ERASURE - COWBOY

I'm gonna try something different this time...  I've made a habit of trying to break the albums down into individual songs, but I think that gets tiring after awhile.  There are so many mediocre songs I have to try to find ways to describe.  So from now on I'm going to limit my comments to things that stand out and attract my attention.

This is the perfect album to start with.  "Cowboy" was released in 1997 on Madonna's Maverick label.  I'm not sure if this was Erasure's first release on that label, but I think it was the only one.  I might be wrong.

On the heels of the self-titled "Erasure" album, "Cowboy" saw Vince Clarke and Andy Bell returning to their traditional pop roots with catchy 3 to 4 minute songs instead of the experimental soundscapes they'd produced on "Erasure".  The more radio friendly atmosphere of "Cowboy" allowed the band some chart success in the UK and Europe.  Some of the band's singles were having impact in the US as well.

I first heard about this record not by following the charts or seeing it in the record store...  I heard the single, 'In My Arms' during the ad loop playing in a movie theater.  In the US, prior to the trailers, some theaters back in the 90's started experimenting with a looped audio track playing ads, trivia and short entertainment pieces in order to keep movie-goers from growing impatient as they waited for the film to start.  One of these clips was 'In My Arms' from Erasure.  The first time I heard it, I loved it and immediately went out and bought the album.

My impression was relief they'd moved away from the long songs of the previous album.  Now years later this disc has become what I consider the standard for Erasure releases.  I quite like Vince Clarke.  I think as a musician, he's amazingly talented and vastly unappreciated.  Because his focus is on electronic music and he works heavily with electronic instruments, he's written off by most folks.  He's not considered a genuine musician.  In reality, he's not only gifted, but able to write dramatically different and unique music pieces. 

Where Vince truly shines is sound engineering.  He creates so many different sounds unique to Erasure songs.  It's impossible for other groups to copy them.

On "Cowboy" Vince is in full form.  He generates catchy simple pop melodies, one after the other.  As usual, Andy Bell contributes the lyrics and vocals.  Their partnership seems to work well and their enjoyment in each other is forever present in their music.

Now back to what I consider a standard Erasure release...  "Cowboy" fits that description.  I can honestly say I like the entire album.  There's not a single song on here I think is horrible, but I'm not in love with it.  There are certain songs that stand out for me and if I'm creating a playlist there are tunes I'll take from this album.

'Worlds On Fire' is one of these, however my absolute favorite song on the disc is easily 'In My Arms'.  Perfect choice for a single and in my opinion, the perfect song on the album.  I love the sentiment.  I find it romantic and sweet.  'Treasure' is another song I quite enjoy.  I find it a bit of a musical mishmash, and the lyrics are a jumbled mess.  But all of that seems to come together during the chorus when Andy get down and really belts it out.

As a prelude of sorts to the cover album they did later on, the US version of "Cowboy" contains two covers.  One is 'Rapture' by Blondie, but my copy doesn't have this track.  I do have the second cover, 'Magic Moments' by Burt Bacharach and David Hall.  I've heard both and I love them both.  It's a shame my copy only has the one.  I wonder why.  Might have to upgrade it.

I'm an Erasure fan, but I'm not die hard.  I don't buy everything they put out.  Sometimes I mean to.  I think about it and I'll pick up a strange or rare bit here and there, but I've never committed to collecting them.  Maybe one day I will.  In the meantime, I'll enjoy individual discs as they come.  My final words: A RETURN TO FORM AND A SATISFYING ADDITION TO ERASURE'S GROWING CATALOG.  WORTH OWNING!

ERASURE - COWBOY

01. Rain

02. Worlds On Fire

03. Reach Out

04. In My Arms

05. Don't Say Your Love Is Killing Me

06. Precious

07. Treasure

08. Boy

09. How Can I Say

10. Save Me Darling

11. Love Affair

12. Magic Moments

ROMEO VOID - WARM, IN YOUR COAT

For awhile there I was picking up 80's CD's and if there was a song I liked and I found the disc, I'd buy it.  More times than not, I shot myself in the foot spending money on some of these records.  I'd love one song and hate the rest of the record.

This album was one of those.  I loved 'Never Say Never' but couldn't get into the rest of the record.  So now, all these years later, I put the album on and let it go.  I wanted to see if my initial reaction had changed.

I don't think I gave this group a fair shot back then and I know why...  I started listening to this record and there's a saxophone featured dominantly in the music.  Because of this, I almost wrote the album off.  At the time, sax seemed to be overdubbed on everything.  I wanted to tell the band enough was enough.  The sax is overrated and annoying.  I think I'd have enjoyed it more if that damn sax wasn't in the music.  Their music just doesn't lend itself to that instrument.

However, despite the flagrant use of the horn, I actually started listening to other qualities in these songs and I was a little shocked.  Romeo Void fit into the California style of new wave that emerged from late 70's Punk rock with bands like the Go-Go's, Blondie, Missing Persons and the Cars.  This branch of New Wave still relied heavily on traditional instruments.  The new sound came from radical changes in the way songs were written, arranged and sung.  It was innovating.  These groups were constantly challenging the definition of popular music.

Musically, Romeo Void is a band with a lot of interesting melodies and song ideas.  Where they dropped the ball is a debatable topic.  No matter how many bands hired female singers, only those with unique voices convincingly  fronted New Wave bands.  Although she's an interesting vocal arranger, Debora Iyall's voice couldn't drive the band beyond the singular success of the single, 'Never Say Never', (arguably her best performance with the band).  They had one song on the hot 100, 'A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing), but that success fizzled out almost as quickly as it came.  Seeing an overweight woman fronting a band was a shock the band relied on heavily to gain exposure.  But no matter how many people tuned in to see her perform, the interest wasn't there to guarantee the band any long term success.  Which is a shame.  I hear so many great ideas here.  There was just too much stacked against them.

I could try to break down the record for you, but there's not enough to keep me excited in the individual songs.  Instead, my newfound appreciation for their work is limited to hearing potential both in the lyrics and the music.  I will say this much, 'Never Say Never', was the track I bought this disc for and I'm still thrilled I own it.  It's an amazing song.  It can't cover the entire record though.

So to sum it up, different singer, same songs, no saxophone and this group might have stood up to The Smiths.  I think it would have driven them to great heights of fame.  My final words: HEAVY SAX SUICIDE NOTHING COULD SURVIVE!

ROMEO VOID - WARM, IN YOUR COAT

01. White Sweater

02. I Mean It

03. Charred Remains

04. Talk Dirty To Me

05, Myself To Myself

06. In The Dark

07. A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing)

08. Out On My Own (Dance Mix)

09. Just Too Easy

10, Wrap It Up

11, Flashfirm

12, Undercover, Kept

13. Chinatown

14. Never Say Never

15. One Thousand Shadows

DEAD OR ALIVE - NUKLEOPATRA

I was a fan of Dead Or Alive when this record came out.  Of course for me, their highpoint was "Mad, Bad, And Dangerous To Know".  That was the first DOA tape I owned and loved.  Subsequent releases left me a little disappointed, but there was always something keeping me interested.  As much as I loved DOA during the 80's, these later releases are more difficult to appreciate.  Pete Burns moved increasingly towards a transsexual persona.  In fact, the title track of this CD is about his transsexual side.  'Nukleopatra' was a minor dance hit in some of the gay clubs in Vegas.  I remember hearing it and deciding I would pick up the record.  Of course, at the time, DOA wasn't going to release the album in America and I ended up picking up the Japanese version.  Imports always cost a little more and this one was no exception. I regret spending so much on it.

Track 2 and 10 are both taken from an earlier Dead Or Alive album called "Fan The Flames, Part 1".  The addition of them here, albeit with new music arrangements is disappointing.  I wasn't a huge fan of the music on that CD and finding some of it here is a major let down.  Neither one is particularly appealing.  In fact, that was the disc that kinda turned me off to Dead Or Alive.  However, the number 3 track is a David Bowie cover called, 'Rebel Rebel'.  There are two covers on this disc and both are phenomenal!  'Rebel Rebel' kicks in and you get all the angst and confusion Pete Burn's new gender bending look boiled down into one aggressive pop single.  The second cover is Blondie's 'Picture This' coming in at number 8.  It's not as good as 'Rebel Rebel', but it's a worthy attempt and enjoyable.  Almost as much as the original version.

I could go on with a track by track breakdown of the CD, but the truth is, none of the music is interesting enough to keep my attention.  I don't have anything to say about it other than, eh...  It all sounds half-hearted anyway.  Like they were just trying to get something together to release.  There's no real "Umph" behind any of it.  It's not completely generic sounding, but it doesn't have anything special in it either.  Edina from "Absolutely Fabulous" once called this kind of music, "Dull Soulless Dance Music" and that's exactly what I think when I listen to this disc.  There's not even enough energy to get you moving.  I actually played it for Tyler and he found it boring.

This album is listed as Hi-NRG and Dance music on most reviews and information releases I've found online.  Although I'm not sure what to classify it as, I know it doesn't live up to their earlier work.  Whether it's the departure of the Dead Or Alive band that left the group without original material or the movement towards becoming an image celebrity rather than a singer; I've basically come to the conclusion Pete Burns gave up.  Since he and Steve Coy went "Solo" as Dead Or Alive, the focus has been more on appearance and drag persona rather than music and entertainment.  It's like they went on to feast on celebrity and ignored the music.

There's never been a happy balance for this group.  And for me, this record was the last straw.  I stopped buying them after this one.  Every now and again, the group will release something and I'll look at it.  The most recent thing I saw was a remix or remake of 'You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)'.  That makes me feel bad.  I'd rather see them doing something innovative and new.  Instead, they're continuing to cash in on old material hoping to squeeze one more ounce of gold out of that dried up rock.

I'm also horrified by the personal appearances I've seen Pete Burns do lately.  He's become something I absolutely detest and hate among the gay community...  A bitchy horrible old queen.  I avoid them in real life, I think they give gay people a bad image and I won't continue to financially support one who can't be a decent human being as a celebrity.  I know I'll probably get a lot of negative feedback for this review from Dead Or Alive fans.  And all I can say is, wait cause I've got great things to say about other releases.  Just not this one.  My final words: TROUBLING TRANNY TRASH!

DEAD OR ALIVE - NUKLEOPATRA

01. Nukleopatra

02. Unhappy Birthday

03. Rebel Rebel

04. Sleep With You

05. The Right Stuff

06. I'm A Star

07. International Thing

08. Picture This

09. Spend The Night Together

10. Gone Too Long

11. Getting It On

12. Sex Drive

BLONDIE - THE BEST OF BLONDIE

I used to think Blondie was an 80's band until I discovered they actually started in the 70's. Of course their biggest success occurred in the 80's. They topped the charts in the early 80's and Deborah Harry became an 80's icon of superstar proportions. I loved many of their songs. I used to watch an all night video show called "Night Flight" or something like that and I remember seeing the video for 'Rapture'. It was awesome! I also remember seeing the band perform on Saturday Night Live at some point.

Anyway, Blondie was one of the first groups I ever knew and although I liked what I heard, it wasn't anything I owned. I bought this CD at a used shop in Vegas back in the 90's. I saw it and thought to myself, "You know... Isn't it time you actually had some of those songs?" I liked them, could sing along with them and there was no reason not to have them.

I bought the CD and I've never regretted that decision. I absolutely love the disc. There are certain songs that make me wonder if I'd be a huge Blondie fan outside of their more commercially viable material, so I'm kinda glad I've limited my exposure to these classics. I'm sure Blondie fans the world over would hang me for heresy for saying that, but as a casual listener it's better to stick with what's already popular than to jump into the deep end.

This collection has my all time favorite Blondie track on it. 'The Tide Is High' is a wonderful number written by John Holt for a band called The Paragons. Some of my other favorites include 'Heart Of Glass', 'Dreaming', 'Hanging On The Telephone', 'One Way Or Another', 'Call Me' and of course 'Rapture'. This is a wonderful collection because it really does highlight the best parts of this band and what made them so interesting and unique. Even the 50's quality tunes from their 70's releases are satisfying and fun to hear. This is probably one of my all time favorite best of compilations. My final words: DEFINITELY BEST OF!

BLONDIE - THE BEST OF BLONDIE
01. Heart Of Glass
02. Dreaming
03. The Tide Is High
04. In The Flesh
05. Sunday Girl
06. Hanging On The Telephone
07. Rapture
08. One Way Or Another
09. (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear
10. Call Me (Theme From American Gigolo)
11. Atomic
12. Rip Her To Shreds