BOOK OF LOVE - BOOK OF LOVE

I think the thing I liked the most about Book Of Love when I first heard them was how similar their music was to the music I was writing at the time.  And the many friends and musicians around me.  We had similar keyboards and sound banks.  They used very simple drum machines and drum patterns to create catchy and often very dance able tracks.  The lyrics were right in line with most of the British New Wave that was filtering in except this band was American.  They were definitely more European in sound and appearance.

I think this was their first album and it contains a whole slew of memorable and popular tracks.  The very first track, 'Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes)' begins with a swelling synth chorus and then a pounding drum drops in and we're off.  Another wonderful trick Book Of Love were really good at was the inclusion of bell sounds.  Those sweet tinkling sounds so many people find enchanting.  More recently, Owl City have developed a similar musical sense.  They use a lot of clear bells and chimes to create magic in their music.  So right off the bat, you've got a track that is very sweetly drawing you in.  Susan Ottaviano, the lead singer, has a very deadpan vocal delivery that allows the music to swell and cascade around her like white chocolate drizzle.  She's the somewhat bitter punch that grounds the music and keeps it from spiraling out of orbit and flying away.

Track 2 is 'You Make Me Feel So Good' and it's another upbeat, bell encrusted creation with catchy hooks and even more catchy lyrics.  Thus far, you can't find fault with anything that's happening here.  It's delightful without crossing over into that strange place where Americans sound like they're copying a British sound.  so much of what this group actually does can be traced back to the American roots of 80's New Wave.  You can hear the influence of Talking Heads, The Cars and Missing Persons in the way Ottaviano delivers her vocals.  'Still Angry' starts out with a heavier drum track than the previous songs.  The music is also more subdued and simple.  The focus is on the rhythm track.  As you can guess, this track is more negative and aggressive than the previous two.  Still, the group never crosses the line into a purely aggressive form of music.  The lilting bells are still present in this number.

The first ballad of the album, 'White Lies' is up next and it starts with a very simple progression you can literally hear playing at a high school dance.  Even though it's slower, the delicate sound the group has developed carries through.  Once again, more bells.  Absolutely genius use and very effective.  'Lost Souls' starts off with the sound of Chinese gongs and some straining synth lines.  Then it veers off into something I don't like initially.  It starts to sound a bit generic.  It uses drum sounds that were fairly common at the time.  Once again, the bells eventually kick in playing the melody and Ottaviano begins to sing and we find some footing in the song.  The build is nice, but on this particular track, there's a lot of starts and stops with different motifs and though you might call it a more complex piece, it suffers from the transitions.  

'Late Show' is an instrumental and for what it is, it's actually quite interesting.  It maintains a steady rhythm.  It's a little too fast...  You want to slow it down, but it's still enjoyable.  And now, boys and girls, we have my favorite song on the album, 'I Touch Roses'!  Once again, we have lovely bells ringing all through the song and it's sheer perfection.  The drum track is compelling.  They use a guitar sample to heighten the beat and it's delightful.  There's even some xylophone thrown in.  It's a fantastic song that leaves you feeling good and what more could you ask for from a tune?  'Yellow Sky' is next and it starts off with an oriental feel that carries on throughout the song.  The most striking thing about this track is the fact Ottaviano actually sings this one and spends more time hitting higher notes then she has on all the previous tracks.  It's followed by my second most favorite number on this disc, 'Boy'.  Although this song actually speaks a lot to gender identity and sexual confusion.  Especially when you consider it's written by a guy.  I could go on for awhile about this one, but I won't.  Suffice it to say, it certainly found a very specific audience.  And btw, bells, bells, bells...

'Happy Day' is track number 10 and even though the tinkling continues, there's a harpsichord sound giving this song a paisley psychedelic feel.  There's some echo on the vocal delivery accentuating the hippy dippy trippiness of the music.  Still, I like the song!  'Die Matrosen' starts off sounding like a boy scout jamboree and then devolves into something that musically resembles a Missing Persons creation before those scouts whistling return...  They're spread throughout the track so be prepared.  There's a dramatic shift in this song from major to minor movements.  It's actually a lot of fun.  'Book Of Love' is technically the last song on the album.  It rounds the disc off nicely and seals the deal.  Book Of Love have delivered a consistent and enjoyable album you can listen to all the way through without getting bored or skipping tracks.

My CD features another five tracks, but they're all mixes and 12" single releases.  It's awesome to have them included.  The first is 'Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes) (I Dream Of Jeanne Mix)'.  I believe this was the 12" extended version of the song.  It's followed by 'Modigliani (Requiem Mass)'....  This is a version of the song that could actually be performed by bell ringers.  It's a quiet, instrumental but still enjoyable.  Track 15 is 'You Make Me Feel So Good (Flutter Mix)'.  Like the previous two mixes, this one stays fairly close to the original number.  It doesn't get crazy.  Still, these extended versions of songs you liked were always great fun to have back in the day.  It's followed by 'I Touch Roses (Long Stemmed Version)' which is code for extended mix.  And this is probably the best of the bunch.  Love it.  Finally, we round the disc out with 'Boy (Extended Mix)'.  This one is fairly straight forward.  No beating around the bush, it's just longer.  And there's nothing wrong with that.

I'm not sure how successful Book Of Love were, but as far as I'm concerned, it wasn't enough.  I think this band was largely overlooked and sadly, never garnered the attention they deserved.  This album was delightful, fun and easy to sing along with.  It had all the ingredients to be a huge hit!  I'm guessing the record company didn't put much money in promoting them and that's why they never achieved international status.  For those of us who discovered them and followed along for the ride, Book Of Love gave us some of the most memorable and personal songs of our youth.  My final words:  AN UNSUNG 80'S CLASSIC!  REDISCOVER THIS GEM!!!

BOOK OF LOVE - BOOK OF LOVE
01. Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes)
02. You Make Me Feel So Good
03. Still Angry
04. White Lies
05. Lost Souls
06. Late Show
07. I Touch Roses
08. Yellow Sky
09. Boy
10. Happy Day
11. Die Matrosen
12. Book Of Love
13. Modigliani (Lost In Your Eyes) (I Dream Of Jeanne Mix)
14. Modigliani (Requiem Mass)
15. You Make Me Feel So Good (Flutter Mix)
16. I Touch Roses (Long Stemmed Version)
17. Boy (Extended Mix)