Picture Book

Dull style exercise

Honestly this was really fun. Absolutely a product of its time, but the nice mix of so many disparate influences into something cohesive is really pleasant.

If you had told me that I would like British pop soul, I would have laughed out loud. This album changed my mind. ★★★★

There's an occasional jazz or disco theme I really appreciated. But its mostly 80s chud again. For an older listener at the time as it weaves 70s contemporary into the music as well. Not much to write home about. I did share a moment with my Aunt's over holding back the years in a local karaoke bar after my dad died. So there was some unique spit I had on this game.

I just don't think redheads should sing like that

Me encantó la mezcla de sonidos, es un gran album

Simply shite

a bit more soul than i expected, but pretty good after i got used to it. The heaven cover is interesting too. Would give it a 3.5 if the scale allowed it.

Boring album until the last few tracks. It starts out pretty uninteresting and stays that way for most of the album, but it picks up around track 7 or 8. Red Box is great as are the following tracks (albeit somewhat less). The synths also sound pretty cheesy. :3

Fetzig

Quite good

Excruciating.

2.5/5 Really just forgettable and average.

2.5

another album that makes you wonder why it’s on the list because it gives nothing at all

Me ha sorprendido para bien, no cononocía el disco. La verdad que me ha gustado mucho

Come To My Aid - 85 Sad Old Red - 82 Look At You Now - 78 Heaven - 84 Jericho - 79 Money's Too Tight (To Mention) - 83 Holding Back The Years - 84 Red Box - 84 No Direction - 80 Picture Book - 83 Picture Book - 82

I thought the person singing was a woman at first. Mostly slow rock. I recognized Holding Back the Years.

Quite unremarkable. 1001 albums you must hear before the pharmacist has filled your prescription.

Holy balls is "Holding Back the Years" a fantastic tune! I could honestly have done without the rest of the album, though. Talented musicians and a hella good singer; even so, it's a bit bland. This album wears its influences on its sleeve, but it falls short of being what it's trying to be.

Some real immortal hits and interesting music with some forgettable tracks as well

What a solid album. Great 80's pop.

DNF. It’s good but I didn’t love it.

A little jazz, a little funk, and plenty of soul, every track brings something different. Less shoulder pad than expected, more groove.

Why does every song opening sound like something Elton John used 😭😭 The backings are a little cookie cutter for my taste though there are great horn and piano moments. Simply red is indeed a great singer and even reminded me of Tim Buckley in certain moments. Overall liked it 3.5

oh it's that band I always get confused with simple minds. thoroughly mid. what did David Byrne ever do to these people? 1/5.

Soulful and smooth.

Very similar to many other 80s albums both on and off the project. This was fine but nothing terribly unique unfortunately. 2.5/5

cheesy

4/10

This was pretty good! I did end up knowing one of the songs I remember it from the radio when I was a kid lol

very 80s (derogatory)

Heaven, what a fantastic cover.

Worst nightmare

Dire

not bad but not memorable. soft 3

Incredible that each song has everything it has on offer done by minute two, and even the first two minutes' musicality isn't very much

Robert Dimery largely has bad taste. This can't possibly be a must-listen album by any justification. There is probably an exception somewhere but if an album has more than 30 seconds of a Yamaha DX7 it is probably not worth hearing. Removing 1 star just purely because I'm so tired of these types of selections and it makes me want to quit the generator which is a habit I actually enjoy #DimeryBritPick

Actually pretty enjoyable other than the one big hit which I never liked

Sounds like elevator music to me.

Why? Why is this on the list? Is it terrible - no. But there is nothing outstanding here. I don’t see it as great or influential by any measure. I honestly couldn’t wait til it was over!

Seriously though, who likes this album?

On this album simply red distills the sound of the worst musical decade (the 80's), adds a dash of the worst musical genre (Jazz), and then throws in 10 minutes of saxophone solos for good measure. I don't think I could have made a worse album if I was actively trying.

This was a vibe that I was mostly enjoying but some of the visuals are truly nightmare inducing.

Bizarre album where every song sounds a little bit different but always not good. Why is this on here.

Pretty wank. Soul music with no soul or heart (not just because of his hair colour). Really little joy from it.

This was a really well produced record. Jazzy and bluesy. Not pop at all. Holding back the tears is a great song. This was way better than expected. Another one of those 3.5 records but I can’t round this one up. It’s not a league.

Always a nice surprise to get an album that was enjoyable. His voice is great and the playing/ parts are cool. I didn’t love the 80’s production on the some of the tracks -felt a bit sterile especially the horns. Wish it sounded more like a 70’s hall and oats album. I liked it on other tracks. Favorite songs were: Look at you know. Picture book. Money’s too tight( cool bridge). Come to my aid. Least favorite: sad old red 3.5?

This one flipped between 1-3 for me. Never got quite to the point of enjoying it lol but holding back the years was kinda nice. Really hated sad old red. I absolutely cant stand when bands like this with 80’s style production decide to do a “jazzy” one. It drives me nuts and the finger snaps were devastating.

Heaven might have been the worst lyrics I ever heard. His voice was cool. Can’t decide between 1 or 2

LP바에서 통으로 돌리면 좋을 것 같은 앨범! Simply red 라는 아티스트를 발견하게 되어서 좋다.

In what should have been yet another cheesy 80s entry in the 1001 albums to hear before you die list actually surprised me a bit with its' more modern take on Blue-Eyed Soul. This project tries to be a Pop album but has the range of something a little more sophisticated and dense. I don't think this Simply Red album is a masterpiece but I quite enjoyed this all things considered and thought it was a very fun and enjoyable listen from front to back without any major complaints being thrown its' way. Of course there are the big Pop hits like Money's Too Tight (To Mention) and Holding Back the Years but there is a bit more to chew on. One of my favorite underrated cuts comes from Heaven, which is a cover of the Talking Heads track and I think it is done quite well here on this project. I think a lot of people will feel more lukewarm to this, but I enjoyed it so that is all that matters in my books.

I’m embarrassed how long it took me to realise that the track that sounded like Talking Heads was in fact a cover of a Talking Heads song. Some truly enjoyable moments. I love some brass. Very 80s effects. But a lot of middle-of-the-road adult contemporary in the mix.

Album #166: Picture Book - Simply Red Genre (W): Sophisti-pop, blue-eyed soul Singles: Money’s Too Tight (to Mention), Come to My Aid, Holding Back the Years, Jericho, Open Up the Red Box I have not listened to this album previously. Thoughts?: I loved the production and Side Two the most. The album sounds great and I enjoy the arrangements of the tracks! Favorite tracks: Come to My Aid, Look At You Now, Heaven, Side Two

This album was fun, I really enjoyed it a lot. Remixes and extended version were also welcomed!

This was not what I was expecting for an 80’s album. It felt out of place, but it was not bad.

I didn't like it in 1985 and I still don't. 1.0

Kinda forgot about these guys. It was okay, interesting Talking Heads cover. 2.5 stars

More to this band than I thought

Everything is fine, just fine.

I always hated that album cover! Holding back the Years is of course a solid gold classic, but nothing else here comes close Sure, Mick has an amazing voice, but the mellow Simply Red style is not my thing

Very standard and quite boring.

It wasn't bad, but I remember nothing from it lol

Boring

Oh me oh my I did not need to know that redhead British George Michael’s existed. Insanely cheesy and insistent upon itself. How do some of these records get on the list anyway? “Oh but it's cool British jazzy soul music and we don't want to find anymore cool worldwide records!” Yeah guys broaden your tastes a bit more so we don't have to listen to whatever crap the UK churned out. Someone give Mick Hucknall a magic wand already so he can become a Weasley and use his creativity for good instead of producing this lifeless music.

1070 - "Here's your juice box and orange slice. Thanks for coming."

He's got a good voice but man, after listening to a thousand albums the instrumentals here sound almost painfully basic. Holding Back The Years is a good sounding song. This feels like music for mom's on a cruise ship. It always feels weird to have multiple covers on a debut. I feel like there's not a lot of depth here.

It's not for me, but it seems well executed. It's corny. His performance does the heavy lifting on this, but the instrumentation isn't doing anything. It's a fair example of a thing, but I'm not sold on this being required listening.

# Album Name: Picture Book # Artist: Simply Red # Rating: 5/5 # Comments: Really enjoyed this album. And i wasnt expecting to. Some great songs on here. Hucknalls vocals are impressive. When ive added most of the album to my playlist, i know ive enjoyed it. # Top Tunes: come to my aid / old red / look at you now / jericho / moneys too tight / holding back the years / red box # Would I listen to it again? Yes

Couldn't finish

Better than I expected, but still a giant Manc so loses a star.

Not usually my kind of thing but has an almost disco vibe which I digg

Fun but ultimately forgottable. Rating: 2.5

I thought the first four songs were total garabage and didn't need to be made. It did start to sort of develop into something after a while, but it's still not really my cup of tea.

Treacly, synthetic bullshit.

Way weirder than I thought it'd be, but then, it's Mick Hucknall. Holding Back The Years obviously a banger but the rest is.... I dunno.

his is a good album and I enjoyed it very much from start to finish. Listening to it felt easy and pleasant the whole way through. It is not particularly heavy or emotional, but it fits a chill evening perfectly when you just want to relax. Mick Hucknall’s voice sits comfortably in the center of the songs and carries a smooth, soulful quality without ever pushing too hard. The tracks move between soft pop, soul and light funk in a way that feels natural and consistent. Nothing stands out as dramatic, but the whole record has a warm and welcoming mood. The production is clean and well balanced. Stewart Levine gives the album a polished mid 80s sound that still feels smooth rather than dated. The arrangements support the vocals nicely and keep everything clear and easy on the ear. Picture Book is a solid and enjoyable listen. Perfect for a quiet evening when you want something relaxed and well made.

groovy i guess

Decent synth/soul pop album. A couple songs that stand out, but nothing worth listening to beyond what was released as singles. Fine on first pass, but I don't feel any strong pull to come back to this album. Top tracks: Come to My Aid, Jericho, Holding Back the Years

4/4 of the Run Of Toss. The final boss of four albums that have stopped this project der in its tracks for months. Over 400 albums in, and this is possibly the one I have wanted to open least. Even after a run of albums that include KD Land and Christina Aguilera. It’s landfill shite. Even looking at that album cover makes me want to cut my ears off. But at least it isn’t Stars. That’s not on here is it?

Utter shit, top to bottom

Simply Red are one of those bands that just gets overlooked. You forget that at one point in the 80s they were everywhere. You remember "Holding Back the Years" and think they were a bit One Hit Wonder and it comes as a surprise just how many hits they had. Money's Too Tight to Mention; Open up the Red Box; If You Don't Know me By Now... all huge. And some - like Stars - that I'd forgotten even existed and then heard it and thought "Was that them as well?" I don't think it's possible to deny that Hucknell has a beautiful voice. But some of the choices they make on this album are pretty questionable. Covering a Fear of Music era Talking Heads song? As a soul ballad? It just doesn't work. Other songs (Come to my Aid fir example) start out sounding like soul love songs and then veer into a political stance that seems simplistic at best. Some songs, like Sad Old Red, are just nor very good. Where it does all comer together, like on Holding Back the Years, it's very fine, but too often you get something like Money's Too Tight to Mention, a cover of the far superior Valentine Brothers song. The whole thing is dripping in tinny 80s synth sounds, hoping you'll think they're the brass section, or drum machines that sound a lot like... well... drum machines. So it's mixture of a great voice, weird choices and dodgy production. Hardly essential.

Not sure why this album is not rated higher as I really enjoyed it! Love me some blue eyed soul!

Primo album della loro carriera ed è pieno di hit. Incredibile, molto bello

Alright I guess, not what i'd go for but it's listenable

como una persona anti-cualquier produccion de los 80 que siga las modas productireliles me sorprendio parabien, no lo escucharai en el auto

No thanks.

I found this quite a slog but ultimately not offensive

Φανερή 80ίλα. Ήταν ευχάριστο και κάπως αδιάφορο.

I heard of this band. They had me on the first note. Soulful pop. Great beat. Great vocal. Great album.

No.

Not my thing at all

Impressively boring, in one ear out the other

Nothing amazing.

Is this on here just cause of "Holding Back the Years". Good track but like idk this album doesn't need to be on the list right?? I kinda like the dub thing going on on "Picture Book". Otherwise this is quite flat.

Not bad. Some good stuff. Has the thay 80s sheen on it that sucks but a varied entry. Spotify says theyve sold 60 million records. Thats wild

That's an album only the 80s could produce. Better than expected.

Bueno pero en ocasiones lo sentí repetitivo y no me llega a gustar por completo

It was ok 3/5

This is straight out of the eighties, and not the good part of the eighties either. The use of synth is just poor and the whole album had dated very badly. It's like a crappy sound track of a crappy movie. Very disappointing overall as had high hopes for Simply Red.