Blaze of Glory (Game Theory album)

Background

Prior to founding Game Theory, Scott Miller had been the lead singer and songwriter of Alternate Learning, which issued an EP in 1979 and an LP in 1981. Alternate Learning was based in Sacramento and Davis, and frequently performed at U.C. Davis until it was officially disbanded by Miller in May 1982. Within a few months, Miller had formed Game Theory, which included Nancy Becker, who had previously performed on synthesizer as a "sometime" member of Alternate Learning.

Reviews and critical reception

In 2001's All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music, critic Chris Woodstra called Blaze of Glory "a pleasant amalgam of '60s pure pop and the quirkier elements of new wave" that "only hinted at the band's potential."

According to Trouser Press, the album was a "promising debut" with "awfully thin sound and more enthusiasm than skill." Conversely, AllMusic's Stewart Mason wrote in 2002 that despite Blaze of Glory′s "extremely inconsistent" songwriting and "funky homemade feel," the album was a "clear signpost towards the hyperactively literate art pop of Game Theory's later albums", with "a handful of early gems." Mason specifically cited "Sleeping Through Heaven" as "jubilant... a fan favorite", as well as "Bad Year at UCLA," with its "wry collegiate angst". Mason also wrote of "Date With an Angel" as "giddy and galloping... one of Miller's sunniest sounding songs," featuring a "jangly guitar-led arrangement" predating the "Paisley Underground-influenced sound of 1985's Real Nighttime."

In 2014, prior to the reissue, Omnivore Recordings wrote that Blaze of Glory displayed the origins of the "power-pop mixed with new-wave sensibilities" for which Game Theory was later to be known, with hints of "the upcoming Paisley Underground sound that would take California by storm," According to CMJ, on Blaze of Glory, Miller's "primitive electro sounds" and jangle pop displayed "a wee hint of punk residue, sounding today like a 2014 indie-pop band landing in 1982, mutated, from a Star Trek transporter."

Blurt described Blaze of Glory as "that special kind of debut album – not perfect, perhaps, but boiling over with so many ideas and so much talent it makes you eager to hear where the band goes with the rest of its career." Reviewing the 2014 reissue, Blurt added:

Considered somewhat raw, even amateurish, at the time of its original 1982 release, the record sounds far more accomplished in retrospect. The low budget nature of the production would be in vogue 15 years later, and the sonics indicate a band that knew how to make the most of its time in the studio. More importantly, Miller's vision for Game Theory – a masterful blend of the catchy, synth-frosted new wave of the day with a 60s-inspired approach to psychedelic arrangements and atmosphere, garnished by lyrics more concerned with feel than meaning – was there from the beginning, springing fully formed from Miller's brow like Athena bursting forth from Zeus' noggin. Tinkly synthesizers weave in and out of jangling guitar paintings, while Miller's inimitable voice – high, keening, edging into a whine but never quite getting there – croons over the top. The rhythm section bounces gracefully between caffeinated bop and elastic shimmy, supporting Miller's whimsy wherever it leads.

According to Wilfully Obscure, the debut "charts the slyly esoteric path that Game Theory were poised to venture off on," and "boasts some profoundly great signature tunes" in a "stunning reissue." Jeff Elbel of The Big Takeover described the band's sound as "rooted in a propulsive, guitar-based jangle." Elbel praised the album's "personal, handmade character" and Omnivore's restoration for preserving its "low-budget origin" with a "clean, clear and full-bodied" enhancement. While the 2014 remastering may have reinforced "certain flaws in the recording and mix," AllMusic's Mark Deming concluded that "the best moments sound better than ever." The Vinyl District ranked the album as #9 (tie) in its list of 2014's best reissues.

Other performances (1987–2014)

"Bad Year at UCLA (Reprise)," a thirty-second acoustic guitar version of "Bad Year at UCLA" with Scott Miller humming the vocal melody, appears as a bonus track on the 2014 Blaze of Glory CD reissue. Originally recorded in 1987, the track first appeared as a backward recording on Game Theory's double album Lolita Nation, under the title "Turn Me On Dead Man."

Game Theory's 2013 reunion show, a memorial tribute to Scott Miller, included performances of "Bad Year at UCLA" and "Sleeping Through Heaven."

Since Miller's death, "Sleeping Through Heaven" has been covered in live performances by Bradley Skaught and The Bye Bye Blackbirds.

Track listing

All tracks written by Scott Miller, except as noted.

Members

LP credits

Guest musicians:

Production credits:

Performance

Production