Buster Smiles - Modern Times (Remastered & Expanded) (1984) [Hi-Res]

Buster Smiles was a Dutch pop group formed in 1982, with keyboardist and primary songwriter Ruud de Grood (b. 1957, Ravenstein/Nijmegen) at its creative core. The band rose to prominence quickly: a second-place finish in the finals of the prestigious «Grote Prijs van Nederland» talent competition, followed by nationwide airplay for their single «Wish I Could Get You» courtesy of radio DJ Frits Pits, secured them a recording deal with Willem van Kooten's «21 Records» label — setting the stage for the debut album Modern Times (1984).
Musically, the record is rooted in the Western European synth-pop and new wave currents of the early 1980s: polished melodies, restrained electronic arrangements, and an unapologetic orientation toward radio-ready pop. Track titles like «Nighthawks», «Hall of Fading Footsteps», and «Slowing Down Time» convey a mood of melancholic urban romanticism characteristic of the era.
The Red Bullet Remastered & Expanded edition supplements the original LP with four archival pieces — an early version of «Countless Hearts» (B-side of the «Walk on the Water» single), a studio outtake of «One More Drink», a demo of «Slowin' Down Time», and the B-side «Black Box» from the «Slowin' Down Time» single — offering an insight into the group's creative process and the recordings that never made the original pressing. Following the band's dissolution in 1986, several members continued in music; Ruud de Grood went on to accompany Margriet Eshuijs, collaborate with Frank Boeijen, and pursue a long solo career, while other members formed The Chainmen.



Tracklist:
1-1 Buster Smiles - Stay With Me (Remastered) [3:38]
1-2 Buster Smiles - Modern Times (Remastered) [4:45]
1-3 Buster Smiles - Hall Of Fading Footsteps (Remastered) [4:13]
1-4 Buster Smiles - Slowing Down Time (Remastered) [2:48]
1-5 Buster Smiles - Countless Hearts (Remastered) [5:05]
1-6 Buster Smiles - Wish I Could Get You (Remastered) [3:20]
1-7 Buster Smiles - Walk On The Water (Remastered) [3:42]
1-8 Buster Smiles - Nighthawks (Remastered) [3:29]
1-9 Buster Smiles - This Kind Of Smile (Remastered) [3:17]
1-10 Buster Smiles - The Real Thing (Remastered) [4:53]
1-11 Buster Smiles - Countless Hearts (Early Version - B-side 'Walk On The Water' single) (Remastered) [2:55]
1-12 Buster Smiles - One More Drink (Studio Outtake) (Remastered) [3:04]
1-13 Buster Smiles - Slowin' Down Time (Demo) (Remastered) [2:56]
1-14 Buster Smiles - Black Box (B-side 'Slowin' Down Time' single) (Remastered) [3:12]