Nearly a Sin

A lost gem from the 80's. Well, actually no one heard it then. I love this album and recommend it if you are a Bowie fan or a fan of British glam pop.

Its yet another oldie added to my collection in 2017 when I was only going to buy new releases this year. But when I saw that the great One The Juggler's near perfect first album, Nearly A Sin, was available at last on CD I didn’t hesitate; no permission sought I'll seek forgiveness later. How I missed its release two years ago I'll never know, and I won't be forgiving myself for going two years longer than I needed to hear this masterpiece again. If your reading this you probably already know about One The Juggler and that Nearly A Sin is one of the greatest albums never to have figured in an all-time great list, in which case, if you haven't done so already buy it now while you can. But if your new One The Juggler, or haven't heard Nearly A Sin, or just need reminding, then read on. So who, or what, was a One The Juggler? Simply the second best band of the early 80's as far as I am concerned (my best band of the 80's being The Vapors, and another one that shouldn't have slipped through the net but that gives you a clue to my musical taste). I saw One the Juggler at the Marquee, why or when I can't remember but from that moment I was hooked and I bought this album on vinyl as soon as it was released and played it on heavy rotation until I switched exclusively to CDs five or so years later. And until the postman came this morning it had been more than 30 years since I last heard these songs, but now my world has regained its equilibrium and my newest CD is on repeat as I write this; and its still as fresh as it was 35 years ago; and whilst in all other aspects my memory is fading I still remember the great OTJ lyrics. But that doesn’t answer the question, why was One The Juggler one of my all-time favourites? Named after the first tarot card, this South London outfit looked great and sounded better. Dressed like gypsies, with their own sound, an 80's guitar and sax-led precursor of Poodle-Rock in collision with 70's Bowie, Mott The Hoople and Cockney Rebel (three all time faves of mine) coupled to a set of catchy tunes and tongue-in-cheek lyrics they should have taken the charts by storm, but didn't. From the opening track Enjoy Yourself, and you will, to the closing Damage Reprise there isn't a duffer on the original album. Of course the singles Passion Killer, Damage Is Done and Djangos Coming stand-out but equally strong are the album tracks Mr. Wolf, Blind Old Senator, A Minor Goes EFF and Patience Of A Saint. And after Nearly A Sin we have nine extra tracks, no duffers, starting with the eponymous Nearly A Sin and finishing with the non-album single It Hurts, a gorgeous piece of glam-rock balladry, a sort of South London Every Rose Has its Thorns. So if you like your music rocking in a 70's glam-style with riffs and hooks you can hang your hat on, then Nearly A Sin is for you. So why didn’t they make it big, I don't know, wrong sound/wrong place/wrong time? But I do know that talent isn't always rewarded in the music business, I refer you back to The Vapors. PS I am off to check-out Glamweazel the phoenix that has risen from the ashes of OTJ.

I awaited this re-release of Nearly a Sin with the same anticipation that I did back in the dark distant 80's. I wasn't to be disappointed. An absolute triumph of an album. This really is the album David Bowie and Ian Hunter would have wanted to make. Great production of songs like Passion Killer, Are You the One, Damage is Done, to name but a few, shows the quality song writing and craftsmanship of a great British band that should have been destined for greater things. Sadly this wasn't to happen. As an added bonus is there are nine extra tracks on the CD. Do yourself a favour and in the words of the opening track, Enjoy Yourself and buy this album. - Ian Kilpatrick

There is one song on this album. 'Passion killer'. By the end of the album I was drumming my fingers and contemplating taking it off. However, that one track is worth the price of the album. And you never know, you could get into the rest of it sometime. (Okay - that was a little harsh...) So still buy it!

Amazing album and long overdue. Songs written with real feeling and played with a passion that only true musicians possess in an age of synthetic sampling. This fills you with a sense of joy and mischief and stays you. This is not just nearly a sin this is revelling in it. Finally and with thanks Django is here:)

One of the most underrated bands in history.