"Should I See" by Frozen Ghost

Song#:  3088
Date:  04/11/1987
Debut:  95
Peak:  69
Weeks:  10
Genre:  Rock, Pop



Pop Bits:  After the breakup of the Canadian band Sheriff ("When I'm with You") in 1985, two of its members, Arnold Lanni and Wolf Hassel, went off and started their own band Frozen Ghost. They got signed to WEA (Atlantic in the US) and proceeded to record their self-titled debut album. This first single was issued out and it did well at Rock reaching #4. The attention there helped the song cross over to the Pop chart where it hung around for two and half months. It did better in Canada getting to #27. The album was able to chart in the US, but at a low #107.

ReduxReview:  This song about censorship was relevant at the time coming on the heels of the PMRC Senate hearings and the whole parental advisory sticker thing. I'm sure that event served as inspiration for this tune that yells "tell me what should I see? Make my mind up for me!" The lyrics were spot-on and they were framed in catchy pop/rock. I remember that I had planned on getting the single, but ended up with the album thanks to a record store promotion. I had gone to the local record shop and a radio station was there doing promotions and they were giving away some albums. For some reason I was given the choice to take the Frozen Ghost LP or Jennifer Warnes' Famous Blue Raincoat. Due to this song, I chose Frozen Ghost. It was probably the right choice at the time, even though the album quickly ended up in the back of my collection. The Warnes album was her covering Leonard Cohen songs. I didn't know anything about Cohen and little about Warnes at the time so I probably wouldn't have appreciated the album then, but years later I regretted my choice as I later became a fan of Cohen's music. Of course I have the LP now and it is obviously far superior to the Frozen Ghost effort. However, this single of theirs is still a standout and a solid listen.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Frozen Ghost, which was mainly just Lanni and Hassel, would release a second album in 1988. While it would spawn three charting singles in Canada, the only song to do anything in the US was the #44 Rock entry "Round and Round." It would be their last song to chart in the US. Also in 1988, the Sheriff single "When I'm With You" would get an unexpected revival and the song would end up reaching #1 in the US. That band had already been broken up for three years, but the sudden hit had folks wondering if the band would reform. A reunion ended up being a no-go so Lanni and Hassel continued on with Frozen Ghost. For their third (and final) album, the pair brought on board three new members to make the group a quintet. They released Shake Your Spirit in 1992. Three of the LP's songs reached the Canadian chart including what would end up being their biggest hit, the #16 "Head Over Heels." Yet despite the good results the band broke up in '93.

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