Their first album Autumnal Park was an Ultravox-influenced album that yielded the Australian singles "Listening" (produced by Peter Dawkins) , "Stranger in Me", "Dancing Till Midnight", and "Beat for You". It was a mature album that gave little indication of their youth.
Their climb to success in the summer of 1984 was rapid, and they quickly became the second biggest band in Australia after INXS.
"His Eyes", a track from their first album, received exposure overseas as it was used in the movie Friday the 13th: A New Beginning.
There was a lineup change before their second album with Tony Lugton being replaced by James Leigh (real surname: Dingli) after a dispute between Lugton and Canham over money, and another lineup change during the making of the second album with Agiro being replaced by James's brother Vince.
Their second album, Love an Adventure (1986), was also a success with several singles from that album topping the Australian charts including the title track, "Don't Go", "Try", and "Living in a Dream". The album was re-released the following year to include their remake of the Lipps, Inc. song "Funky Town", which brought the group their biggest international success, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the USA in 1987, as well as spending six weeks at #1 in Australia.
The overseas release of Love an Adventure featured a somewhat different track listing which included re-mixed versions of 3 singles from Autumnal Park: "Listening", "A Beat for You", and "Destination Unknown". These were remixed to sound more rock-oriented, to better-match the other tracks on the album. Brian Canham even re-recorded the vocals for a slicker sound to compliment these rock remixes. Once again, the overseas version of Love an Adventure was re-released to include the re-make of "Funkytown", replacing "Don't Go" in the original track list.
In 1987, the band re-released "Listening" for the movie North Shore starring Nia Peeples.
Their third album, Race (1989), went further in the direction of pop rock and metal. The album featured the Australian singles "Fooled Again", "Over Tomorrow", "Eye of the Storm", and "Don't You Forget". The album wasn't very successful, as the band's move to a more rock/metal genre had apparently alienated a good portion of their established fanbase. Pseudo Echo disbanded shortly after touring for Race in 1990.
The band reunited in 1999 to produce the EP Funkytown Y2K: RMX, which included 6 new remixes of "Funkytown". A year later, they released the double-CD Teleporter (2000), which featured 4 all-new tracks, 5 re-mixed tracks, and a live performance in Melbourne. The live performance featured all the tracks from Autumnal Park except for "From the Shore", along with a few tracks from Love an Adventure and a performance of the rare B-side "In Their Time".
Since reuniting in 1999, the band has been touring constantly in Australia, and were last seen touring with the "Idols of the 80s" in 2005.
In 2014 they released Ultraviolet, their first album in 14 years. Ultraviolet came about after Pseudo Echo gathered for shows in 2012 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of their first hit song ‘Listening’.
To fund recording of the new album singer Brian Canham approached PledgeMusic to use fan-power to finance the album’s recording and manufacturing. Via pledgemusic.com, Pseudo Echo fans could nominate the level they were comfortable with in supporting the funding of ‘Ultraviolet’.
The Pseudo Echo campaign turned out to be one of the most successful take-ups for Pledgemusic generating 126% of the financial goal and guaranteeing the release of the album.
Pseudo Echo has stated they were originally influenced by Simple Minds, Ultravox, Japan and then later Duran Duran and Human League.
www.myspace.com/pseudoecho01
Living in a Dream
Pseudo Echo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The walls are getting higher and I think they're gonna fall
They're gonna fall down over me, crush me till I scream
Now I'm only hoping that I'm living in a dream
It's just a dream;it's just a dream;
Fear lies over me, I feel it all around
Something's looking at me and I think it's got a crown
Now I'm only hoping that I'm living in a dream
It's just a dream;it's just a dream;
It's strange how things seem to be different
When you're living in a dream
It's strange how things seem to be different
When you're living in a dream
Wars and violence here happen every day
But I'm in another world a million miles away
It's just like real life, true life, living in a dream
But everything is better then, or that's the way it seems
It's just a dream;it's just a dream;
It's strange how things seem to be different
When you're living in a dream
It's strange how things seem to be different
When you're living in a dream
It's strange how things seem to be different
When you're living in a dream
It's just a dream
It's strange how things seem to be different
When you're living in a dream
It's strange how things seem to be different
When you're living in a dream
It's strange how things seem to be different
When you're living in a dream
It's strange how things seem to be different
When you're living in a dream
Living in a dream living in a dream living in a dream
The lyrics of Pseudo Echo's "Living in a Dream" portray the emotions of the singer who is struggling with reality. The singer seems to be in a strange place where everything feels different, and they are unsure of what is real and what is not. The walls around them seem to be growing higher, and they fear being crushed. The singer is desperate to believe that they are only living in a dream and that things are not as bad as they seem.
The second verse continues to describe the uncertainty the singer feels, as though something is watching them with authority. The singer believes that they are living in a world that is like real life, but somehow better. This suggests that the singer is not happy with their real life and prefers the dream world, where things seem to be more manageable.
Overall, the song highlights the desire to escape reality, even if it means living in a dream world. It shines a light on the struggles people go through every day and the lengths they go to escape their problems.
Line by Line Meaning
Walking in a strange light, looking at the walls
I feel like I'm in an unnatural situation and I can't take my eyes off my surroundings.
The walls are getting higher and I think they're gonna fall
I feel trapped and overwhelmed, and I fear that the pressure is going to destroy me.
They're gonna fall down over me, crush me till I scream
I'm scared that I won't be able to handle the weight of my life's difficulties and will succumb to them.
Now I'm only hoping that I'm living in a dream
I'm praying that the reality I'm experiencing is false, and that things will get better once I wake up.
It's just a dream;it's just a dream;
If I can remind myself that all this is an illusion, then maybe I can escape from the darkness that surrounds me.
Fear lies over me, I feel it all around
My anxiety is so palpable that it seems like a physical force that is smothering me.
Something's looking at me and I think it's got a crown
I sense that an invisible oppressor is watching my every move, lording over me like a monarch.
It's not a king or a queen but something in between
Whatever is causing my distress is not a recognizable authority figure, but rather an amalgamation of negative influences.
Wars and violence here happen every day
In the world outside my window, there is constant conflict and danger that is overwhelming and inescapable.
But I'm in another world a million miles away
Despite being surrounded by mayhem and destruction, I have retreated into a mental space that is inaccessible to those brutal realities.
It's just like real life, true life, living in a dream
I know it's not a sustainable way to live, but in my mind, I am merely existing in a more bearable, alternate version of my existence.
But everything is better then, or that's the way it seems
In my dream world, everything is brighter and more positive, even if it is only a temporary respite from the ugliness of reality.
Living in a dream living in a dream living in a dream
The refrain echoes my desire to keep believing in the tenuous safety of my make-believe haven, even if it cannot last forever.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: BRIAN JOHN CANHAM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Frying Pan
I love how 80's Aussie bands always sound like a perfect mix of British and American music and they do it amazingly
Corvet Coyote
I agree, this band and INXS are great examples.
Carl Schönbeck
Or trying to sound like stunning European bands like Alphaville, Kent, A-ha, Scotch, Scorpions and Kraftwerk
Molly Brown
I also agree.
Mister Blister
So true eh
colemann76
The best song they ever did, underrated.
785boats
@colemann76 Funky Town was #1 for me. This one was second. HaHa!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnejLmQGYhg
colemann76
@Spideyspid And probably a couple of others
Spideyspid
I guess Love and Adventure and Funky Town just shadowed it out
Spideyspid
This was their last song that that was made up by their own for quite a long time. Funky Town came next, while they performed it excellently, it just really wasn't theirs.