release date: Feb. 1982
format: digital (1998 re-issue)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,94]
producer: Adam Kidron
label: Polydor Records - nationality: Scotland, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Falling and Laughing" - 3. "Wan Light" - 4. "Tender Object" - 6. "L.O.V.E. (Love)" - 8. "Upwards and Onwards" (4 / 5) - 10. "Three Cheers for Our Side" - 11. "Consolation Prize" - 12. "Felicity"
Studio album debut by Scottish quartet Orange Juice, founded in 1979 [formerly known as Nu-Sonics from 1976-79 with Edwyn Collins, Alan Duncan, James Kirk and Steven Daly] and here made up by Edwyn Collins on lead vocals and guitar, James Kirk on guitar and vocals, David McClymont on bass guitar and with Steven Daly on drums and percussion. Nine of the album's 13 tracks are composed by Collins, and three are by Kirk and track #6 is a cover written by Al Green, Mabon 'Teenie' Hodges and Willie Mitchell.
Stylistically, the album may be part of the wide post-punk label as a natural consequence of being released in the early 80s, but the link to any punk rock traits is really not here. Instead it's associated with blue-eyed soul and more adequately labelled as jangle pop and indie pop as one of the absolute first of the genre, which would pave way for sofhisti-pop, and its' an album that played a major role as inspiration for bands in the early 1980s.
One of the band's most characteristic features is the vocal of Edwyn Collins, and at the time, I mostly found it too peculiar to really consider the band one of my favourites. In hindsight though, it's no wonder Mr. Collins has been mentioned as a remarkable singer and songwriter. The sound of the band is quite unique and the inclusion of brass, strings and harmony vocals makes me think of the band as a unity with links to the blue-eyed soul and baroque pop of the 1960s.
The album became the band's best charting album reaching number #21 on the albums chart list in the UK. In retrospect, one should perhaps praise the band and Collins (in particular) more for being an obvious source of inspiration for bands like Aztec Camera, The Go-Betweens, Everything but the Girl, The Divine Comedy and The Smiths.
[ allmusic.com, Smash Hits 4 / 5 stars ]
