The Dukes of Stratosphear "25 O'Clock" (1985)

25 O'Clock

release date: Apr. 1, 1985

format: cd (2009 remaster - APECD023)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,52]

producer: John Leckie, Swami Anand Nagara, The Dukes

label: Ape House - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "25 O'Clock" - 2. "Bike Ride to the Moon" - 3. "My Love Explodes" - 4. "What in the World??…" - 5. "Your Gold Dress" - 6. "The Mole From the Ministry" - 13 "Black Jewelled Serpent of Sound (Radio Caroline Edit)" - 14. "Open a Can of Human Beans" - 15. "Tin Toy Clockwork Train"

Debut album by project-band The Dukes of Stratosphear - basically XTC having fun playing psychedelic rock the way it sounded in the mid to late 1960s. The original album released on Virgin Records is a six-track Mini-album with a total running length of less than 27 mins, and the 2009 remaster (issued on Andy Partridge's label Ape House) add another nine tracks of demos and outtakes extending the running length to 49 mins. At the time, XTC was a trio of vocalist & guitarist Andy Partridge, vocalist & guitarist Colin Moulding, and lead guitarist & keyboardist Dave Gregory, and with the inclusion of Dave's brother Ian on drums, they here perform as The Dukes. On the album they're credited as Sir John Johns, The Red Curtain, Lord Cornelius Plum, and E.I.E.I. Owen [!]. Producer John Leckie is credited both with his actual name and with his alias: Swami Anand Nagara.

Stylewise, it's a strong attempt in producing music with a Syd Barrett-version of Pink Floyd in mind. Alledgedly, everything was played and recorded with old equipment [wiki about the album].

For most of their career, XTC has played with elements of psychedelic rock - on later albums they're exponents of neo-psychedelic rock, and it's obvious how this side-project may be seen in the stylistic progression of XTC - especially considering the traits of the albums that followed, e.g.: Skylarking (1986), Oranges & Lemons (1989), Nonsuch (1992), Apple Venus Volume 1 (1998).

The album was promoted by Virgin as an actual debut of sorts - a collection of 1960s compositions made by an unknown act, which finally had been released. Most tellingly, the album sold twice as many records as the predecessor The Big Express (Oct. 1984) by XTC at a time when no one knew of the actual identity of the band.

25 O'Clock is a powerful album, and both as original psychedelic rock and in the discography of XTC. It's an album that may require some time accustomising and although released on April Fools' Day and exposing plentiful of British humour the music is not entirely meant as a joke.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5, Pitchfork 7,7 / 10 stars ]

Cornelis Vreeswijk "Cornelis' Bästa" (1985)

Cornelis' Bästa, compilation

release date: 1985

format: 2 cd (2010 reissue)

[album rate: 4 / 5]

producer: various

label: DB Records - nationality: Sweden

Best of compilation by Dutch-Swedish troubadour Cornelis Vreeswijk is the only compilation released during his lifetime. The album was originally released as a triple vinyl album on the Norwegian DB label. The album is a mighty fine collection, although, it still feels insufficient. A 2003 2 cd-only compilation with the same title but a different release issued by Metronome appears as a better choice in representing his best material; however, in the case of Vreeswijk with his vast repertoire of songs, any compilation would come out as insufficient but if you only want one album this isn't bad at all.

Vreejswijk deserves this type of recognition, although, his studio albums are preferred over the many compilations. His status as singer / songwriter and a genuine Nordic troubadour puts him on the shelf among the best.

Toyah "Minx" (1985)

Minx
release date: Jul. 25, 1985
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,72]
producer: Christopher Neil
label: Portrait Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Soldier of Fortune, Terrorist of Love" - 2. "Don't Fall in Love (I Said)" - 3. "Soul Passing Through Soul" - 11. "America for Beginners"

Studio solo debut by Toyah Wilcox, although it's also the sixth album credited Toyah. After Love Is the Law (Oct. 1983) the band faced declining sales figures and interest, and most of the band members became engaged in other acts, basically, leaving Wilcox and Joel Bogen alone - once again. Except this time, Toyah Wilcox now signed a contract with CBS subsidiary Portrait as a solo artist. Songwriting duo Wilcox / Bogen is here credited a single song (track #7), while most of the other tracks are credited Wilcox and keyboardist Simon Darlow. The album also feature a total of four covers - songs originally released by Rare Bird (track #4), DATA (track #6), Alice Cooper (track #9), and Latin Quarter (track #11).

Alledgedly, the money men of the label had much to say in terms of details about the sound and style of the album, and also regarding what specific tracks they wanted on an album that appears to have been produced with an American market in mind, i.e. with clear focus on a mainstream style within a pop / rock bubble at a time when synthpop and the contemporary soft version of new wave with toned-down art pop was state-of-the-art. The arrangements show bold use of vocal harmonies, keyboards, and the typical '80s drum sound, as well as the use of strings. Even the front cover highlights a shift towards a different audience in mind with a Toyah Wilcox [in a Sheena Easton / Frida / Tina Turner look-a-like] style and definitely not meant for punk rock associations.

The album actually performed quite well, peaking at number #24 on the national albums chart, and the first single "Don't Fall in Love (I Said)" peaked as number #22. Tracks #3 and #10 were also issued as singles and landed as No. #57 and #93, respectively.

Both musically and stylistically, Toyah simply ceased to appeal to me after Love Is the Law, and this very album just cemented my lack of interest. I believe much of the relatively significant commercial success that she faced after all is largely due to her background as an actor in a number of British films, TV series, and in roles as TV presenter on various BBC-productions. From a musical historical perspective, the band Toyah and soloist Toyah Wilcox released only a few really substantial albums, where Anthem (1981) is the only truly outstanding original.

One year following Minx, Wilcox married guitarist Robert Fripp, and she continued to release solo albums up until '96, after which the pace of new releases slowed considerably. The 2008 album In the Court of the Crimson Queen - paying tribute to husband Fripp's band King Crimson's acclaimed debut In the Court of the Crimson King from 1969 - from the beginning of 2021, is Wilcox's most recent studio album.

Not recommended.

Dead Can Dance "Spleen and Ideal" (1985)

Spleen and Ideal
release date: Nov. 1985
format: vinyl (CAD 512) / cd (1986 reissue) / cd (2008 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,06]
producer: Dead Can Dance & John A. Rivers
label: 4AD Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "De profundis (Out of the Depths of Sorrow)" - 2. "Ascension" - 4. "The Cardinal Sin" - 5. "Mesmerism" - 6. "Enigma of the Absolute" - 7. "Advent" - 8. "Avatar" - 9. "Indoctrination (A Design for Living)"

2nd studio album by Australian neo-classical darkwave band Dead Can Dance, who at this point have been reduced to a duo consisting of singer, drummer & percussionist Lisa Gerrard (who would later become an acclaimed film composer) and British multi-instrumentalist Brendan Perry. The album consists of nine compositions with varied durations from approx. 3 minutes to the album's longest track "The Cardinal Sin" of approx. 5½ minutes, and with a total running length of just 38 minutes.

In terms of style, the music here can only poorly be compared to other contemporary releases. In its time it fell under the category of post-punk, which it really never was. I think the closest critics could rightly describe the style as was gothic rock and experimental rock - perhaps with a touch of art rock, but seen from a music historical perspective it's nothing less than a modern cornerstone, which has only gained greater recognition over time. It's difficult, and perhaps impossible, to imagine contemporary works by artists such as Jocelyn Pook and Anna von Hausswolff, but also Chelsea Wolfe and Lingua Ignota, and basically: the whole wave of contemporary artists in neo-classical darkwave without pointing to the legacy of Dead Can Dance and perhaps this album in particular.

I purchased Spleen and Ideal on vinyl back in the mid-80s without having any knowledge of the band or of the music they played. All I knew was that 4AD Records put out music with super-interesting names and pretty original artists, and the band oozed that particular post-punk edge that (to me) connected them to bands like Bauhaus, Modern English, This Mortail Coil, and Joy Division (which admittedly came out on Factory Records). However, I also remember the first time I listened to the album and was really disappointed. It wasn't at all like the other bands I knew of. And it wasn't even close to some of the ones mentioned here. I tried repeatedly to listen to the album but always ended up putting something else on. Luckily, I kept the album, although in the late 80s and early 90s I got into a really bad habit of selling off early 80s albums that I didn't listen much to in order to finance newer music with a stronger appeal.

When I finally re-listened to Spleen and Ideal again in the 2010s it was like a sheer revelation. How could I have failed to understand the obvious qualities of this very album?! No, it doesn't sound like anything else from the early or late 80s - except subsequent albums by Dead Can Dance. It's enchanting and beautiful music sounding like timeless tones that call for a kind of ceremonial gathering. The beauty of it is that you can simultaneously let it fill you without thinking about cultural or religious boundaries. But above all, it's remarkable how little it shares with other music originating in the mid-80s.

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

[ collectors' item ]

Latin Quarter "Modern Times" (1985)

Modern Times [debut]
release date: 1985
format: digital (1989 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Pete Hammond & Latin Quarter
label: Rocking Horse / RCA - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Modern Times" (4 / 5) (live in 2012) - 3. "Radio Africa" (4 / 5) (live in 2012) - 5. "America for Beginners" - 6. "Eddie" - 10. "Truth About John"

Studio album debut by London-based Latin Quarter released on the smaller Arista-owned company Rocking Horse (reissued in '89 by RCA). The band has been through various line-ups over the years but here they count eight [!] members fronted by Steve Skaith as lead vocalist and guitarist, Richard Wright on guitar and backing vocals, Greg Harewood on bass, Yona Dunsford as vocalist and on piano, Steve Jeffries on keyboards and backing vocals, Carol Douet as vocalist and on percussion, Richard Stevens on drums and percussion, and with Mike Jones, who alone is credited as songwriter.

The music is characterised by a solid (left-wing) political stand as well as a socially-engaged attitude with roots in reggae, world music but still framed in a pop / rock kontext with stress on 'pop'.

I believe, the first tracks, I ever heard on the radio by this band were the title song and "Radio Africa". Both still hold quite nicely, although, they are shrouded by stemming from another period, mostly due to their strong political content and the use of synthetic drums. Other songs have aged with lesser success and mostly appear as naiive. Stilewise, the band could sound as a pop-clone of music by Peter Gabriel, Men At Work and the later, and likewise politically and socially engaged collective, Chumbawumba.

[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

Happy Mondays "Forty Five EP" (1985) (ep)

Forty Five EP, ep

release date: Sep. 1985

format: digital

[album rate: 3 / 5] [3,17]

producer: Mike Pickering

label: Factory Records - nationality: England, UK

Tracklist: 1. "Delightful" (4 / 5) - 2. "This Feeling" (2,5 / 5) - 3. "Oasis" (3 / 5)

3-track ep debut by Happy Mondays is the band's first release after being put on contract by Factory Records. Producer Mike Pickering worked as a DJ at The Haçienda dance and nightclub in Manchester, and he saw the band's potential after having listened to a demo-tape by the band, who at this point toured with New Order. Already then, Happy Mondays is a stable sextet consisting of the Ryder brothers: singer and guitarist Shaun and bassist Paul together with lead guitarist Mark Day, keyboardist Paul Davis, drummer Gary Whelan, and with new member dancer Bez (aka Mark Berry).

Musically, it's not yet the baggy / madchester-style they should later be associated with. Instead, they play dance-friendly indie pop with bold stylistic elements from jangle pop. The ep has also been recognised as "The Delightful ep" with its title referring to the first and also easily best track of the release. Also, in retrospect, Shaun Ryder has described this as a first experience, which he thought was a bit off in respect to what they were aiming at as it resulted in a sound without the dance-vibe they had wanted, and partly because Pickering simply didn't know that, and also because the band were still trying to find their ground. At the same time, Ryder was still influenced by other vocalists, partly leaning towards Ian Curtis, Feargal Sharkey and other strong performers and not yet had found his personal style. You could add that the band simply lacked a musical direction - should we play more like Joy Division / New Order, Orange Juice, or some other new act? Questions that basically revealed that they were not mature enough to hit it off.

Feargal Sharkey "Feargal Sharkey" (1985)

Feargal Sharkey [debut]

release date: Nov. 11, 1985

format: vinyl

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]

producer: David A. Stewart

label: Virgin Records - nationality: Northern Ireland, UK

Track highlights: A) 1. "A Good Heart" (5 / 5) (video) - 2. "You Little Thief" - 4. "Ashes and Diamonds" - 5. "Made to Measure" - - B) 1. "Someone to Somebody" - 2. "Don't Leave It to Nature" - 5. "It's All Over Now"

Solo studio album debut by Feargal Sharkey after the disbandment of The Undertones, Jul. 1983. The band's last two albums Positive Touch (May 1981) and The Sin of Pride (Mar. 1983) already showed the band's move from melodic punk rock via power pop and into a bolder mainstream pop / rock scene, and Sharkey's solo effort basically just takes another step into sophisti-pop arrangements with strong contributions from Dave Stewart, Patrick Seymour, Michael Kamen, Nathan East, Olle Romo (Eurythmics backing band), Martin Chambers (of Pretenders), and Debra Byrd. Unquestionably, Stewart's presence ensures a sound that doesn't fall far from that of Eurythmics, and that's both the album's strength and a bit of a pitfall, as many artists sought to replicate the sound and the success of Eurythmics. "A Good Heart" written by Maria McKee deservedly became a massive hit, and much sayingly, the best tracks here are written by others, counting: "A Good Heart", "You Little Thief", "Made to Measure", "Someone to Somebody", and "It's All Over Now". Sharkey has that fabulous vocal that just makes it more than generic pop. It's Northern pop soul, which puts him alongside someone like Paul Young; alas Sharkey soon tired of the music business and withdrew from the limelight shortly after his follow-up Wish (Mar. 1988).

Chris Isaak "Silvertone" (1985)

Silvertone [debut]
release date: Jan. 10, 1985
format: cd (1987 reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]
producer: Erik Jacobsen
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Dancin' " - 3. "Livin' for Your Lover" - 5. "Voodoo" - 6. "Funeral in the Rain"

Studio debut album by Chris Isaak named after his 3-piece backing band consisting of James Calvin Wilsey on guitar and lap steel, Prairie Prince on drums and with Chris Solberg on bass. The credit list on the back cover only enlists James Calvin Wilsey in the same character font as Isaak himself with production staff mentioned afterwards, which points to Wilsey's significance. It is after all his lap steel guitar and its 'surf rock' sound that has become a kind of a trademark of Isaak's.
I didn't come across this album until recently, and I must confess that it overshadows his more successful later releases. At this point he was overlooked in the chart lists and it wouldn't be until his "Wicked Game" single from '89 that he became an international star. Three of the album tracks (#1, #5 and #6) are issued on the Wicked Game compilation album from 1991.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

Bryan Ferry "Boys and Girls" (1985)

Boys and Girls
release date: Jun. 3, 1985
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,96]
producer: Rhett Davies & Bryan Ferry
label: EG Records / Polydor K.K. - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Sensation" - 2. "Slave to Love" (5 / 5) - 3. "Don't Stop the Dance" (4 / 5) - 5. "Windswept" - 7. "Valentine" - 8. "Stone Woman"

6th studio album by Bryan Ferry follows seven years after The Bride Stripped Bare (1978), and here Ferry has paired up with Rhett Davies as the album producers. All tracks except one (track #3 by Bryan Ferry and Rhett Davies) are exclusively credited Ferry.

Stylistically, Ferry moves further up the 'art pop' alley and makes his so far boldest 'sophisti-pop' album with strong bonds to the final Roxy Music album Avalon (1982), which also featured Rhett Davies as co-producer.

The album was met by critical acclaim and topped the charts in several countries including the UK, as Ferry's only solo album, and it's also his only Platinum-selling album in the UK. The album spawned three singles: tracks #2, 3 and 5, peaking at #10, #21 and #46 respectively on the UK singles chart.

I recall buying the album upon its release at a time when I found it a bit too smooth; however, over the years I have returned to it and basically find it his best solo album to date. Also, in retrospect the album simply stands out as a cornerstone in modern sound production.

Highly recommendable.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5 stars ]

Japanese CD cover

Dire Straits "Brothers in Arms" (1985)

Brothers in Arms
release date: May 1, 1985
format: vinyl / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,38]
producer: Mark Knopfler, Neil Dorfsman
label: Vertigo Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "So Far Away" - 2. "Money for Nothing" - 3. "Walk of Life" - 9. "Brothers in Arms" (4,5 / 5)

5th studio album by Dire Straits follows nearly three years after Love Over Gold (Sep. 1982) is another fine album, although, I had tired of the band, their sound, and the predictable style of Mark Knopfler. The huge single hit of the album "Money for Nothing" featuring Sting was never my cup of tea. The video, however, was rather neat. The title track is a great tour de force of Knopfler's but it doesn't save the album. This was my last vinyl acquisition of any album by the band. The album is the second by Dire Straits to be enlisted in "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die".
[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

American Music Club "The Restless Stranger" (1985)

The Restless Stranger [debut]
release date: Aug. 1985
format: digital
[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,38]
producer: Tom Mallon
label: Grifter Records - nationality: USA

Track highlights: 1. "Room Above the Club" - 3. "Away Down My Street" - 8. "Tell Yourself"

Studio debut album by American Music Club, who at this early point was a quintet consisting of songwriter (and undisputed leader), lead vocalist and guitarist Mark Eitzel, lead guitarist Vudi [Mark Pankler], keyboardist Brad Johnson, bassist Dan Pearson and with Matt Norelli on drums.
Compared to later albums by the band this has its own style of pop / rock without the distinct style of slow rock / slowcore and alt. folk. Also, the best track might be "Tell Yourself", which is anything but a track one would associate with American Music Club with its up-tempo beat. Generally, the keyboard and guitar are more in focus on the album, and the songs simply lack songwriting and musical quality to make it more than than a mediocre release.
[ allmusic.com 2 / 5 stars ]

The Icicle Works "The Small Price of a Bicycle" (1985)

The Small Price of a Bicycle
release date: Sep. 20, 1985
format: vinyl (207 214) / digital
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,32]
producer: Wally Brill
label: Virgin Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Hollow Horse" - 2. "Perambulator" - 3. "Seven Horses" - 5. "Windfall" (live) - 6. "Assumed Sundown" - 10. "Conscience of Kings"

2nd studio album by The Icicle Works, originally released on Beggars Banquet, introduces a broader and more mainstream sound. The band is still the same trio who founded the band. The album is actually not that far from the style of the debut, but somehow it failed. I think, it was all about sound and style. With this the band placed itself among more traditional artists, and what brought them fame in the first place was being part of the new exiting "what's-going-to-be-of-music-after-punk-scene." And here they kind of say: "we don't want part of that. We're playing pop / rock". Now, it still contains some nice tunes, especially the first two and track 5, but without the jangle pop element and with nice hymn-like ballads like "Rapids" (#4) and lesser songs, I soon lost interest.
Considering the time when everything was moving in all sorts of directions: jangle pop, gothic rock, noise rock and the new synthpop scene with post-punk dissolving into art pop and alt. rock there was little room left for more classic compositions like this. It's just too nicely sounding, altogether; and after this I just didn't pay attention to the music of The Icicle Work, which is kind of hard and sad 'cause Ian McNabb and Co. did know how to make music, and this still proves that, although, it's far from a favourite.
[ 👍allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

The Durutti Column "Domo Arigato" (1985) (live)

Domo Arigato (live)
release date: Aug. 1985
format: digital (facd 144)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5]

Live album by The Durutti Column, originally released for the Japanese market only but shortly after released on Factory Records for the home market as well. In 1998, a remastered edition was released with 4 bonus tracks. The album mostly contains tracks from all albums, but it's really more than just a compilation of older songs, as the versions here are like jazz live tracks, played uniquely and with improvisations.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5 stars ]

1998 Remastered Bonus Tracks Edition

Love and Rockets "Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven" (1985)

org. cover

Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven [debut]
release date: Oct. 11, 1985
format: cd (2000 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: John A. Rivers, Love and Rockets
label: Beggars Banquet - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "If There's a Heaven Above" - 2. "A Private Future" - 3. "The Dog-End of a Day Gone By" - 6. "Haunted When the Minutes Drag" - 7. "Saudade"

Studio debut album by the trio Love and Rockets consisting of Daniel Ash on vocals and guitar, David J on bass and backing vocals, and Kevin Haskins on drums. All three band members formed the band in 1985 after the demise of Bauhaus. Actually, Ash had already formed the project-band, Tones on Tail in '82 together with (Bauhaus roadie) Glenn Campling, with whom Ash had attended art school, and when Bauhaus disbanded in '83, Kevin Haskins joined the two.
The music is rather far from what the three played while in Bauhaus. There's hardly any gothic rock references here at all and instead the band plays a new form of psychedelic rock and alt. rock that would come to be labelled neo-psychedelia. The music is heavily built on Daniel Ash's distorted guitar sound but also by a vast repertoire of instruments, though it's all kept quite simple. There are long almost progressive parts without the tracks seem too long - held together by various passages of simple repetitive loops and bits of choruses here and there. It's a surprisingly strong release.
I used to have the original album on cassette and now is left with a 2000 remaster cd issue of the album containing 6 bonus tracks.
[ allmusic.com 3,5 / 5 stars ]

2000 remaster

Jeffrey Lee Pierce "Wildweed" (1985)

2005 remaster

Wildweed
release date: 1985
format: cd (2005 remaster)
[album rate: 3 / 5] [2,92]
producer: Craig Leon
label: Sympathy For The Record Industry - nationality: USA

Solo studio album debut by The Gun Club frontman and primary composer, Jeffrey Lee Pierce originally released on Statik Records. Here, Pierce on lead guitar, vocals and piano has teamed up with Andy Anderson on drums and John Mackenzie on bass. The style is less noisy, less energetic, and instead a more 'americana' 'blues rock' sound. It's not bad at all, I just find that it lacks direction.

Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band "do." (1985)

Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band

release date: Mar. 8, 1985
format: digital (reissue)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,42]
producer: Corrado Rustici
label: Polydor - nationality: Italy

Tracklist: 1. "Donne" - 2. "Stasera se un uomo..." - 3. "Ti farò morire" - 4. "Per una delusione in più" - 5. "Tu mi piaci come questa birra" - 6. "Un piccolo aiuto" - 7. "Jimmy Jimmy" - 8. "Oh Stevie" - 9. "Quasi quasi"

2nd studio album by Zucchero following two years after the debut Un po' di Zucchero is released as a collaboration which also is its title: 'Zucchero & The Randy Jackson Band'. All songs have lyrics by either Mogol (aka Giulio Rapetti Mogol) (5 tracks) or by Alberto Salerno (4 tracks) and all compositions are with music by Zucchero. Randy Jackson is here merely credited on bass, and he would go on to be a much asked for studio musician - he is also Zucchero's co-arranger and bassist on the successor.
Already here, Zucchero sounds very much like he does on much later albums. Compared to his '83 debut album, the style has been altered from a folk-oriented singer / songwriter style to a more spacious and essentially blues-inspired style. The track "Donne" sounds much like a sketch to his later hit "Senza una donna". Listening to this today, I cannot help thinking that Paul Young must have listened to this as his albums comes very close to much of the same smooth pop soul sound.

Note: front cover is Randy Jackson holding baby girl Irene Fornaciari, daughter of Angela Figliè and Zucchero.

The Armoury Show "Waiting for the Floods" (1985)

Waiting for the Floods [debut]
release date: Sep. 1985
format: vinyl / cd (2001)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,62]
producer: Nick Launay
label: EMI America / Track Record - nationality: Scotland, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Castles in Spain" - 2. "Kyrie" (4 / 5) - 4. "We Can Be Brave Again" (4,5 / 5) - 5. "Higher Than the World" - 7. "Glory of Love" - 9. "Sleep City Sleep"

Studio album debut and only album by Scottish band The Armoury Show founded in '83 as an all-stars Scottish band by members from various successful UK acts, comprising lead vocalist Richard Jobson and bassist Russell Webb, both from legendary Scottish punk rock band Skids, together with two ex-members of Magazine: acclaimed guitarist John McGeoch - also from Magazine, Visage, and Siouxsie and the Banshees - and drummer John Doyle.
Musically, it's closer to the style of Skids with the addition of more complex arrangements, and the style is not easy to categorise. It's mostly new wave with bonds to a post-punk heritage that also connects this with Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees, but it's also a style with bonds to their contemporaries of Big Country and Simple Minds (listen to "Higher Than the World") as well as older acts like Thin Lizzy and Horslips.
The album was preceded by the two single releases of tracks #1 and #4 (both released in '84) and followed by the release of track #7. For reasons unknown, the first DC issue of the album (2001) was released with one track missing (track #A4. "Jungle of Cities") from the original vinyl and cassette issues.
Following the album release, both McGeoch and Doyle left the project with McGeoch joining Public Image Ltd. and the latter beginning a collaboration project with Pete Shelley of The Buzzcocks, while Webb and Jobson continued The Armoury Show with new replacements until '88 when the group finally disbanded before finishing a follow-up album. Instead, Jobson released these songs on his solo debut album Badman (1988).

BEST OF 1985:Ry Cooder "Paris, Texas" (OST) (1985)

org. album cover

Paris, Texas (soundtrack)
release date: 1985
format: cd (1988 reissue)
[album rate: 4,5 / 5]
producer: Ry Cooder
label: Warner Bros. - nationality: USA

Tracklist: 1. "Paris, Texas" (4 / 5) - 2. "Brothers" - 3. "Nothing Out There" - 4. "Canción Mixteca" (5 / 5) (live version with Harry Dean Stanton) - 5. "No Safety Zone" - 6. "Houston in Two Seconds" (4 / 5) - 7. "She's Leaving the Bank" - 8. "On the Couch" - 9. "I Knew These People (feat. Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski)" - 10. "Dark Was the Night"

Soundtrack by Ry Cooder to the movie "Paris, Texas" from 1984, directed by Wim Wenders.
It's the music by dusty angels, and it suits this fantabulous movie like... cheese and red wine... a Ferrari and my garage... a pink sweater on Nastassja Kinski... like... hand in glove. I love the music just the way I love the movie by Wenders, which I may have seen 4 or 5 times and haven't found boring or too long yet. The music on this album is just perfect for an evening listening to old vinyl records, and I don't really need any other company - this is more than just fine. In my mind, this is by far Cooder's best album.
[ movie trailer ]

1985 Favourite releases: 1. Ry Cooder Paris, Texas - 2. The Smiths Meat Is Murder - 3. The Pogues Rum, Sodomy and the Lash

'my' alternate CD version and the 2001 remaster

Michael Falch "Michael Falch" (1985)

Michael Falch [debut]

release date: Mar. 1985

format: cd (reissue - MDCD 6230)

[album rate: 2,5 / 5] [2,58]

producer: Jesper Ranum

label: Medley Records - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 3. "Navn og nummer" - 4. "Nye tider" - 10. "Sommer på vej"

Studio solo debut by Michael Falch following the disbandment of Malurt and the band's (so far) final album Tour de Force (Oct. 1983). The album is co-produced by Thomas Brekling and Falch.

With this, the former front figure of Malurt makes an effort to distance himself from the band releases with an album characterised by other primary instrumentation than classic guitar rock-set-up with synths (Fairlight) and a distinct melodic pop style. Keyboardist Pete Repete of Malurt is the only former band member, who plays on this but also Per Chr. Frost (of Gnags), the producer of Tour de Force is a recurring figure, now credited on bass. The front cover displays Falch with a guitar over his shoulder but it appears that all guitar performances are credited Søren Wolff (of SW80). All songs and music is credited Falch except two songs (tracks #1 and #9) with music co-composed by producer and keyboardist Jesper Ranum.

I purhased the album as it was released but I never became accustomed with the open pop-style and ended up reselling the album less than a decade later. However, Falch and the album was fairly well-received by the public, although, critics didn't exactly see it as neither innovative nor as a major work, and in retrospect, the album stands very much on its own.

Imo, the album falls pretty much on the same grade as Tour de Force and is not a recommended album.

C.V. Jørgensen "Vennerne & vejen" (1985)

Vennerne & vejen

release date: May 1985

format: cd (1991 remaster)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,88]

producer: Nils Henriksen

label: Columbia - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Datadisciplin" (4 / 5) (live) - 2. "Endnu en weekend" - 3. "Vennerne & mig" - 4. "Morgendagens stjerner" (4 / 5) - 5. "Altmuligmanden" - 6. "Messe for en masse" - 7. "Emigration" - 8. "Vive la vie"

8th studio album by C.V. Jørgensen released 15 months following Lediggang agogo (Feb. '83) was originally released on CBS. Following the '83 album, C.V. toured with a backing band consisting of the musicians playing on that album with the addition of guitarist and bassist Aske Jacoby and keyboardist Pete Repete (from Malurt). On this, he then makes use of the same garrison with Nils Henriksen, Lars Hybel, Aske Jacoby (all three credited on guitar and bass), Pete Repete on keyboards and with Gert Smedegård on drums, while Jacob Andersen, who was busy recording as studio musician for Alberte, Danseorkestret, and Sanne Salomonsen, only participates on the first two songs. All tracks are written and composed by Jørgensen (except "Vive la vie", which was composed with Henriksen).

Musically, the album sounds like an extension to Lediggang agogo - and mostly like a sonically improved coherent release. The '83 album certainly has its qualities but it's as if C.V. and his backing band here really reap the benefit of their joint forces - and perhaps Henriksen has just turned into a better skilled producer. Stylistically, it's very much of the same territory, but the music has become somewhat broader, and you clearly hear the contemporary sense for heavy rhythm arrangements à la Simple Minds and Springsteen ("Messe for en masse" and "Endnu en weekend"). It's primarily a rock album both containing ballads and more uptempo tracks, and you can only imagine how C.V. and the band probably had listened closely to The Police, Simple Minds, Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, as well as Danish act, Malurt.

The album was quite well received in the press and by the public, and although C.V. with the album strikes a rather pessimistic tone, the music functions as an uplifting counterpart. Gloomy lyrics on "Datadisciplin", "Vennerne & mig" and "Morgendagens stjerner" don't distract the impression of musical momentum, and these songs were soon incorporated into C.V.'s canon. The predominantly negative lyrics deal with topics such as abuse, cynicism, nationalism, cold human relations, exploitation, human loss, and life behind the scenes. On "Endnu en weekend" he sings: "Endnu en weekend med flimrende fjerner - for et stakåndet publikum - to døgns trampen i begge pedaler - på fordummelsens harmonium... Endnu en weekend med enkeltindivider - på hovedet flere timer i træk - for at virkeliggøre drømmen om et liv i luksus - eller dø unge i eget bræk" ['Another weekend of flickering TV - for a choked-up audience - two days of stomping both pedals - on the harmonium of stupidity... Another weekend with the self-centered - spending several hours straight upside down - trying to realize the dream of a luxurious life - or to die young in your own vomit' (my own translation)]. Not exactly what you would call an uplifting outlook for the future. And on "Emigration" about being misunderstood and once again about a lack of faith for the future: "Min lod i livet er at drømme noget - der traditionen tro bli'r misforstået - sådan er det og sådan bli'r det ved med at være - min fremtid hvis jeg da har mig nogen - ligner på afstand en hallucination - sådan er det og sådan bli'r det ved med at være" ['My lot in life is to dream about things - which according to habit will be misunderstood - that's how things work and that's how things will stay - my future, that is if I have any - from a distance look like a hallucination - that's how things work and that's how things stay' (my translation)]. In fact, there is not one single song of positive thoughts, and the album hardly helped Jørgensen's reputation as a distinct seer of moodiness.

Admittedly, there are generally no further encouraging stories on Vennerne & vejen, but the music stands as a strong counterpoint with fine harmonies, good guitar riffs and catchy choruses. To my ears, it has always been an uplifting album in spite, because music is so much more than accompanying lyrics. It's the final essence that really matters - and as a product, the album sends a refreshing and vibrant feel.

The front cover is credited Annemarie Albrectsen.

Strongly recommended.