DURAN DURAN/Rio (Deluxe 2CD Edition) review

While I was never a hardcore Duran Duran fan, I must admit that their first two albums were (and are) amazing slices of '80s pop.  From Funk-inspired rhythms to soaring melodies, Duran Duran successfully melted their influences (Chic, Roxy Music) into a sound that was unique, glossy and commercial.

Originally part of the New Romantic movement alongside their biggest rivals, Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran hit all the right buttons (literally and figuratively) and broke away from the pack with a successful self-titled debut album and a sound that was more instantly loveable than any of their contemporaries.

When the band released Rio in 1982, it became a bigger monster than anyone could ever imagine.  The album single-handedly destroyed the band's link to the New Romantic movement and created something entirely unexpected: Duran Duran as a teenybopper band!  No one was more surprised than the band themselves! They did not, in their wildest dreams, ever imagine that they'd be embraced by a generation of teenage girls who loved their look just as much as the music they created. 

This teenage adulation pretty much killed the band's chances of ever winning over the critics, but then again, they became millionaires almost overnight so they weren't complaining! 

Rio contained a handful of successful singles including "Hungry Like The Wolf", "My Own Way", "Save A Prayer" and "Rio". The rest of the album's tracks also recieved plenty of exposure on radio stations like KROQ (Los Angeles) including "Hold Back The Rain", "Last Chance On The Stairway" and "Lonely In Your Nightmare".  Of all the Duran Duran albums, this is the one that EVERYBODY seemed to own. While the first album was an exciting glimpse inside a new band and a new scene, Rio was a slicker, more confident album that deserved every bit of it's success.

After Rio, everything went downhill. Seven And The Ragged Tiger was a mess and pretty much every album they've released since then has been a missed opportunity: great singles mixed with barely tolerable material. All these years later, they still haven't managed to create a single album that is worthy enough to stand in the same room as Rio...

But that's not so bad, because EMI have chosen to release the ULTIMATE Rio experience with a two CD deluxe edition of the album that not only reminds us of what a great album it is, but also offers up an insider's view of the album by adding remixes, demos, non-album b-sides and so much more.

For 25 years, I was never aware that the US pressing of the album contained alternate mixes to the UK version (but maybe that's because I never owned the import vinyl?)!  Disc One of this set contains the original UK mix of the album (which is way better in my opinion) plus five of the US mixes from the American version of the album. These are the mixes that all of us yanks know backwards and forwards, so it's really exciting to hear the original mixes.  They do sound much better and, while I can still appreciate the US mixes, I'll forever swear by the UK mixes now!

Disc Two features early demos of four tracks plus non album singles/b-sides (including the single version of "My Own Way", which is as close to Disco as the Duran boys ever got) plus extended mixes and more.

If you thought that Rio was perfect already, then prepare to be gobsmacked because this is even better!

Up to this point, no UK band had managed to create an album that summed up the times so perfectly. Ironically, it was their old rivals, Spandau Ballet, who actually bettered the Duranies the following year when they released their classic album, True.

But that's another story....

Rio (Special Limited Edition) (2CD)

Disc 1

Original U.K. album mix U.S. album & EP remixes

1. Rio 10. Rio (U.S. album remix)

2. My Own Way 11. My Own Way (Carnival Remix)

3. Lonely In Your Nightmare (U.S. 12” Carnival EP)

4. Hungry Like The Wolf 12. Lonely In Your Nightmare

5. Hold Back The Rain (U.S. album remix)

6. New Religion 13. Hungry Like The Wolf (U.S. album remix)

7. Last Chance On The Stairway 14. Hold Back The Rain (U.S. album remix)

8. Save A Prayer

9. The Chauffeur

Disc 2

Manchester Square demos (recorded August 28, 1981)

1. Last Chance On The Stairway

2. My Own Way

3. New Religion

4. Like An Angel

Non-album U.K. singles & B-sides

5. My Own Way (original 7” version - U.K. single A-side, released Nov. 1981)

6. Like An Angel (U.K. single B-side, released Nov. 1981)

7. Careless Memories (live - U.K. single B-side, released May 1982)8. The Chauffeur (Sing Blue Silver) (U.K. single B-side, released Nov. 1982)

Alternate versions & re-mixes

9. My Own Way (Night Version) (U.K. 12" single A-side, released Nov. 1981)

10. Hungry Like The Wolf (Night Version) (U.K. 12" single A-side, released May 1982)

11. Rio (Night Version) (Dutch 12" Carnival EP, released Sept. 1982)

12. New Religion (Carnival Remix) (Japanese 12" Carnival EP, released Sept. 1982)

13. Hold Back The Rain (Carnival Remix) (U.S. 12" Carnival EP, released Sept. 1982)

 

 

Hungry Like The Spaz,

Stephen SPAZ Schnee

THE FARMER'S BOYS/Get Out And Walk Review

Well, Cherry Red has done it again! One of the absolute finest and most overlooked albums of the '80s has finally seen a fitting and well deserved release on CD:

THE FARMER'S BOYS' Get Out And Walk!

Here's what I had to say about it on All Music Guide:

"Sometimes, I can bang my head against the wall, wondering why certain bands ‘make it’, while other more talented combos get overlooked and, ultimately, forgotten. And often times, the band that faded into obscurity created music that stands the test of time decades down the line. Such is the case with British pop quartet The Farmer’s Boys.
The band (Baz, Stan, Mark and Frog) were certainly a bright spot on the music scene back in 1983 when they signed with EMI after a handful of indie singles. Their sound was certainly original: imagine Edwyn Collins and his Orange Juice mates jamming with The Human League’s keyboardist (complete with programmed drums) and you’ve got more than a basic idea. Add a little bit of The Smiths, a dab of Country & Western and you’ve got The Farmer’s Boys. And yes, they really do sound that cool!
Get Out And Walk was the band’s 1983 debut album and what a debut it was! It had jangly guitars, jolly melodies, catchy synth riffs, acoustic strums, danceable beats and, to top it all off, Baz’s Morrissey-like croon floating above it all. The album was fun and extremely infectious with more cool tunes per minute than 75% of the albums that came out that year.
For some reason, insanely catchy cuts like “For You”, “More Than A Dream”, “Matter Of Fact”, “Wailing Wall” and “Woke Up This Morning” didn’t receive massive airplay in the UK when they so rightly deserved it. Even the funk-heavy “Soft Drink” (with Baz in falsetto mode) didn’t make its way to the dancefloors around Europe like it should have. Yes, the band did see some chart success, but usually just out of the Top 40, which meant they barely received much-needed television exposure.
Get Out And Walk was one of the coolest records released during the ‘80s but, for whatever reason, it just didn’t click with their intended audience. Perhaps it was the band’s lack of image? Maybe because the band never really took themselves too seriously? Or it could just be a matter of bad luck?
In any case, the album still sounds fabulous today, mainly due to the songs, which will please fans of great ‘80s guitar pop. Even synth fans can find a lot to love about The Farmer’s Boys! And with this Cherry Red reissue, there are 10 bonus tracks that make it an absolutely essential purchase. The bonus tracks include non-album singles, b-sides and three extended remixes lifted from the bonus EP that came from initial pressings of the LP. Looking back, 26 years after I bought the original import vinyl LP on a whim, it was, to quote one of the band’s song titles, “probably one of the best investments I ever made”!"

I sure do hope that they plan on releasing the band's second (and final) album, With These Hands, too!

Stephen SPAZ Schnee

THE SINCEROS/The Sound Of Sunbathing review

In the late '70s and early '80s, the line between Pure Pop bands and New Wave outfits became intertwined. Most bands that played slick, melodic Beatles-influenced pop were considered Power Pop in the mid '70s but by the time bands like Squeeze, The Sinceros, 20/20, Nick Lowe, The Plimsouls and other like minded acts hit the music scene, they were quickly branded New Wave and marketed as such.

This was not necessarily a bad thing in terms of commercial sales, but we all know that when a music scene dies, it takes most of the bands with it. Some bands (Squeeze, Nick Lowe) were able to rise above but when New Wave became old news, then the bands lost label support and any momentum they had built up.

The Sinceros were an excellent Pop band consisting of four great musicians: Mark Kjeldsen (vocals/guitar), Ron Francois (bass/vocals), Don Snow (keyboards/vocals) and Bobby Irwin (drums). While Kjeldsen was the main frontman and wrote the majority of the songs, both Snow and Francois offered some tasty treats to The Sinceros' repertoire.

On The Sound Of Sunbathing, the band's 1979 debut, was a hook-filled Power Pop party dressed up in dayglo colors... with a little New Wave spice thrown in for good measure. Like Squeeze, The Sinceros' songs were instantly catchy and those lucky enough to hear them would have their melodies stuck in their heads for days, weeks, months and, for us lucky ones, decades!

The album is chock full of great tunes including Kjeldsen's "Little White Lie", "Quick Quick Slow" and "So They Know", Snow's "Hanging On Too Long" and Francois' "Good Luck (To You)", but two songs received the most attention: "World's Apart" and "Take Me To Your Leader". Unfortunately, these two tracks were, at best, average Pop tunes dressed up in quirky New Wave arrangements, which possibly made them more appealing to the masses. Thankfully, the rest of the album is loads better, so anyone suckered in by those two tracks were more than pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the rest of the material. Now, don't get me wrong, those are fine tracks, but compared to the rest of the album, they sound like b-sides!

For music fans not familiar with this great debut, the best way to describe it would be a cross between Squeeze's Cool For Cats and Argy Bargy: not quite as Pub-like as ...Cats, but not quite as accomplished as Argy.

While there's not really a bad song on the album, The Sinceros were still in the process of becoming a GREAT band, something they achieved on Pet Rock, their sophomore album (which I'm hoping is reissued soon!). After that, the band split and the members went their separate ways: Snow ended up in Squeeze (ironically enough) for their Sweets From A Stranger album; Francois joined The Teardrop Explodes and Irwin played drums for Nick Lowe for years and years. Kjeldsen unfortunately passed away in the '90s.

Cherry Red's excellent reissue of The Sound Of Sunbathing retains the UK album cover and track listing and adds three non-album bonus tracks, making this an absolutely essential purchase for any Power Pop, New Wave and '80s music fan.

I can only think of ONE reason why The Sinceros may not have clicked with the youth of the '80s: Kjeldsen's moustache! When New Wave was considered the music of the young generation, anyone with a mustache was considered uncool (including The Stranglers' Dave Greenfield!). Fortunately, Kjeldsen had a full, slightly more fashionable beard by the time of their sophomore album, but it may have been too late! The moustache did them in! Well, I'm not entirely serious... but kinda.

Pure Pop For Now People,

Stephen SPAZ Schnee

PREFAB SPROUT/Let's Change The World With Music review

Prefab Sprout's Let's Change The World With Music is now available!  This abandoned album from the early '90s (recorded after Jordan: The Comeback) has been gathering dust for 17 years and has finally seen the light of day!

Here is what I had to say about it on All Music Guide!

"Why on earth isn’t Paddy McAloon a legend? Honestly, he really should be a household name all around the world. From Prefab Sprout’s early ‘80s singles up through their oft-brilliant but much-maligned album The Gunman & Other Stories in 2001, Paddy has written some of the finest Pop tunes you’re likely to hear in your lifetime. If you are not familiar with the Sprouts’ output, comparisons are futile. How can you possibly describe a songwriter who is as unique as he is mysterious? Comparisons have been made with Cole Porter, Lennon & McCartney, Brian Wilson, Stephen Sondheim, Jimmy Webb, Elvis Costello and many others, but he remains a truly original and gifted singer and songwriter.

While Prefab Sprout could never be called prolific in terms of physical album releases, Paddy has continued to write and demo material throughout the band’s 20+ year career. In recent years, while less talented artists bask in the spotlight and sell boatloads of albums, our man Paddy has dealt with a series of health issues including vision and hearing problems. He’s had retinal detachments in both eyes and a severe bout with tinnitus, which has left him virtually unable to carry on as a recording artist. Thankfully, he continues to write songs that can be sung by other vocalists and perhaps, one day, he will be able to grace us with his own voice again.

Until then, we will fortunately be graced with previously unreleased Prefab Sprout music, such as Let’s Change The World With Music, the oft-rumored 1992 follow-up to the Sprouts’ Jordan: The Comeback album. While the album was never actually completed by the band, Paddy’s full-formed demo is not just a hint of what ‘might have been’: it’s one of the most consistent albums of the band’s career!

Let’s Change The World With Music is a loose concept album that that is based around the intense, often times religious, joy of music and the gift it brings to those who allow it to overcome and overwhelm them. While Paddy is not a Bible-bashing evangelist, he uses religious imagery to describe the magical power of music and how it can literally change the world. Those who choose to push music to the background in their lives may not understand where Paddy is coming from, but for those of us who have lived and breathed music since our early days, Let’s Change The World With Music is a revelation (pun intended).

From the intro of the lead-off track, “Let There Be Music”, it is immediately obvious that this will be a different Prefab experience to what most fans are used to. In the past (especially on Jordan: The Comeback), the band used keyboards to add depth and atmosphere to their tracks but Let’s Change The World... is a different ball of wax: it is ALL keyboards. As stated previously, this is Paddy’s demo version of his musical vision and does not feature backing vocalist Wendie Smith or brother Martin.. or anyone else for that matter. And to be honest, even without the other band members, it’s an absolute joy to listen to. Would it have sounded better with real strings, real drums, guitars and proper production from someone like Thomas Dolby? It’s really hard to tell, since the album is a near-perfect collection of songs that celebrate the glory of music, becoming a glorious piece of music in the process.

Some of the lyrics on the album may seem a bit twee and trite on the surface (particularly on “Music Is A Princess”), but in the context of the album, they become touching and heartwarming. Like all Prefab albums, there are moments of absolute joy on display mixed with an equal amount of bittersweet and touching songs that reach right down and stir your soul. Highlights include “Ride”, “Earth, The Story So Far”, “Last Of The Great Romantics”, “Angel Of Love” and the title track.

For the uninitiated, the Prefab Sprout albums to investigate first would certainly be Steve McQueen and Jordan: The Comeback, but Let’s Change The World With Music isn’t far behind. It is a beautiful, joyful and unpretentious musical love letter written to and about this life-changing force we call music. Let it make your heart sing!"

Let's change the world with music blogs,

Stephen SPAZ Schnee