Reviews (page 3 of 7)
Much better than I expected. Went in with very low expectations, but this album exceeded them. Not necessarily something I’ll go back to often, but a good album nonetheless. 7/10 Top 3: 1. Come To My Aid 2. Sad Old Red 3. Picture Book
Wonderful voice particularly in the never-bettered Holding Back The Years. Good mixture of 80s polished jazz-pop as well as some real jazz in Old Red. Enjoyable.
Don't know why this is hated so much. There are some duds there but fun album nonetheless.
I loved the album and especially Holding Back the Years which can often make me cry because of our video that goes with it. Consequently it has to be 4* ( sorry Tom !)
Already better than the Sinatra. First song I’m in a disco dance. Jehrico and picture book are my favs. Groovy, dark, perfect 80s music
Mycket bättre än jag förväntade mig.
A fun album with some good tunes. Underrated band.
Man, this album and artist came out of nowhere....little soul, little blues, little jazz....and a great voice! Great Album!
"Ever had a reaction to anything so visceral that you are immediately opposed to that particular thing and want no part of it in your life whatsoever? That's me with Simply Red. I simply can't do it." - my internal reaction upon receiving this album, before listening to this album and then actually listening to it and being pleasantly surprised by it. I was going to hate this throughout but I couldn't muster it any longer. This is some smooth yet unexpectedly eclectic stuff from Ol' Red, with a Talking Heads cover to boot. Rather picturesque. Favorites: Come to My Aid, Sad Old Red, Look at You Now, Heaven, Jericho, Money's Too Tight (To Mention), Holding Back the Years.
Very strong overall. The stylish voice, of course, is the strength, and beyond that everything is solid (or solid plus). The opener is compelling and a strong start, and easily the second-best cut on the record, perhaps even tied for first, though "Holding Back the Years" has a timeless quality. "Look At You Now" has an essential '80s feel, thin synths, skittering percussion and high believable energy, but it's a notch below the best of that lamented era. "Heaven" is white soul of a pretty high standard, "Jericho," too, though in a slightly more languid register. "Money Too Tight" is a credible addition to the canon of pop songs about filthy lucre, but it reflects this record's fatal flaw – trying too hard (see also "Sad Old Red," "No Direction" and "Red Box"). Title cut is already slightly overdone, though in an appealingly earnest way. And while there is a pleasing and assured polish to the playing, the jazz chops aren't really all that; indeed, it's easy to impress a certain type of pop fan with references about jazz chops (one might even have been such a fan at one point, though one's outgrown it by spending more time on the thing itself). One might be just intrigued enough to listen to more records, in the many, many SR have seem to made in the years hence, though one suspects MH, for the true distinctiveness voice (and one he didn't misuse or undersell) likely got mostly what he deserved, which was being slightly more than a one-hit wonder, perhaps a victim of his own good taste. Call this a flawed 4.
Really enjoyed! I loved the cover most of all, but the originals were great and interesting. Lots of catchy stuff with great production and arrangements. Gonna give this one a 4 because I need to do a relisten soon.
Simple Red: mega-hits through covers and had almost forgotten how many excellent original material they have.. On this album: Jericho, Holding Back The Years, Picture Book, Come To My Aid: 4*, all at least 4 star. And the same goes for their cover of Money's Too Tight To Mention. Don't like their Sad Old Red and their Talking Heads cover, but the remaining songs are fine. 4 stars (7/10)
favs - come to my aid - sad old red - jericho - holding back the years - open up the red box - picture book
Very funky, liked it a lot
Some bands or singers start with a extremely good album and then become your worst nightmare. Like: UB40s Signing off (also in 1001 albums), and guilty pleasure: I do like 1st Whitney Houston album. Same for Picture Book, goods songs, jazzy sometimes political like Reagan&Thatcher in Money's too Tight. Love this album. Wish they had stopped afterwards.
Really dug this
Ég ætla að hækka meðaltalið fyrir þessa plötu. Mér finnst Hucknall æðislegur söngvari, bandið er þétt og flott, sum lögin eru ljómandi góð og níundatugarproductionin (gated reverb, echo) eru innan velsæmismarka. Þessi er fín.
Þessi plata er algjört comfort zone fyrir mig. Kann hana utanbókar og gríp í við og við. Ljúft popp.
Lead singer Mick Hucknall’s voice is so damn soulful! HBtY is a freaking masterpiece. The album altogether has very 80s new-wave arrangements, but I enjoyed it. Favorite songs: Heaven, Holding Back the Years, and Red Box.
Such a beautiful voice. Not my genre.
Lekker groovy, baslijntjes om U tegen te zeggen én kende de band nog niet. Chille verrassing. Minder mooi was de verrassing toen ik googelde, het hoofd van frontzanger Mick Hucknall zag en me een ongeluk schrok.
Heel lekker, Simply Red staat altijd hoog in mijn lijst!
Love. Gotta find out who this guy is.
Never heard of this group or this album before. A little bit dated at times, but that doesn't really bother me at all in this case, it's got just the right amount of 80s synth funk going on that it's got good groove without being sickeningly cheesy (save for the more ballad-ish songs, which just don't really work for me). Fucking solid musicianship all around.
Ooh I've never heard of this group before but I'm loving it. The lead singer (Mick Hucknall) has an incredible voice. I was definitely surprised when I googled him and saw what he looked like haha - not what I expected. “Come to My Aid” and “Look at You Now” are jams! The album has some good cheesy 80’s pop, some jazzy songs and some Michael Jackson-style funk. Also a smooth cover of Talking Heads’ “Heaven.” “Jericho” was a highlight too.
Woohoo my 500th album! I was considering talking about my favorite of my 5 stars but I don’t feel like it right now and I think relistening to all of those after the 1001st album would be more fun. I can say that dummy and kimono my house have stuck with me the most so far, though. As for this album, I was expecting it to be like tainted love where holding back the years was the only good song but I was wrong. This album was a good British pop soul thing that slightly reminded me of prefab sprout and the top song wasn’t even my favorite. Jericho and sad old red were probs my favorites
This is 80s Simply Red which is awesome because I only found them in the 90s. It’s got “moneys too tight to mention” which is such a jam and blues tracks too. It’s nice to see how the band developed; I had to listen to the stars album straight after
SLAPS
3.5?
actually really nice listen.
A hometown friend gave this to me, kind of out of the blue, right before I left for college. I would never have bought it for myself but I listened to it sometimes and enjoyed it. Still, I was surprised to see it on this list. I don't know why! It's really good. There are bits that certainly smack of the 80s but mostly I think it's aged pretty well and it's more suited to me in late middle-age than it was in my (rockin') teens. Very nice!
I got into Simply Red with their Stars album in 1991. I loved that album, and later got into their Greatest Hits. So I knew and liked a few of the hits off this album. I'm glad to have had this come up as there are a lot of great new songs from Simply Red that already favorites!
Has a Talking Heads cover
Debut album for Simply Red. Much soul through an 80s lens. Good stuff, but too few real standouts. 3.5/5
I vibe with all the style changes
I had not listened to this group before. The work has that classic British one-two hop-groove that can be quite funky at times. Lyrics surprisingly heartfelt and relatable - very authentically delivered.
I really enjoyed this album I thought it was very groovy and fun and overall enjoyable!
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Long promised road, Money’s too tight
Simply Red (and Mick Hucknall) have long been the butt of jokes and the sneers of critics on these shores, and as such I was primed to join in with the ludification. But...this is really good. Hucknall is a good singer, the album is full of grooves, and in 'Holding Back the Years' they have a ballad for the ages. I really dig the light funk groove that pervades - 'Come to My Aid', 'Jericho', 'Money's Too Tight' all sparkle. 'Sad Old Red' is a very decent cabaret jazz number. One that I'll stick on the stereo again in the near future.
The Talking Heads cover (Heaven) just doesn't approach David Byrne's tongue-in-cheek delivery, and frankly doesn't work for me, but overall it's a nice album. Anyone not moved by Holding Back the Years simply has no soul, in my opinion.
Never heard of them. This was very cool, especially the first song
The debut album from Simply Red - classic stuff... ...although perhaps the overall album isn't as good as the (over-played at the time) Heaven and Money's Too Tight (To Mention)...?!
7/10. Maybe an 8 out of 10? Solidly enjoyable throughout, nothing grabbed my attention
Surprisingly funky. Main gripes are the vocals are slightly annoying and the lyrics have nothing. 8/10
Sad old red was a good song!
Ik ben niet zo hele bekend met het repertoire van Simply Red, anders dan de bekende hits. Dit album begint meteen herkenbaar en gaat daarna in een zeer lekkere jazzy vibe verder. ****
Просто хороший
6/10
Beautiful
While I didn't recognize the name, I certainly remembered the single "Holding Back the Years". Great vocals and good groove to the whole album. I probably won't go back and listen to it again, but it was enjoyable. Solid 4.
Another one that works much better for me without the visual. Anyone who reads this: you must now sing the lyrics to Money’s too tight to mention to the tune of Let’s get ready to rumble by PJ and Duncan. Ta
Great album
heh guapete
This was way better than I expected. I knew the singles but the album was punchy with a very strong groove capped by a fine ,fine singer.
erstaunlich jazzy
Big fan …. Liked these tunes
not what i expected. very soulful.
Great 80s album. Found myeelf dancing
What a voice! Simply Red's best album, by far. It aged, yes, but not too badly.
.
Beautiful brilliant neosoul album from the mid80s new wave Manchester scene no more no less
Good music, great memories
Wow! A lot of fun. I'll admit that I was sick of another "Debut album by British pop & ___ band". This list is lousy with debut albums by British pop and [something]" artists. Great beats. Real 80s. Sound. Michael Jackson-esque vocals. Really surprised to hear that these dudes hail from Manchester. I found the Heaven cover to be a bit lame, but mostly because I think Talking Heads are untouchable. Money is my favorite track.
Good
Never heard of this group, but this was a really nice album. At times it reminded me of a version of Peter Cetera with an extra helping of soul. What genre is this, exactly? It's somewhere between pop, R&B, and soul, and I like the exploration of that blended space. The kind of thing that could be called easy listening. Favorite tracks: Holding Back the Years, Jericho, Open Up the Red Box, Come to My Aid. Album art: Really like this one, a cool painting both in aesthetic and temperature. Never seen it before, but it leaves an impression (see what I did there?). 4/5
Very nice
Finally a really good 80's album. 4.2 I could listen to this front to back and be content.
Was actually not bad. Good discovery!
Pretty decent. I'm not saying it's amazing, but the blue eyed soul it's good.
6/10. Buen disco. Pensé que iba a ser otro disco británico más de rock, pero me sorprendió para bien. No es la gran cosa, pero los primeros temas son buenos y reescuchables.
I wanted to like it, but felt like it was so forced. Enjoyed the genre fusion however, just felt cheesy.
This never really was my thing. It’s not so bad though. Money’s Too Tight To Mention is the standour by far and it’s a cover, and also now just realising that the lyrics don’t make sense unless sung by an American. It does fit the theme and maybe that’s the audience they were going for. There are a few other decent songs here too
Some mid 80s pop that was funkier and more varied than I expected. Not really my kind of music, but not bad all the same.
3.5
What in the wild world Yacht Rock is this? It's ALMOST smooth sailing, but every so often I catch myself confused or angry... f it, 3 stars?
Knew two songs from back in the day but hadn’t heard the rest. Not bad.
Remember this from the original release - not their biggest fan but its OK
I really love “holding back the years” and the lead singer has a great voice. Solid album, I also liked the cover of talking heads’ “heaven”
Simply Red? Geen idee waarom, maar ik heb altijd een beetje een stoffig idee bij deze band. Misschien omdat ze Symphonica in Rosso hebben gedaan, das natuurlijk wel een beetje ouwelullen muziek. Maar ik moet zeggen; de band verrast me best wel positief! Het rockt, het funkt en we horen al vrij snel een saxofoon en trompet! Misschien zijn mn vooroordelen wat te vroeg geweest, want dit klinkt best wel lekker! Wel interessant dat na Look at you now eigenlijk alle tempo uit het album gehaald word. Simply Red switcht naar ballads en ik vind daar meestal wel wat van. Opzich klinken ze goed, instrumentaal redden de blazers ze wel een beetje merk ik. Als je dan een ballad doet, toeter er dan ook bij, dan lijkt het een beetje jazzy. Ok, nee... Ik was eerst best wel down voor dit album, maar alle tempo is er uit. Picture Book is een verschrikkelijke afsluiter als je het mij vraagt. Er zitten wel echte highs op dit album, jammer dat die wegvallen richting het einde, maar nog steeds ben ik Simply Red wel iets meer gaan waarderen dan ik aan het begin dacht. FAVO: Look at you now, Holding back the years
It isn't bad. He has a distinctive voice and is a fine singer, but it's kind of annoying. They picked the single well.
Didn’t mind it tbf. Some classics on there
Surprisingly nice at points
Liked it more than I expected I would. Mick Hucknall has a good voice. I like “Sad Old Red” a lot.
Good
A grower of an album that lulls you in with smooth sounds but gets to making you shake it too. Not bad for some ex-punks.
The corniest bits of synthy new wave, smooth jazz, funk soul, and disco brought together into a 80s pop Frankenstein. Holding Back the Years is an amazing bit of pop balladry, slow, tense, emotive.
It’s a lot easier forme to get nowadays than when I was a kid. He does the blues really well and from a place that is so far from blues country but needed it too.
Holding back the years.
so so 80s
Nicely done and enjoyed listening to it.
This one surprised me. I was expecting it to be like the rest of the other Britpop records in this list, and at times it is, but there were more than a few times where it stood out. Favourite Track(s): Jericho Least Favourite Track(s): Look at You Now
A few city-pop style bangers surrounded by monotonous blue-eyed soul (and a genre I already dislike) and a pretty average talking heads cover. Bordering on Britslop.
Decent blue-eyed soul.
there is a moment in the pre-chorus of Come to My Aid where the beat does a little shuffle and I got super excited for the rest of the album bc of how awesome this song was... - also, apparently, Jericho is NOT a gay song? I don't know how the hell that happened. also! there is a really high pitched noise in Money's Too Tight and I think whoever produced the song was too old to hear it. it hurts really bad. OTHER THAN THAT, this was a fun album but nothing too special. idk
woooah this is so cool wow. "Look at You Now" is a very cool song. it's all pretty cool, maaaaan
A shining example of the Yamaha DX7 synth and its ability to slice through the mix like a gorgeous laser
It's good. No strong feelings from me.
Cool album but would never really add to playlist due to its simplicity
Karaoke core for Genxers
There’s certainly a good portion of schmaltzy musak. But the band is tight and there’s a clear competency. A lot of the music sounds dated. This is emphatically 80s. But it’s not the worst. You can tell he’s trying.
стильно, но для своего времени
That one hit was helpful!
Guilty pleasure terrority. Reminds me of being a kid in the car.
It sounds exactly like how one would expect a 1980s British Pop-Rock album would sound like. Almost as if ChatGPT created this, and snuck it on the list. It's not too bad though. There is one track that unlike the others, and then you go back to just listening to what you're expecting to hear. Favorite Track: "Jericho".
cheesy, very 80s, and ultimately uncool, but i did enjoy it? i’ve now listened to a lot of weird 80s pop/rock on this list and it’s the best of a bad bunch. i do find the album cover terrifying though? why did they pick this? 3.5!
A mighty average listen. For every good song on here, there's one (or two) mediocre/boring songs. A bit of a snoozefest, but I enjoyed the production quite a bit.
This is another debut album, from the British group Simply Red. I listened to the original 1985 release (ten tracks). On some of the tracks Red’s voice became a bit annoying. The jazzy/blues number was pretty good. Some of the tracks have that typical 1980s sound. When “Holding Back the Years” came out, the consensus was that this group was going to be huge. They did have another minor hit, a cover of a Harold Melvin/Blue Notes song, then they faded into obscurity here. Overall the album was good for a debut.
Never heard of this. Not a great album cover. At least "simply" is an adverb. Sounds very 80s. I dunno. The first song kinda reminds me of 'How Long' by Ace. The songs are peppy, which I like. Except for 'Heaven', which starts with the hilarious lyric: "Everyone is trying to get to the bar / The name of the bar / The bar is called Heaven". Apparently it's a Talking Heads cover, but I gotta assume the original is better because this is a real snoozer of a slowjamballad. Overall, it was fine.
3.2 This is the first time I ever listened to Simply Red, out of choice, as I have a vivid memory of my dad turning it off when I was a kid as he said "Simply Red" referred to Mick's love of united (scum). Older and hopefully wiser, with less pettiness in my life, I actually thought it wasn't that bad. A lot more soulful? Motowny? than I expected. His voice really, really surprised me, not at all what is as expecting. The thing which holds it back is there aren't any really great songs. No Direction has the most promising opening and then goes off the rails with some grunt singing half way through. Money's too tight to mention is probably the best on offer but it feels cheeky to include a cover and have that be the best track. All in all, pretty average, but glad I've finally had a listen.
"Holding Back the Years" is one of the most beautiful songs ever written for me. The rest is fun but not so interesting.
"Grown up-pop". It's not a sign of quality, but an expression of souly, jazzy music performed with very "feely" vocals. To me it's a little bit too much. There are a few decent songs, but this isn't a very good album. Favourites: Holding Back The Years,
very nice
Quintessential yuppie/80s sophistipop. In terms of the sound, tempo, and vocals I imagine someone who looks like Patrick Bateman from American Pyscho would listen to this album. Surprisingly there's actually some socially conscious lyrics. The mention of reagonomics in "Money's Too Tight To Mention" and "Come to my Aid." I wouldn't necessarily gravitate toward this album, but I could see myself playing a few songs for my parents while driving in the car. The blend of jazz with the synthpop isn't terrible. And he's got some range with his vocals.
Nostalgic is probably the right word for this one. Outside of actually being nostalgic, they just exude this aura that fits the vibe. The hit singles are the standouts here and Simply Red is much more of a singles artist to begin with. There's a few other pleasant songs here besides though. The album does really sag in the stretched out songs for me, Simply Red can't really hold my interest enough for him to go on these more sprawling and longer songs,
Groovy
I listened to this while doing errands and it didn't grasp my attention at all
Weirdly nostalgic
I was surprised by the degree to which this album charmed me, it made for a very perky, smooth Saturday morning listen. The first two thirds have more interesting songwriting, after which it does spin its wheels a bit, but from end to end it’s perfectly pleasant. It manages to have bundles of energy without ever becoming more than pleasingly low key. I was especially surprised by the Talking Heads cover, clearly it’s not my favourite version of Heaven, but I was impressed at Red’s ability to transform this song album unrecognisably, and it still worked well.
I saw a review that said it sounds like this would be playing at K-mart — I must agree
Honestly, I’m surprised I enjoyed this one as much as I did. 1980s pop/soul group from the UK is not something I expected to like, but there were some good songs on here
Fun basic
*1985. English pop and soul. *Very different - it was like R&B mixed with very 80s elements. *Dave immediately knew Holding Back the Years - I guess that was their big hit. *The lead singer is bizarrely a red-haired white guy, but his voice could pass for a female soul singer at times. *Totally fine, but not at all memorable and wouldn't revisit. RATING - 5.5/10
I had only heard one of the songs prior to this. I like the mellowness of the music.
groovy!!! not really my style but i have nothing bad to say either
здесь есть что то
Not a bad album. Just don't like Simply Red
Pretty good nothing crazy
Well compared to my previous two albums that were also British (The Fall and Ian Dury), at least Mick Hucknell can actually sing. This is fine. Pretty standard sounding mid-80s sophisti-pop. I like Holding Back the Years. Wtf was No Direction though...some weird 80s shit going on in the middle there lol.
Did I hear lyrics about Reaganomics? This record is fine. I like "Holding Back The Years", and there's a decent cover of Talking Heads "Heaven", but overall this is a pretty average album of 80s pop music.
Just fine
white boy got pipes and about two and a half different songs.
I enjoy Simply Red
Lush and nice production. Songs are of wildly varying quality. Honestly this is a step away from other sophisti-pop stuff that I love so I'm trying to stay humble.
found this surprisingly nice to listen to. High quality. Never really to the point that a song will become a favorite, but much beter than I thought
I remember loving Simply Red in the 80s, but it didn’t hold up for me.
Holding Back The Years
Great to finally listen to because I’ve always found ‘Mick Hucknall’ to be a great punchline.
I don't understand the hate. I mean, sure; it's rather bland and nothing I would put in my play list. But at least I didn't suffer it, like I did with other stuff in this list. 6/10
There’s something about this that I find a bit more palatable than a lot of other 80s albums in the same style. I think the singer helps a lot and there are some livelier cuts that keep things from getting too stale
Ei sieltä parhaimmasta päästä, mutta ei toki huonoimpiakaan mitä tämän haasteen aikana on tullut kuultua. Juuri ja juuri voin antaa tälle kolme tähteä.
Half of the songs are quirked up white boy funk (good), the other half are loungey ballads (bad). I almost granted extra credit for the soft socialism, but credit revoked for Hucknall's ardent Blair-ism.
Nice enough, but it sounded way more dated than I expected
funkyyyy // like a snack you randomly pick up without ever having it before, but end up liking
Не поняла такой ненависти в коментах, в целом мне уже много такой музыки здесь показали и почему именно симпли ред здесь так обосрали мне кажется случайностью. Ладно. Я тоже устала слушать вот это всё
Oh man, not sure I can listen to this objectively. I hated Simply Red back then. I probably like them a bit more now but, really, Mick Hucknall has such an annoying voice. Also we all know what he gets up to with rabbits. Bunny's Too Tight To Mention; Holding Back The Years.
A poppy 80s album that actually utilizes real drums and a variety of styles. One of the better 80s albums on this list, but the songwriting is not very memorable.
Pretty decent and listenable soul. I was not a fan of the brit pop elements, but they weren't bad.
Blind album and artist. I didn't like the main hit, but some of the deeper cuts were good.
Cool moody pop from the 80s. It's ok. 6/10
Polished late 80’s.
I have always liked his soulful voice, and the songs are good, but it's the covers that really stand out (other than the 1 radio hit).
Surprised by this one. Interesting mixture of music and made me a bit nostalgic. That being said it gave me some love
Can't say I've ever paid attention to Simply Red, outside of what I think is a very good song in If You Don't Know Me by Now. Hell, I even really like Sunrise too. Not sure if I've ever admitted that publicly and may come to a shock to those who know me. Anyway and obviously, those songs are not on this album. This genre of music is not something I would intentionally take a listen, but I think this guy is an excellent singer. The album itself was nice calming background music. I gave a few listens and even sampled some of his other stuff. Again, not my thing, but still found to be pretty good. I thought I would hate this album. Quite the opposite. Surprising myself, I found this album to be pretty good. 3
Wow, kind of fun play here I really love that this album shoots for a diverse set of tracks. Come To My Aid was my favorite. There are a few other good ones sprinkled in (Hold Back The Years). I can see why this did well in the 80s
Such a quintessential 80s sound. Had a few good songs but didn't feel like it was straight bangers
Pleasant enough
I can't listen to Mick Hucknall's voice without thinking about his personality.
What a pleasant surprise! Picture Book is smooth, soulful, and (my favorite) funky. The album made for a delightful listen, from start to finish. Considering several songs were covers, the entire album flowed like all were original songs for Simply Red, a notable feat.
I had never heard of Simply Red, or heard a song by them before. They were pleasantly easy to listen to...a mix of bluesy funky soulful slow pop. While I didn't find anything super noteworthy about it, especially for a project like this, I enjoyed it well enough. A 2.-something that's worth rounding up to a 3, I guess!
The band goes crazy, I love a live recording.
Best Song: Holding Back the Years This might be a fraction better than their last album but still not really my thing. Holding Back the Years is alright but that could be nostalgia talking. I won't be listening again. 3/5.
Pretty good, I liked it a lot more than expected. All tracks are solid.
Hatte die negativ assoziiert, aber das war echt okay und angenehm.
It's a perfectly acceptable album and worth a listen. It's kind of fun, and he's got a good voice. There's lots of people on here with raging hate-boners for British musicians, but this is better than many other albums from the era that show up on here.
these albums are killing me with mediocrity
This album surprised me. Who knew a ginger from England could sing with such soul?
Great voice, but hearing that horrible bland 80's synth-pseudo funk arrangement of Come to my Aid I thought I'm going to fucking hate this album. Then he turns pure crooner on Sad Old Red and it's awesome, this is who this guy LIVES. The rest of the album he wanders around soul/jazz/r&B, soundling like an old diva on an old TV variety show - check his recent videos, it came to be. Big points for a truly weird cover of Talking Heads' Heaven, kind of love it.
An interesting combo of pop, rock, and jazz, Picture Book was an enjoyable listen that I may return to again. Nothing particularly stood out to me, but Simply Red has a sound that felt fairly unique to me and if I am ever craving that sound, I now know where to turn.
The vibe of this album is a bit weird/confusing and the album art is cursed, but I actually think the music is decent. I liked the first half of the album (up to Jericho) more than the second half. I enjoyed the saxophone solos in Sad Old Red and Heaven. People really seem to hate this and there are some funny bad reviews, but I honestly don't get why people are so negative about this. There have been so many worse albums on the list in my opinion. I may even listen to a few of these tracks again.
This list really does skew heavy to the New Wave/Brit pop doesn't it? It's a little lopsided and I feel like that is a major flaw and some of these albums are starting to drag on a bit. Oh well, in we go for today. I'm halfway through and I'm not sure if I've ever heard this before. I don't think I have but it all seems really familiar. Maybe it's just super generic? It all really sounds like it was included as the montage soundtrack for an 80s romantic comedy. I don't really get why this album is on here, there are tons of records that sound just like this. There were a couple songs here that I really liked, Picture Book and Sad Old Red are both great. I don't think I would listen to this again though. 2.75/5
Genuinely surprised by this, Hucknall has a deeply soulful voice and provides the songs with real emotion. Yeah it’s a bit 80’s in places and the later stuff left me cold but this is an authentically British album that truly loves soul and blues and pays deep homage to it
Pretty fun
I really liked this when it came out, pretty sure I have the CD somewhere. However it sounds so dated now. 2.5
Fairly 80s
This is a pretty good album but not a very memorable one. While listening to it I enjoyed everything I heard, but nothing really stood out. I always appreciate a Talking Heads cover (as their number 1 fan), but I think Heaven was a weird song to pick. The original is basically a perfect song and making it a New Wave ballad just doesn't really work in this case. I think they could have chosen any other song and put an interesting spin on it. High 3.
Good debut by a band that would get even better. I played Holding Back the Years an absurd amount (great to sing along with) but I didn’t really know the album. Good songs on here but several misses, including a hideous cover of “Heaven”.. White soul/jazz vibe on several tracks. They would hit their stride with Men and Women, which I played FOREVER.
No. 70 I knew the most famous song, an album to enjoy.
Other than Holding Back The Years and Moneys Too Tight To Mention (a remake), not a lot of exceptional music on this album. Much told it sounds rather dated. Still love Mike’s voice.
Favourite Tracks: Come to My Aid, Holding Back the Years, Open Up the Red Box, Picture Book
I don't know why, but I thought that Simply Red sounds totally differently. But this was actually very entertaining. I liked it!
Holding Back The Years is good. The rest is fine
First album I reviewed before the group came in. Still the same sentiment - very 80s but not totally my scene. Not an unenjoyable listen though.
It was honestly pretty good and groovy. I probably will never listen to them again, but this was a good addition. Jericho was one of the creepiest songs I’ve heard before though…
First few songs were great. Then it got boring
Musica de los 80. Bien producida pero desfasada, alguna canción aguante el paso del tiempo pero el conjunto no.
Mick’s voice is makes it worth a listen. Unfortunately haven’t listened since the eighties.
25/12/2025 It was good in places, weak in others. Probably went on too long. Spotify listeners: 8.9 million
obviously had heard the hits but didn't know what to expect turns out it's a nice sound
Oei, bij het zien van dit album krijg ik meteen slechte vibes. Mick Hucknall is zo'n zanger die, typerend voor de 80s, iets teveel zijn stempel op de muziek wil drukken. Veel tierelantijntjes en overdreven zang, iemand volledig overtuigd van zijn eigen kunnen. Hij houdt zijn klep maar niet, overal moet hij doorheen biepbappen. Terwijl de muziek op de achtergrond degelijk in elkaar zit. Zolang het maar uptempo is, afgewisseld met wat swing en jazz. Al krijgen we natuurlijk ook de typische jaren 80 ballads en die zijn het verschrikkelijkst. Want dan gaat Mick helemaal uit zijn plaat. Hij steelt de show, maar voor mij niet op een positieve manier. Voor het grote publiek gelukkig voor hem wel, want er werden veel platen verkocht en Mick staat bekend om zijn vele vrouwelijke veroveringen. Jeroen Pauw is een amateur vergeleken bij ome Mick. Mij verovert hij niet met de muziek, al moet ik wel toegeven dat er wel degelijk kundigheid van uitgaat. Ik geef het 3 sterren, ondanks dat de zanger regelmatig op mijn zenuwen werkt.
Like it
I have been a little late on the albums but I am listening to this one now and I am really enjoying this so far
Is this yacht rock? I enjoyed Jericho.
Unique voice, good songs. Didn’t get the attention he deserved.
Conocia la cancion mas famosa, un album para disfrutar
Picture Book is the debut album from the British band Simply Red. The band makes soulful pop, centered on the rich voice of singer/songwriter Mick Hucknall. Their work sounds like a modern rendition of 60's R&B, complete with a horn section and a consistent groove. They add pop elements - synthesizers and upbeat pacing - to create their version of pop/soul. The album's success was driven by the band's hit single, "Holding Back the Years," a ballad carried by Hucknall's voice. This collection of songs all have good grooves, talented players, and Hucknall's voice - even with all of this in their favor, they are not particularly interesting.
čist okej. ima dobrih i manje dobrih momenata. ne znam šta svi seru po ovom tolko, okej je
Nice background static.
I don't know what I expected from this album, but Come To My Aid surprised me and it just went on from there. I kinda liked this album actually, but it was mostly background music for me and nothing I needed to pay attention to, despite some of the lyrics desperately trying to grab my attention. Honestly the album felt fine to me, but I also remember very little about it a day later, so that probably says something about the songs.
In high school, I just knew Simply Red as the guy who sang "Holding Back the Years," a monster hit at the time. This is the first I've heard the whole album. I gotta say I enjoyed the soulful sound. However, much of the album has that hopelessly dated 80's production and arranging style, "Money's Too Tight" being the biggest offender on that front. It suffers because of that. Nonetheless, this album has variety. Mick Hucknall's vocal performance is perfection and he sells every song, squeezing every ounce of soul he can find out of these songs. Tony Bowers bass work is terrific too. Favorites: "Sad Old Red," "Open Up the Red Box," "Come To My Aid (Survival Mix).
This is mostly ok, I prefer the more upbeat funky tracks, with some of the ballads being a bit slow and uninteresting to me. Wouldn’t put back on again but in the background it’s fine. Not bad.
Didn't grab me in any real way. I had an alright time. Sometimes I like to look at the artist page and see what the most streamed song is just to see of i would even know that and I hadn't a clue. Even listening to it i wasn't sure if it was the "hit". If I had to pick the first song is the best one here. Not crazy or anything but the start was good. Good enough times but more interested in what's next
Best Track - "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)"
A couple I remember from the radio. Listenable but boring.
Very pleasant!
Ikke noe jeg vanligvis ville satt på, så var skeptisk til å starte med. Men endte opp med å like det ganske godt. Holding Back the Years er en jam! Runder ned i tilfellet her, men ligger nok rundt 3.5 et sted.
I'm surprised by how different Simply Red’s music is from some of the Manchester musicians I’m partially familiar with. It gave me a glimpse into the diversity of the city’s music scene. I knew “Money’s Too Tight (to Mention)” already, but I didn’t realize it was a cover until now.
Not bad, kind of gives daft punky vibes if they were less electric
deserves a relisten. the kind of sound that wont feel dated for a long time. 3.5
3/5
Fångade mig inte, men samtidigt hyfsat svängigt
Mostly generic Brit Pop, but at times this also sounded like a lounge act. Kind of like Genesis but not as good. Overall, it was ok, a barely passable 3/5
Classic 80s pop with some funk and soul
i think this was kind of an automatic 3 for me which is to say it was ok but i wouldn't go back at all
Better than I expected. It's at it's best with traditional instruments. The songs with 80s synth didn't hold up well.
The Good: We dumb things down by including pictures in our book! The Bad: The Pictures aren’t what we needed… The Ugly: We don’t like the color red… A couple of weird things have been going on lately, most importantly that, all of a sudden, a multitude of albums which previously were not to be found on Spotify are suddenly available—though I am still hoping to find “Goodbye Blue Sky” one of these days… This album had been missing from Spotify these past years, yet all of a sudden there it is, and I had been looking forward to finding the album again, as I had owned a vinyl copy when it originally came out in 85, because this was the album the cool kids, like me, listened to. Oh brother, what to say about being re-united with this album? I wish it hadn’t happened, as I wish I could have kept my nice memories of the “known” songs on this album. Boy oh boy, this is NOT what I recalled it to be. A couple of years ago, when I was going through a discovery phase while listening to all Talking Heads songs, I bumped into the song Heaven, which I knew from Simply Red… little did I know. Having heard the song today, comparing it to the original, I will place this album back into the dusty bin of old memories, while smiling recalling what my teenage self was thinking about this at the time… ignorant fucker… Sorry Red, you have a lovely voice, but this album did not stir up what I had hoped it would have… 2 1/2 * which I am upgrading just to be nice...
ehh i could listen to it
Simply Red? More like Simply Meh. This one's fine. It's a pretty generic 80s British pop album. I feel like I've gotten a few too many of those in the past few months. This one's kind of around Heaven 17 territory for me. It's got some weird things that don't work for me. Some slightly awkward instrumental moments, a vocal style that isn't my favorite, and a slight discordance in the album at large make this a listen that could've been better. Even the album's most popular song "Holding Back The Years" managed to slip past me a bit on my listen of the album. The song's good, but I genuinely wasn't sure if I'd heard it before today because it sounds like every other 80s sophisti-pop song ever. Uhh... there's a Talking Heads cover. I love Talking Heads. "Heaven" is one of my favorite songs of theirs. I didn't care for this cover. The sound of "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" kind of annoyed me, but the lyrics being anti-Reagan made me appreciate the song a bit more. I don't see myself going back to this much, but it could've been a lot worse. Light 3/5.
This album covered quite a bit of ground and made for an enjoyable journey. Lead-off Come to My Aide had me worried ngl -- sounded like some super generic 80s crap. But Sad Old Red is a solid jazzy number. And Look at You Now takes a surprise left turn into yacht rock (or something in that area) and is an unexpected jam. Then she has a crack at Heaven by Talking Heads. Not a bad take by any means, but holds no candle to the original. Jericho taps into an R&B sound and I swear I've heard it sampled somewhere else. The title track closer taps into dub influences and is a solid enough way to close this one out. Not something I expect I'll be back to quickly, but fine enough. High 3.
This album had an interesting progression in sound. Sometimes jazzy, and sometimes Police-esque pop. High 3
Has some fun sounds in the first few songs but still super 80's sounding. Worse cover of Heaven, but at least it's different and the sax rules. There is some scary talking on No Direction which is fitting for Halloween but I don't like it. Actually really enjoying this reggae infused closer. I did enjoy some of the instrumentals but overall not my jam. Meh 3.
The hits are actually better than I remember, it does drag on though. I initially questioned this one’s inclusion but I’m fortune enough to have one edition of the book and the explanation is valid I suppose
Huh.. I liked this album more than I thought I want. Vocals are so 80's that it resonated with me. Didn't love it but didn't hate it.
Decent listen but didn’t really stand out
Just as funky as it is 80s. Probably won’t kissed again
Nice
Ich mag die Stimme eigentlich nicht so, aber einige Lieder sind trotzdem ziemlich gut.
The album is almost a pleasant listen, also just because of his voice. But besides the three hits "Come To My Aid", "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" and "Holding Back The Years" nothing really remarkable for me. 3,5
3/5
Big variety in this
At first, I took the "must hear before you die" criterion literally and panned albums that clearly didn't meet it. Then, after handing out 1 after 1, I came to realized that nearly ALL of the albums selected by this asshat don't meet that criterion, and that he had just scraping together a list of 1,001 albums (mostly British slop he'd heard the ONE single off of at some point in his life) just to sell a book. So, now I'm approaching this as just a challenge where (a rather poor) AI has randomly selected 1,001 albums to listen to. I hope focusing on the "what" and less the "why" will help me enjoy this experience more. All that said, this wasn't a very strong album. It's a single and some filler. Still, I didn't actively hate it, and it is of a reasonable length; and that's enough to score a C around here.
Not too bad.
Not my cup of tea, sounded quite dated to me.
Not fully my vibe but pretty interesting.
Mick Hucknall has a beautiful voice, but this album is more background music in an 80s wine bar. I preferred his dreadlock space hippy phase.
Something Good: Liked the really heavy percussion hits. Very 80s. Something Bad: Eh nothing stands out in a bad way, but nothing really in a good way. Best song: Come to My Aid
Several song, two good ones.
Gosh. Len Houmous and Mick Hicknall had some wild nights out! Apparently the song fairground was written about a night out at the fairground they shared together! 3.3 6/9 Holding Back The Years
This is not my genre. I don't hate it (yet), I like some of the funk influence, but impression during track 1 is its going to have to fight for every star above 1. But Track 2 and I'm leaning 3. Great cover of Heaven, Track 4. OK, so it started with cheesy 80s synth funk. But it opened up into a decently groovy jazz vocal R&B kind of thing that dialed back those 80s synths to a tolerable level and won me over as I round the middle with Open Up The Red Box. I'm not rating the extended tracks, but I'll say they did not help the average.
This was a good album. Another album that wasn’t too dated
Meh, I get it's supposed to be great but, meh
I find a certain level of comfort in 80's synth heavy pop.
Way too long but quite enjoyable
Better than I expected but not blowing me away either. Has some nice moments but it is definitely corny at times. Very 80s sounding and chill music, my fondness for the era and its sounds helps. Can’t really give this more than a 3.
I know a couple of Simply Red songs, and one of them, "Holding Back the Years," happens to be on this album. What good luck! Based on that song, and "If You Don't Know Me By Now," I expect this album to be pretty chill pop music. I tend to enjoy eighties music though, so maybe this will be a pleasant surprise. Picture Book didn’t blow me away, but it was better than I expected. This album had a unique sophistipop sound, rounded out with good vocals, smooth keyboards, and good songwriting on some of the songs. I expected this album to have really smooth and laid-back sound, but there were some songs that leaned more into pop music that really caught me off guard. “Come to My Aid” really grabbed my attention right off the bat. I loved the keyboards and the horns, and the vocals and congas were excellent too. The lyrics were good, and I thought the overall sound was deep and rich. The next track, "Sad Old Red" was more in line with my expectations of what this album would be. The vocals on this song were nice, but the decrease in energy from the previous song really was really jarring. It did get punched up a bit about halfway through, but I wasn't as into this as I was “Come to My Aid.” However, "Look at You Now" picked right up where "Come To My Aid" left off. I enjoyed the punchy guitar, groovy bass, and bright keyboard tones. The repetitive lyrics and vocals wore on me a bit, but I enjoyed the instrumentation. “Money’s Too Tight” had some keyboard melodies that I really loved, a solid beat, and some great lyrics too. I thought that “Holding Back the Years” was the best song on the album though. The emotional weight of the lyrics was great, the main keyboard melody was smooth and memorable, and the trumpet added a perfectly gentle touch. Mick Hucknall’s vocals were at their peak here as well, and for a song with a pretty simple melody, this song is impressively beautiful. Even though there were some songs on this album that I enjoyed, some of them were a touch too long for my liking, and some of them had some boring or repetitive musical elements. Picture Book was fine to listen to, but it just left me wanting more.
glaub min paper gern simply red? come to my aid meega disco. de sänger? tönt sehr noch chaka khan oder so. sehr cool. sad old red mega jazz und live i guess. ussert s isch fake live. er singt super, walking bass isch geil. aso aber checks nöd eso ganz. look at you now hani nöd so geil gfunde chli nervöse 80er pop. heaven wieder de blue eyed soul stuff. cool, tönt alles chli dünn. jericho wieder chli meh id disco richtig mit de single note giti und so. aber finds etz nöd soo spannend. money's too tight to mention findi wieder recht geil, sehr warms klavier. ich find aber sie hend nöd so melodie irgendwie. er macht afoch öpis irgendwie. so sehr soul mässigi vocals afoch mit chli wenig richtig. de refrain do isch etz no cool. aaah s isch es coveeer. holding back the tears isch premium 80er cheese mit em e-piano und allem. red box bis etz de best, lieb s yamaha e grand ding und s hockt uf de achtel, d stimm im refrain isch chli weird aber de track isch reeecht funky. okay es guets aber chli zielloses album findi. nöd würklich ein sound, de letst track etz isch bitz reggae bass und rieeeesige hall ufem schlagzüg. komischhh. aber find d gitarreparts vom masseur vo liverpool no cool. DRAEI.
NEIMERT WETT DINI EXPANDED EDITION come to my aid macht sehr spass ok chli lang aber cool! sad old red denn ganz en andere vibe hahahah und gad wieder en 180er heaven cheggi scho wiso es git aber chli langwilig :( same für jericho und money's too tight jaa villes ischmer eifach chli z langsam no direction isch na funky gsi ja böö es isch nöd schlecht oder so aber für mich villes chli z langsam
I didn't realize Holding Back The Years was Simply Red. Ok album. Nothing to write home about.
Good collection of RnB/pop songs with a couple of big single hits. Probably not bettered by them since.
Fun little 80’s journey. Not a lot stood out as hella unique and without knowing the history I’ll assume they contributed to the distinct sound of the 80’s and didn’t just copy it.
Really thought I was in for a treat after the first song, I was digging the mid-80s soft rock vibe. I lost some interest in the middle of the album, especially in the random chanting sections included in multiple songs, but I felt like the ending was strong. I hadn't ever heard of Simply Red before and I'm glad he came up on this list so I can check out more of his discography. Could give this album a four, but a three for an artist's debut album is still a good rating.
I don't know why this album's getting such hated reviews. It's about as middle of the road as you can get. Nothing really offensive here apart from maybe a little boring. I wouldn't say it needs to be on a list though.
The more I am learning about ‘80s British pop the more I realize it was all over the place genre wise. Jericho sounds so ‘80s, especially with the muted clean-tone guitar disco scrub and Casio synth. But it immediately follows a very blues-based Heaven. Come to My Aid and Money’s Too Tight vocally could have been off Live’s first album Mental Jewelry. And then was Holding Back the Years, a classic from junior high that came with a flood of memories but good and bland (e.g. radio rotation while driving to work with my mom). Red Box was my favorite track with its poppy callbacks and almost reggae vibe. I don’t know if it was necessary as a 1001-lister but it was a fun album both musically and personally.
Random thoughts: * This was way more upbeat music than I was expecting based on the one-hit I'm already aware of. * I actually dug the extended jams. They kinda got stuck in my head. "Come to My Aid and Money's Too Tight * Holding Back the Years is still great and I still dig it a lot. * I did enjoy the other songs more in that vein too. * Overall good but definitely one you can live without.
"Picture Book" is the debut album by British pop and soul group Simply Red. Sophisti-pop and blue-eyed soul are the Wiki-listed genres...fair enough. Lead singer and pianist Mick Hucknall had a punk background and formed Simply Red with three ex-members of the post-punk band Durutti Column to showcase his vocals. The band's name was taken from Hucknall's hair color and his allegiance to Manchester United. Besides Hucknall, the bandmembers included Fritz McIntyre (keyboards, backing vicals), Tim Kellett (keyboards, trumpet, backing vocals), Tony Bowers (bass) and Chris Joyce (drums, percussion). The album was a commercial success reaching #2 in the UK and #16 on the US Billboard 200 Chart. The album had decent reviews highlighted by its soul influences, jazz and rock sounds and Hucknall's passionate singing. "Come to My Aid" opens the album. It's bouncy and synth driven, has Chic-like guitars and a disco best. Hucknall has a high-octave, soulful voice. Blue-eyed soul indeed. There's also a trumpet break and a pretty good song overall. I didn't expect them to reach the " when all else fails, break glass with hammer and do a waltz cover of a popular song" by the fourth song. But, they did, and covered Talking Heads' "Heaven." Piano-led in a soulful, R&B version. Hucknall goes to a lower octave in "Jericho." Very 80's-sounding keyboards and a funky bass. More Chic-like guitar. The second side leads off with a cover of the Valentine Brothers' 1982 "Money's Too Tight (to Mention)." Ticking drums and layered synths. A song about economic problems and aiming their blame right at Mr. Ronald Reagan. On their big hit "Holding Back the Years," Hucknall was inspired to right the song using a stream of consciousness style described by his fine arts teacher. You can't hold back when it's your time to leave home and make your mark. A slow song with keyboards, bass, guitar slashes and another quick trumpet fill. Hucknell's vocals shine in a high-octave mode. I admit to knowing only "Holding Back the Years" going into this listen. The album shows a range of styles: jazz, soul, 80's synth-pop, pop and funk. Hucknall has a great voice and shows off his range. The band is solid. There were times, especially with the synths, the music sounded very 1980's. But, overall, this is a decent album and one recommend for its soul, R&B and Hucknall's vocals.
No está mal y conocía casi todas las canciones, pero por alguna razón en los discos de estudio me dan cierta flojera y en los en vivo me gustan mucho más. Creo que con Simply Red me quedaré escuchando los álbumes en concierto y con eso seré feliz.
A mnie się całkiem podobało. Na pewno nie takie, żeby się chciało wyłączyć. Red Box najlepsze, bo najbardziej funkowe/soulowe. Mocne 3/5
Not bad at all but nothing major for me
A pretty good listen with a sneaky Talking Heads cover that is the highlight Bobby Caldwell meets Tears For Fears. Unfortunately not as good at either side as the original but still worth the listen
It was alright. Enjoyed the soul parts more than the synth pop parts
Good Manc Music!
2.5
I think this album is a bit overhated here, I don't understand the complaints. It feels a bit soulless or artificial, but only a tiny bit, and it could just be overly clean production. But I can see the appeal. The biggest problem is the lack of flow. I much prefer albums that hold the same style, and perfectly are concept albums. This one ain't.
Fine, not bad but wasnt sad it ended
As I mentioned when I reviewed The Buzzcocks album a week or so ago, Mick Hucknall was in the audience of that legendary Sex Pistols, Lesser Free Trade Hall gig that inarguably shaped the Manchester music scene of the late 70s and well into the 80s. And listening to this you can hear the influence that Johnny Rotten and Co had on a then 16 year old ginger boy. 👀 To be fair, he was in a punk band that followed this and they did record a version of _Holding Back the Years_, although that leans more into garage rock then punk. What you can't deny, is that he has a great voice and I'm not gonna go in too hard on them. They're pretty solid blue-eyed soul, sophisti-pop, if that's your thing and they did release some great tracks. He's also a United fan!
Enjoyable listen but nothing special.
Nothing spectacular, but didn't mind this at all! Good vocals and catchy 80s vibes
Better than Coldplay
Started well, but lost its drive as it went along. Would have been better if it was determined to be a disco album.
Meh.
I liked a couple of songs from here, but I would have preferred them in an EP.
Not bad. Some 80s cheese in here
Some cool stuff here
pretty fun but repetitive. all of the songs sounded pretty good but nothing fully jumped out to me
Good album, sounds very good
The reviews for this are mostly terrible. I don’t get that. While I didn’t love it, I thought it was okay for the time it represents, 80s pop.
Some good songs like Moneys Too Tight To Mention and Holding Back The Years, production is very "80s", I prefer the later albums.
3/5. He feels similar to Van Morrison, a little more poppy and a little less jazzy, but still soulful. It's good for the most part and catchy, but also inoffensive, so a little less risk taking than there could be. The Heaven cover is unique and different, which is how covers should be usually to make them worthwhile. The original songs follow similar formulas, with repeated lyrics for the chorus from background singers. The album was pretty solid, and of the singles, I liked them for the most part, so it was a good listen. Best Song: Money's Too Tight (to Mention), Heaven, Come To My Aid
I knew the song Holding Back the Years, but didn't know anything else. I had no idea Simply Red had that level of success or staying power (they still get 7M monthly listens. I didn't really get into this album. The one other song I kind of liked is Jerico.
Not bad, but the third star in this rating lies squarely on the back of "Holding Back The Years" and the fact they did a Talking Heads cover.
My mom really liked this album. Didn't precisely hold up, but not an unpleasant listen.
I was really into these when they came out and they were excellent Iive, Terence Trent D’arby supporting! Of course this was well before we all found out what a cunt Mick Hucknall was, “a Rasta mystic gave me this stick”FFS! Still sounds pretty good listening back now to be fair. And surely no body can argue the ginger bellend had a great singing voice. Love the story about Martine McCuteon throwing up in his dreads😆
Likening this to an actual picture book, there’s not much beneath the surface.
Jazz ok
Schmaltzy and dripping with mid-80s mass appeal, Simply Red's blue-eyed soul is easy to dismiss, but perhaps not so easy to deny.
i got this the day after ABC's far better The Lexicon of Love, so that was always going to be hard to top. sadly, this album doesn't really do it for me. it starts off with a few fun, energetic tracks (look at you now's funky strumming patterns and guitar solo really hit for me), but by the time jericho rolls around, it's just drab, wannabe-sade and mediocre ballads for days. idk, this just isn't it. favorites: come to my aid, sad old red, look at you now, money's too tight to mention
Quite fun
5/10 - It was kind of strange
Generally, I was surprised by how much I liked this.
this is riiiiiight on the other side of goofy 80s production i enjoy. another album in the "vocals drive me fucking bonkers" bin. 2.5
No es mi género. Sonido y voz impecables pero se me ha hecho muy pesado
so 80's, but did not stand the test of time very well
Just very safe middle of the road album doesn't really capture me but is pleasant enough.
Sometimes the production sounds a bit more artificial than I'd like to hear from soul, but I guess that's because it's a new wave soul combination? I guess the songs don't really stick with me too much, but it's a totally pleasant listen (though that's the case with like 95% of sophisti-pop for me).
I actually enjoyed this one. I wouldn't really call it pop music though. It's got more of a soulful, jazzy vibe with a little bit of funk sprinkled in. Definitely not what I usually go looking for, but I can't say I minded it. It is one of those albums that if it came on in the background, I'd just let it play. Nothing made me want to add it to my playlist though. It was smooth, easy to listen to and honestly pretty pleasant.
I really enjoyed a lot of this. Specifically, the first half. It wore on me slowly throughout, but it's a very creative sound that I can appreciate. Fun and dancy. Very Phil Collins. I'd never heard of these guys before so I'm glad I listened.
This was an easily dismiss-able group in the 80s, so I was anxious to see if they might have been better than I remember. Not really, though I did gain a slightly higher level of respect for the variety of music on this album and the musicianship itself.
A couple of decent songs on here, but the rest were average. My favourite was probably Money's Too Tight.
I mean it was an album, an album not for me, he can sing fine, then we got some weird voices on the last few tracks
The best part of this album is the two covers. Past those, it's pretty decent, just missing something I can't quite put my finger on.
Again very calm