Album Notes

Steve Barton not only knows where his music is going, he knows where it comes from. As a founding member of 80s cult favorites Translator, Barton confounded and delighted critics and fans alike by consistently creating songs that not only embraced the excitement of classic pop, but also managed to shine a light on the future. Bands like REM were able to burst through the artistic doors that Translator helped to jimmy open.

Translator was signed to Howie Klein's 415 Records (along with contemporaries Pearl Harbor & The Explosions and Romeo Void), just as the label itself was being snapped up by Columbia Records. Their debut single, the now classic and ridiculously catchy Everywhere That I'm Not, started a run of great singles and four remarkable albums. Though their music consistently garnered critic's top marks, it went largely undiscovered. In 1986 the band - tired, disillusioned, and pulling in different directions - finally called it a day.

For Barton, the years that followed the breakup included intensive writing, both alone and with performers such as John Wesley Harding (their collaboration, "Summer Single", can be found on Harding's "Pett Levels" CD), playing guitar for hire, and joining with Translator in a one-off reunion.

In 2000, he released his striking solo debut CD "The Boy Who Rode His Bike Around The World". This album reunites Steve with Dave Scheff and Larry Dekker from Translator for several of the songs. The disc is produced by Steve, Marvin Etzioni, Steve Berlin (for Los Lobos) and Ed Stasium. Each song has its own unique treatment - a lo-fi garage rock song ("Throwing Dynamite At The Sun"), a demented string quartet backing for "Trapeze In Blue", a bashed out 3-minute rock and roll single vibe for "Pop Star Shine". A very cool debut!