LONDON—The legendary early '80s synthpop duo 50/50 announced their debut album today. The record comes after a 43-year delay. Members David Cowles and Richard Haines blamed the setback on a disagreement. They could not decide who should plug in their vintage Roland Juno-6 synthesizer. The British musicians formed the group in 1979. They accumulated over 150 unreleased tracks while maintaining full-time corporate jobs. Neither member wanted to sacrifice their weekends to run an extension cord.
A Forty-Year Power Struggle
The band managed to write hits but never recorded them. Both men insisted the other should handle the electrical setup. "David wanted me to manage the main outlet," said Richard Haines, the band's multi-instrumentalist. "But I told him that was his job. I was busy programming the drum machine. You cannot expect me to do both." The stalemate lasted through five British prime ministers. They eventually hired a mediator to settle the power strip dispute. The mediator charged them their entire prospective royalties.
Music historians consider the lost sessions a tragedy. The early '80s synthpop duo 50/50 represented the pinnacle of delayed gratification. "We saw this a lot in the post-punk era," said Gordon Flense, Deputy Undersecretary for Things That Were Fine Before. "Young men would buy expensive Japanese keyboards. Then they would stare at the British wall plugs in absolute terror. Many bands just gave up and became accountants."
The Final Agreement
The duo finally compromised last month. They hired an independent contractor to flip the power switch. The new album will feature twelve tracks. All of them were recorded in a single, tense afternoon. The band members did not speak to each other during the entire session. They communicated solely through MIDI signals.
At press time, the early '80s synthpop duo 50/50 delayed their promotional tour because neither man wanted to carry the heavy keyboard stand to the car.
