∎ The Philadelphia band's first album on A&M, self entitled THE REDS, produced by David Kershenbaum, showed the band's impressive sound — a blend of Rick Shaffer's guitar and Bruce Cohen's keyboards into an interestingly textured drone, short guitar and keyboard figures, rising then disappearing back into the drone, while Shaffer's voice provides the punch and definition for their overall sound. The album was supported with live appearances with The Police, Joe Jackson, Blondie, The Ramones, The Psychedelic Furs, and Public Image. An EP, GREEN WITH ENVY, followed featuring The Doors song, "Break On Through," which suggests some of the band's roots. (Universal Music digitally re-released The Reds, and Green With Envy, August 2012.) In 1980 A&M released a compilation album, Propaganda, that included tracks from The Reds, The Police, Joe Jackson, The Granati Bros, Bobby Henry, Shrink, David Kubinec, and Squeeze.
∎ After leaving A&M, The Reds® went forward with two indie albums, STRONGER SILENCE and FATAL SLIDE (Stony Plain/RCA), that continued The Reds® sound, receiving critical acclaim internationally. They next recorded a tense and powerful album for Sire/WB entitled, SHAKE APPEAL, produced by Mike Thorne (Blur, Soft Cell, Wire). This forcible record led the band to work with director/producer, Michael Mann. Mann incorporated numerous songs by The Reds® into episodes of Miami Vice, then hired Shaffer and Cohen to write songs and score for two motion pictures, Band Of The Hand (Tri-Star) and Manhunter (De Laurentiis), based on the novel "Red Dragon." Soundtrack albums from both films were released on MCA, a Manhunter CD, with an added Reds® track, “Jogger’s Stakeout”, was released by Intrada Records (2010), and Universal Music digitally released both albums (2012).
∎ During this time, solo projects for Cohen were writing score for the productions, "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" and "Down The Road" at Philadelphia's Walnut Theatre; "The Speckled Band," starring Quentin Crisp, and Charles Busch' play, "Vampire Lesbians Of Sodom" for NYC's Pulse Theatre Company; and a forty minute electronic film noir piece, "Goodbye Johnny Staccato." While solo projects for Shaffer included recording guitar tracks on a Marianne Faithfull album (Island); Hilly Kristal's, "Mad Mordechai" (Stereo Society); Peter Murphy's, "Holy Smoke" (Beggars Banquet/BMG); and Marc Almond's, "Fantastic Star" (Some Bizarre/Mercury). While Shaffer wrote and recorded, "Looking For Right," for director Michael Mann"s film, "Collateral."
∎ The Reds® next album, CRY TOMORROW reunited them with British producer Mike Thorne. It captures the driving intensity of earlier albums and the ambient, atmospheric feel from their film scores, resulting in a stark, surreal album, with a sense of mood and mystery. The pulsing opening track, "Terror In My Heart," was featured in the film, "Nightmare On Elm Street 2" (New Line), directed by Jack Sholder, along with a searing non-stop groove of the Stones' "Gimme Shelter."
∎ In 2007, FUGITIVES FROM THE LAUGHING HOUSE was written and produced by The Reds®. The album is a straight forward raw nerve reflection of life in America. The Reds® February 2009 release, EARLY NOTHING, was also written and produced by Shaffer and Cohen. The album has a hypnotic quality, that leaves the listener free to let their subconscious play itself out, no matter where it goes. With the release of Early Nothing, The Reds®, shamans of dark, brooding, loud rock continued to explore and define their sound.
∎ At this point in time, both Shaffer and Cohen began releasing solo albums. Bruce released ONE BC in 2009, and Rick released NECESSARY ILLUSION in 2010. Although they have been recording separately, a new album by The Reds is still a possibility as soon as Shaffer and Cohen can be in the same location at the same time. See their entire discography below.
■ PLEASE NOTE: The Reds® is a Registered Trademark, with the first use date of March 17, 1977.
THE REDS® OFFICIAL WEBSITE is TarockMusic.com
DISCOGRAPHY
∎ RICK SHAFFER
2017 • STOLEN MOMENTS (Tarock Music #TM-CD15)
2016 • OUTSIDE OF TIME (Tarock Music #TM-CD13)
2015 • JITTERBUG SHAKE (Tarock Music #TM-CD11)
2014 • HARD TIMES SIXTY — Single (Tarock Music)
2014 • LINK — Single (Tarock Music)
2014 • MISADVENTURE (Tarock Music #TM-CD10)
2013 • STACKED DECK (Tarock Music #TM-CD9)
2012 • IDIOT FLATS (Tarock Music #TM-CD8)
2011 • HIDDEN CHARMS (Tarock Music #TM-CD6)
2010 • NECESSARY ILLUSION (Tarock Music #TM-CD5)
1971 • JUST THE BEGINNING — RICK SHAFFER & FREIGHT TRAIN (Fly By Night #LPFBN1001
∎ BRUCE COHEN
2017 • FOUR BC (Tarock Music #TM-CD14)
2015 • THREE BC — IN A TRANCE (Tarock Music #TM-CD12)
2014 • BIG FUN 3 — FADEOUT Bruce Cohen, Peter ”Babe” Lucas, Tony Foster (RopeADope #N/A)
2013 • BIG FUN 3.2 — Bruce Cohen, Peter ”Babe” Lucas, Tony Foster (RopeADope #N/A)
2011 • TWO BC (Tarock Music #TM-CD7)
2010 • BIG FUN 3 — Bruce Cohen, Rik Myers, Brandon Cruz (RopeADope #N/A)
2009 • ONE BC (Tarock Music #TM-CD4)
∎ THE REDS®
2009 • EARLY NOTHING (Tarock Music #TM-CD3)
2007 • FUGITIVES FROM THE LAUGHING HOUSE (Tarock Music #TM-CD2)
2001 • CRY TOMORROW (Stereo Society #SS004)
1992 • CRY TOMORROW (Tarock Music #TM-CD1)
1986 • MANHUNTER — FILM SOUNDTRACK (MCA #6182)
1986 • BAND OF THE HAND — FILM SOUNDTRACK (MCA #6167)
1986 • WAITING FOR YOU — SINGLE (Music Action - France #N/A)
1985 • SHAKE APPEAL (Music Action - France #MAP9009)
1984 • SHAKE APPEAL (Sire/Warner Bros #21-04261)
1983 • FATAL SLIDE (Helter Skelter - Italy #HS93CD26)
1982 • FATAL SLIDE (Stony Plain - Canada #SPL10481981)
1981 • STRONGER SILENCE (Helter Skelter - Italy #HS93CD26)
1981 • STRONGER SILENCE (Stony Plain - Canada #SPL1037)
1981 • STRONGER SILENCE (Kingdom - UK #KVL90051981)
1981 • THE DANGER / DO YOU PLAY THE GAME — SINGLE (Kingdom - UK #KV8019)
1981 • STRONGER SILENCE — EP (Ambition #AM1981)
1980 • PROPAGANDA (A&M #SP4786)
1979 • GREEN WITH ENVY — EP (A&M #SP3301)
1979 • WHATCHA′ DOIN' TO ME — SINGLE (A&M #N/A)
1979 • WHATCHA′ DOIN' TO ME — GREEN VINYL (A&M - UK #N/A)
1979 • JOEY / VICTIMS — SINGLE (A&M #SP3178)
1979 • THE REDS — GREEN VINYL (A&M #SP4772)
1979 • SELF REDUCTION / VICTIMS — SINGLE (EKE #N/A)
1977 • JOEY / AUTOMATIC BOY — SINGLE (Go Go #00011971)
Take Off
The Reds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It could be us and midnight walk
We can get comfortable
Forget those who say we need to stop
And when the time
Comes around
Whether it's cold or you want something from me here and now
Take off my sweater
Make us feel better
Lemme hold you by the waist
Lips to lips face to face
While we dance on the moon together
Touch me go getter
Use me get better
We can tell a couple lies
Have the time of our lives
Take off my sweater
We don't have to think
I don't know about you but I'm on the brink
Of being unlovable
But not you just to anything that thinks
Badly of us
And when the time
Comes around
Whether it's cold or you want something from me here and now
Take off my sweater
Make us feel better
Lemme hold you by the waist
Lips to lips face to face
While we dance on the moon together
Touch me go getter
Use me get better
We can tell a couple lies
Have the time of our lives
Take off my sweater
Put your hands
In my pockets
Take me out
Steal my money
How will you feel tomorrow?
Take off my sweater
While we dance on the moon
Take off my sweater
The lyrics of The Reds' song "Take Off" convey a sense of intimacy and freedom, with the singer suggesting a carefree escape from societal expectations and judgments. The opening lines "We don't have to talk, It could be us and midnight walk" set the tone for a relationship that values quiet companionship and shared experiences over verbal communication. The idea of getting comfortable and disregarding the opinions of others who may try to impose restrictions on their connection is prominent in the lines "Forget those who say we need to stop."
As the lyrics progress, the theme of embracing the present moment and seizing opportunities for closeness and connection becomes more pronounced. The repetition of the phrase "Take off my sweater" symbolizes a stripping away of barriers and inhibitions, inviting vulnerability and emotional openness between the singer and their partner. The act of physically removing clothing serves as a metaphor for shedding layers of pretense and allowing genuine emotions to surface.
The imagery of dancing on the moon together evokes a dreamlike, surreal quality, suggesting a shared fantasy or escape from reality. The lines "Touch me go getter, Use me get better" hint at a mutual desire for exploration and personal growth within the confines of their relationship. The idea of telling "a couple lies" and having "the time of our lives" implies a willingness to indulge in temporary illusions and escapades, prioritizing pleasure and connection above all else.
The closing lines of the song introduce a sense of unpredictability and potential consequences, as the singer questions how their actions will affect them in the future. The mention of putting hands in pockets, stealing money, and pondering feelings on the following day adds a layer of complexity to the carefree and hedonistic tone established earlier in the song. Ultimately, "Take off my sweater" serves as a recurring refrain that encapsulates the desire for intimacy, freedom, and uninhibited self-expression that defines the emotional landscape of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
We don't have to talk
Communication is unnecessary, actions speak louder than words
It could be us and midnight walk
Enjoying each other's company at night, a peaceful and intimate setting
We can get comfortable
Relax and be at ease with each other
Forget those who say we need to stop
Ignore anyone who disapproves of our connection
And when the time
When the moment arrives
Comes around
Present itself
Whether it's cold or you want something from me here and now
Regardless of the circumstances, if you need something from me
Take off my sweater
Let's get intimate and comfortable
Make us feel better
Improving our mood and well-being
Lemme hold you by the waist
Embracing each other closely
Lips to lips face to face
Kissing each other directly, being close
While we dance on the moon together
Experiencing a dreamlike moment together
Touch me go getter
Seeking physical affection from each other
Use me get better
Utilize our connection to improve both of our situations
We can tell a couple lies
We can pretend and escape reality for a while
Have the time of our lives
Enjoying ourselves to the fullest
We don't have to think
No need to overanalyze the situation
I don't know about you but I'm on the brink
Expressing vulnerability about the current state of emotions
Of being unlovable
Feeling unworthy of love
But not you just to anything that thinks
Except for those who judge us unfairly
Badly of us
Negatively criticize our relationship
Put your hands
Show physical affection
In my pockets
Being comfortable and close to each other
Take me out
Spend time together outside the norm
Steal my money
Take advantage of our closeness for personal gain
How will you feel tomorrow?
Consider the consequences of our actions in the future
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@bby118
What a freaking way to please the fans. First day back with full capacity…. And give them an intense walk off homer. What. A. Game.
@elevate32767
Meanwhile, Dodgers get goose egged on Kershaw day after opening full 😂
@blind_t2
SD, my 10 year hometown, I’m proud of y’all!
@MeToo-py1tq
It was seconds day
@friarfaithful2863
Cra Z man
@tonyattardo9350
Yu Darvish being first to celebrate with his “personal catcher” is pretty rad.
@ronvillejo7596
Yep, exactly! They’re like Battery (Mates) Besties (lol).
@taylorpsounds
Yu crank that Tini boi!
@YourTemeculaHomes
I caught that too. Love it!
@chrislopez1520
To rad