My Amazon Reviews: A Flock of Seagulls "The Best Of"

Haircuts and Attitudes
3 Out Of 5 Stars


One of the first new Wave acts to score a genuine hit single, these hairswooping seagulls did manage a couple of hits after their calling card of "I Ran." A Flock of Seagulls may not be remembered for much after that hit and the aforementioned hairstyles, but this collection does make an adequate case for the band as a competent singles machine. About as synthy as Duran Duran or the Thompson twins, lead singer Mike Score didn't have the charisma of Simon Lebon or Tom Bailey's pop sense, which is why the three US charting singles ("I Ran," Space Age Love Song" and "Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)") are all hear as is the "Wishing" extended mix.

That doesn't mean the rest of the batch is unlistenable. "Telecommunication" is a quick and snappy bit of synth rock, and "The Story of a Young Heart" is appropriately new romantic dramatic. I'd also chip in that "The More You Live The More You Love" was a should have been hit. They may no longer be required listening, but you can file "The Best of A Flock of Seagulls" along with your Wang Chung and Thompson Twins best ofs.

     

My Amazon Reviews: Talk Talk "Essential"

All That Talk
3 Out Of 5 Stars

Mark Hollis and Talk Talk may be one of the most misunderstood bands of the new wave period. Starting life as a Duran Duran clone (and the hit dance single "Talk Talk"), Hollis soon turned the band from a synth heavy pop sound to a more brooding and experimental band. By the time of their fourth album, the outstanding "Spirit Of Eden," they were completely unrecognizable from the original incarnation.

That makes this compilation a tough call. The obvious hits are here, like "Talk Talk" and "It's My Life," (missing the great "Such a Shame," a serious UK hit). It also means that "Spirit of Eden" is completely ignored. The singles are all prime material, and Hollis (along with multi-instrumentalist and producer Tim Friese-Greene) were evolving with every album. This collection cuts the band short. You get a better overview with "Natural History."

     

My Amazon Reviews: Duran Duran "Big Thing"

Give Me the Playlist and Watch Me Eat It,
4 Out Of 5 Stars

Coming off the horn heavy funk of "Notorious," Duran Duran the trio stripped the sound down to some heavy beats for "Big Thing." The first single, "I Don't Want Your Love," sounded like a re-invention. Incorporating the current house and new-jack dance trends at the time, it was a major leap away from the candy-floss of "Rio." "All She Wants Is" carried the same sort of dance-floor urgency, and the title track was an arena ready thumper.

But the trademark lushness wasn't ever too far off. "Too Late Marlene" and "Land" are everything you'd expect from Duran Duran, rich arrangements, Simon's grandiose lyrics and Nick Rhodes' atmospheric keyboards. But perhaps "Big Thing's" best moment is the tribute to the band's late friend Alex Sadkin, "Do You Believe In Shame." Slowing down the swamp groove of "Suzie Q" and laying in an emotional vocal, "Shame" connects on a level that only a few songs in the DD library have ever done before. The remaster also brings out the nuance of these two songs.

The second disc is for serious collectors. Compiling many of the dance remixes and US single mixes of assorted songs, it's a hoot for collectors. (The double disc version of "Notorious" manages the same feat.) For my money, "Big Thing" is equally as good as "Notorious," and in my opinion, better than the "Wedding Album."

   

My Amazon Reviews: Mark Ronson "Record Collection"

Back to The 80's
4 Out Of 5 Stars

The albums and 45's in Mark Ronson's "Record Collection" must have been starting to gather dust around 1982 or so, because so many of these tracks come off as collages from too much of that time period's MTV watching. The likes of Simon LeBon of Duran Duran, Boy George of Culture Club, and D'Angelo all make appearances. Heck, the first time I heard "Bang Bang Bang" (the album's first song) I could have sworn Amanda Warner (aka MNDR) was Dale Bozzio of Missing Persons. There's also the usual pop-raps that that were common early in the genre. There's no gangstas in Ronson's world, but a come-on based on the ecological greatness of riding a bicycle is ("The Bike Song").

It makes "Record Collection" an endearing collage of styles without dropping into a sample happy garble. Ronson uses real instruments in place of most of the samples, which does give the album an old-school feel. Vocalists MNDR and Andrew Wyatt (along with Ronson himself) are dominant through the disc, with the cameos often blending in seamlessly among the regulars. For an album that is a collaborative stack of "singles," "Record Collection" works amazingly well. It's a testament to Ronson's eclectic taste in music and skills as a writer/producer that "Record Collection" holds together as well as it does.

   

My Amazon Reviews: Duran Duran "All You Need is Now"

I Dream Things I Don't Want You To Know
 4 Out Of 5 Stars

So sings Simon LeBon on Duran Duran's 13th album. "All You Need is Now" is a Durannie's dream come true, in that the band dumped the tinny mechanized autotuned mess that marred "Red Carpet Massacre" and found their way back to New Romantic bliss. The squiggly synth that makes the hook of the title track is pure "Seven and The Ragged Tiger" seduction, and "Mediterranea" is the sort of mysterious enigmatic ballad that the band specialized in their heyday.

Back to the original foursome of LeBon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor and Roger Taylor (with guitarist Dom Brown filling the space of departerd Andy Taylor), Duran Duran now have delivered the logical follow-up to their "Astronaut" comeback. "All You Need is Now" is filled with sugary pop ala "Rio" and the straightforward production from Mark Ronson. It was my opinion that the over-rated Timbaland squeezed all the life from RCM and turned it into just another pop album dominated by beats instead of songs. Ronson, as a more song oriented producer, let DD be themselves and the album reflects that. LeBon sounds strong as ever, and Rhodes' atmospheric synths float the album above the generic.

As one of the few 80's MTV bands to survive with most of the lineup intact and still make relevant music, Duran Duran have proven themselves as a surprisingly enduring, strong creative force. "All You Need Is Now" indicates that they have the power to make music now and for the future.

 

My Amazon Reviews: Landscape "From The Tearooms of Mars..."

Terraformations
4 Out of 5 Stars

Before he became a successful producer in the New Romantic era of new wave, Richard James Burgess led a synth-band through three albums of eclectic pop. "From The Tea Rooms of Mars..." was their most successful, due primarily to the brilliant pair of singles "Einstein-a-go-go" and "Norman Bates." "Einstein" was my introduction to the band in my college radio days, and years later the hook of "You better watch out, you better beware, Albert says that E=Mc squared" would occasionally rear itself in my aural memory.

While Burgess did eventually tie his reputation to the likes of Spandau Ballet and Living in a Box, Landscape was far more experimental. They fiddled with synthed out jazz, like the multipart title suite, and soundtrack styled instrumentals like "Alpine Tragedy Sisters." And rather than use synthesized instrumentals for everything, the band incorporated actual woodwinds and trombone playing into their recordings.

The four bonus tracks (some of which were released on the follow-up, "Manhattan Boogie Woogie") are fine, making this a quasi-greatest hits. While the albums themselves are something of a new wave footnote, this is the best of their trio of recordings. "Einstein-a-go-go" is the keeper.