The band has a interesting sound. They're typical New Wave but there's a Reggae twist to almost every song and they don't rely on the electronic instruments as heavily as many English bands of the time did.
The opening track, 'Hot You're Cool' is actually the one song on the disc I dislike. I think the lyrics are a bit foolish and he says at one point, "Show me my favorite beauty spot..." I find that lyric a bit appalling. But that's my opinion. It's followed by the hugely popular and still oft-mentioned 80's standard, 'Tenderness'. This is perhaps the band's most famous and well known track. I certainly love this number. In fact, it's the reason I bought the cassette back in the 80's. The lyrics are vague enough to be open to interpretation and I saw it as a secret gay anthem. I'm probably wrong but if you look at the lyrics and you consider them from the point of view of a gay man who's dating a straight guy... "I held your hands, rings but none on that finger. We danced and danced, but I was scared to go much further with it" Then he goes on to talk about the guy having problems with his girlfriend finding out about him. How confused he seems and ultimately, how the gay guy feels abandoned and lonely when the next night after their one night stand he's all alone. It would take forever for me to go through every lyric so I'll leave it there. But consider it. Consider it.
Next up is 'Anxious'. This one has a strong reggae beat. When I was younger, I didn't really like this track, but now when I listen to it, I like it quite a bit. Especially the lyrics. I find them inspiring. It's followed by my second favorite number from the band, 'Never You Done That'. I adore this song. It's happy, upbeat and more New Wave than the other tracks. 'Burning Bright' has some strange chord changes. The bass is really kickin' on this number. It reminds me of something Big Audio Dynamite would've done and quite honestly, it would've suited their record better than General Public's.
'As A Matter Of Fact' is another reggae number, but this one is more fun and exciting. I enjoy this song. I have certain opinions about the meaning of this number too, but I'm not going to spend the time discussing them here. It's got a lovely groove and you can tune this one out in the background and just let the beat and vocals wash over you. Very relaxing tune. 'Are You Leading Me On?' is next and it's much more frantic and hurried than the previous number. The chorus breaks down with a great reggae beat and it's another song with interesting chord changes.
'Day-To-Day' is one that uses some popular 80's sounds throughout. 'Where's The Line?' comes next and it's a tune I really love. I think it falls into my top three favorite numbers on this record. The final number, 'General Public' is ok, but it meanders a bit. Depending on my mood, I find the song either fun or annoying. I can take or leave it.
Overall, the songs I like, I really love. The one I don't like, I really don't like and the rest are just kinda... there. Still, I hear and see enough positive stuff here to warrant buying more material and wanting to hear the group do more things. I wish they'd focused more on pop numbers than doing more experimental reggae infused songs. As a pop band, there's no stopping them. They're letting the air out of their tires by miring the record down with the reggae beats. They just aren't strong enough tracks.
Overall, I'm positive about this disc and my final words are: 80'S CLASSIC YOU COULD PROBABLY BOIL DOWN TO THE SINGLES. BUY INDIVIDUAL SONGS. SKIP THE RECORD.
GENERAL PUBLIC - ...ALL THE RAGE
01. Hot You're Cool
02. Tenderness
03. Anxious
04. Never You Done That
05. Burning Bright
06. As A Matter Of Fact
07. Are You Leading Me On?
08. Day-To-Day
09. Where's The Line?
10. General Public
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