
Released1979
Genre Rock
Label Capitol
Producer Mike Thorne
The Shirts chronology
The Shirts
(1979)		Street Light Shine
(1979)		Inner Sleeve
(1980)

Street Light Shine is the second album by the American band the Shirts, released in 1979. [1] [2] They supported it with a North American tour. [3] "Out on the Ropes" was released as a single. [4]

Contents

Production

The album was produced by Mike Thorne. [5] The songwriting was shared by the six bandmembers. [6] "Triangulum" is a science fiction narrative. [7] . "Outside the Cathedral Door" contains elements of prog rock. [8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Alternative Rock 7/10 [9]
Robert Christgau B− [10]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Great Indie Discography 4/10 [12]
The Muncie Star B− [13]
Omaha World-Herald Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [14]
The New Rolling Stone Record Guide Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]

The Globe and Mail stated that "there are traces of the New Wave freneticism here, but once past the opening cut, 'Laugh and Walk Away', this outfit settles comfortably into a ballad groove." [16] The Omaha World-Herald noted the "distinctive, varied sound marked by a minimum of anger and negativism." [14] The Spokane Daily Chronicle said that the Shirts' style "is too nebulous, too undefined to be distinctive." [17] Hit Parader dismissed the Shirts as "quite possibly the worst band in New York City." [18]

The Gazette concluded that, "without losing a cutting edge, the sextet shows a penchant for hooks, unusual chord changes, and eminently commercial ditties". [19] The Pittsburgh Press said that the band "deal in arty rock and deliver it in above-average performances." [20] The Daily Breeze called the album "a platter full of overly-sophisticated cabaret-style mish-mash". [7] Robert Christgau stated that the band's "sincerity can be infectious." [10]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Laugh and Walk Away" 
2."Love Is a Fiction" 
3."I'm in Love Again" 
4."Milton at the Savoy" 
5."Ground Zero" 
6."Triangulum" 
7."Out on the Ropes" 
8."Starts with a Handshake" 
9."Maybe, Maybe Not" 
10."I Feel So Nervous" 
11."Outside the Cathedral Door" 

References

  1. ↑ York, William (1982). Who's Who in Rock Music. Scribner. p. 324.
  2. ↑ "Around Town". New York. Vol. 12, no. 34. September 3, 1979. p. 19.
  3. ↑ "The Shirts rock band in free concert at FSU". The Fresno Bee. November 2, 1979. p. H11.
  4. ↑ Olson, Nick (October 25, 1979). "Albums". The Northern Echo. p. 8.
  5. ↑ "Albums". Reading Evening Post. November 10, 1979. p. 10.
  6. ↑ Margulies, Stuart (September 1, 1979). "Shirts' 'Shine' missing some glow". Morning News. p. 37.
  7. 1 2 Bensoua, Joseph (September 28, 1979). "On the record". The Daily Breeze. pp. E9, E13.
  8. 1 2 "Street Light Shine Review by Mark Deming". AllMusic. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  9. ↑ Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Miller Freeman Books. p. 808.
  10. 1 2 "The Shirts". Robert Christgau. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  11. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 7. MUZE. p. 424.
  12. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography. Canongate. p. 141.
  13. ↑ Teverbaugh, Kim (November 18, 1979). "Capsule Reviews". The Muncie Star. p. B9.
  14. 1 2 Smith, Will (August 28, 1979). "New Sounds". Omaha World-Herald. p. 16.
  15. ↑ The New Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House. 1983. p. 460.
  16. ↑ Niester, Alan (September 29, 1979). "Street Light Shine The Shirts". The Globe and Mail. p. F4.
  17. ↑ Wetzel, Carol (September 7, 1979). "Discritique". Focus. Spokane Daily Chronicle. p. 20.
  18. ↑ Spina, James (February 1980). "Spin Addict". Hit Parader. No. 187. p. 15.
  19. ↑ Rodriguez, Juan (September 15, 1979). "'Street Light' shines". The Gazette. p. 89.
  20. ↑ Pratt, Chuck (September 20, 1979). "Records". The Pittsburgh Press. p. D8.
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