Picture Book

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.

Unexpectedly groovy. Love that '80s sound.

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

Pretty mainstream

Okay but not something I want to add to my library.

I like this. Unique vocals, kinda experimental, cool disco groove on some tracks.

The lead singer is a particular flavor and it is sadly not mine.

songs of this genre tend to bore me out of my mind but something about the eccentricity of this project made it work for me a lot more than i thought it would. beautiful stuff!!!

This was a fun listen, approaching cultural appropriation.

Not typically a Pop Music fan, this record is a nice soothing listen. Some very good writing, and of course, "Holding Back the Years" is classic 80's that create some great sense memories.

Perfectly adequate and decade appropriate

Glossy, synthetic 80ths sound with cheesy organs, unnecessary saxophones, and an allegedly soulful singer making up my Sinthi-Pop album. Overall okay to listen to without feeling the need to relisten.

Judging by the cover (yeah, I know) I expected something a little more gritty, maybe along the lines of a Dexy’s Midnight Runners. I didn’t expect jazz and soul, reminiscent at times of Sade. It gave me some 80s nostalgia but not my favorite sounds. And with this being the second album in a week that covered a song from Talking Heads’ “Fear of Music” (both artists did not make any improvements), I know my assignment.

I remember the name Simply Red more than I remember the actual music, so I was surprised to hear these soulful, jazzy tracks. The album avoids many of the typical 80's production sound traps, but at the same time, I am not sure how much it really stands out. Lyrically, the album is strong, and I get the impression that putting together this album was more of an art project. That said, it comes across solid enough with strong exhortations and lessons stronger than the average pop mantras.

Not a fan

Not too bad, nothing special

I thought it was pretty cool actually

Cheesy as hell but Hucknall is undeniably a great songer

Decent bass, decent soul vocals, but it just doesn't all add up to the sum of its parts.

Holding Back the Years and Money's Too Tight to Mention both still sound fresh, the rest is okay-ish, but feel quite dated.

It was fine.

Fav: Open Up The Red Box Least Fav: Heaven Not much to say, it’s simply ok. What’s not simply ok was that cover of Heaven, the original is one of my favourite songs and I respect it for trying something new, but I just didn’t like it

So it was so 80's, but also different and unique feeling. 80's can be super cheesy and over the top, but something about it took in the 80's vibes and felt unique and sincere. It had deep inner feelings taking in the times.

In 1985, Holding Back the Years was on the radio and I remember not really liking nor disliking the song. Probably because Run DMC's King of Rock and Motely Crue's Theater of Pain were clearly the best albums that year. And 40 years later (that's alot of years to hold back) do I feel differently about this Simply Red song? Can I relate to it now that I'm an old jaded man who's wasted all the tears and wasted all the years? Like from an adult contemporary perspective, has my appreciation for the soulful sound of Simply Red deepened through life's struggles, triumphs, and losses? Not really, nope. I'll keeeeeeep hold'n on. Come to My Aid has a good dance vibe. Sad Old Red has a few good jazz moments with the horns but maybe not blue enough on the blues lyrics over and over and over. Really milking that bass line guys. Ya. I get it, he's sad. he's old. and he's so red that he's blue. Also I don't believe that this is really a live track. I think they put that audience applause in there. It's canned applause and makes me wonder if he dyes his hair. Not really finding this album that creative but it's kind of quirky in it's own way. Heaven is a bar where nothing ever happens. Cool. Jericho seems to address some issues he has about rich people using him as a toy and he's clearly upset about not going to the ball. Money's Too Tight to Mention has a good groove but his rhymes crack me up. Mention. Pension. Unemployment Extension. Just repeat the word Money over and over. Then explain that you are TALK'N about money. wow. The struggle is real. Red Box has a great beat and I like the music but the lyrics just don't really grab me and I'm not sure he's really selling me on opening up that box. I dunno. Something good could possibly happen to me. He really cuts loose in No Direction by going in a similar direction as most of the album but a little more funky. Although his singing is soulful, he doesn't really enunciate that well in these last two songs. It's inexplicable. It's like his lips suddenly stopped working before the album could finish. I can't understand a damn word of these last two songs and it hasn't been a problem up until now. I would love to watch some misheard lyrics videos to this shit. Picture Book is the last song and the title track of this album. Can't make out a word of what he's singing. "We Beseech them by the Sigh"? By the Side? Am I the Sign of the So? Am I the Side of the the Bow? what the fuck, Red? I'm not even going to google the lyrics because I prefer the ambiguity. Watch the video for Holding Back the Years on youtube. It explains alot and he also wears suspenders.

I’m mixed on this one. Until I did a deeper dive, I thought I was listening to a soulful black woman sing, so that was a confusing pivot I had to make in my brain. The music is still good though, I dig the soul and the disco vibes, it just threw me off. Overall I enjoyed it, and there was a lot of cool instrumentation and song composition, despite some elements that had a little bit too much of an 80s cheese feel.

Feels like sitting at a bar with a drink and a stranger, just to swap stories and part ways.

Whoever said this was K-Mart music, I couldn’t unhear it lol

United maður hann Mick.

Alltílæ eitís. Sá þá í höllinni 1986.

This was another shrug album for me. I listened while working on report cards. I do not recall what it sounds like later in the day. Fine but not memorable

Sing it, white boy. I think his vocals are exquisite and the song-writing is tight. This album kind of reminds me of a Jamiroquai project performed by someone with more musical talent.

This was pleasant enough for a Sunday morning in the poppier moments, whilst straying a bit too far into cheese at times.

Ye, this was very okay, I liked it.

Definitely cheesy at times, but not irredeemably

Voix particulière, chaude, mais les synthétiseurs et le côté un peu mièvre ne m’ont pas interpellée

Up tempo jams, down tempo slogs

This was a seesaw for me. I immediately hated it, and song 2 was “Sad Old Red,” which I know and appreciate. Back to hating, then a Talking Heads cover. And so on and so on. Wanted to give 1 or 2 stars most of the time, but the periodic gems (“Holding Back the Years” and nostalgia from working at Rite Aid) pushes it to 3.

Good songs but not my type

Mick Hucknall isn't Tom Jones, Bobby Hatfield, or Bobby Caldwell, but he sure can sing nonetheless. His artistry isn't profound, and no song here is as passable as 'Heaven' or 'Holding Back the Years,' but he has enuf talent to overcome the saccharine disco-soul that comprises much of the record. I hesitate to employ the pejorative 'boring,' but that's how it ultimately falls w/ this one: tracks like 'Come to My Aid' and 'Jericho' are dull, not so much blue-eyed soul as shut-eyed soul: yawn, yawn, go to bed. Thing is, when it comes to The Righteous Brothers, classics like 'Unchained Melody' and 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling' are what they are: classics, songs I return to constantly. What's here that's got me coming back? No mucho.

Album 768 of 1089 Simply Red - Picture Book (1985) Rating : 3 / 5 Good listen. Not something I'm going to crave and go back looking for but was an enjoyable album. Certainly representative of the time.

3 1/2 Stars. Solid debut with some groovy tracks. Shout-out to the session musicians that make this whole thing work.

Simply Red are a bit of a joke these days, but this album is nice. Mick has a good voice and there's nice soulful/jazzy elements as well as the poppy hits. An enjoyable listen to begin with but got worse throughout. By the end of the album I'd had enough.

Not a fan of the genre, but liked the songs.

Mick Hucknall has a great voice here. Get some Phil Collins vibes at times, maybe they were influenced by Genesis(?) Definitely an 80s album, wasn't a slog to get through by any means. A solid first album but two of the better songs aren't originals. 3/5.

Glad I listened to more than just the opening synthesizer 80's sounding tune. Way more depth and styles that expected and pretty good overall.

Presently surprised as I expected an 80s pop album. The throw back r&b was abundant here, but often felt out of place, or disingenuous. Didn’t hate it, sure didn’t love it.

80s torch songs... should be part of any K-Tel love songs compilation.

I wanted to hate this, because Mick Hucknall is an insufferable bell-end. I didn't dislike it as much as I'd hoped though The jazzy elements are good and it does have a sound. His vocals are good, and the covers work It's pretty bland and inoffensive so I'm capping my score at 3. Wouldn't say I love it but it's an alright album

Simply Red are pure millennial nostalgia for me. I like them on a 'Greatest Hits' level, but they don't really hold up for whole albums of (easy) listening. Love Money's Too Tight (To Mention) and Holding Back The Years.

This album hasn't aged well. Its 80s soft pop, AOR sound just oozes through every minute of listening. Something not acknowledged or recognized in the reviews for this miss out on how much Simply Red has defined the term 'Blue Eyed Soul'. When this came out. Mick Hucknall comes off as a suave soul singer from the southern US, not some bloke from Manchester. regardless that the sound may seem smooth jazz sax cringy it definitely belongs here. 3/5

Fun album but nothing really stuck to me. I'll have to revisit.

as soon as I saw them described as "British Pop and Soul" my expectations sank, but it fared bettet than I thought it would! Pretty serviceae in most areas, its got some little jazzy spots that remind me of a late night infomercial (Jericho specifically), where you would wake up on the couch at 3am and see some product fading in and out on a grainy 90's broadcast with a 1-800 number in yellow at the bottom. Not bad, the instrumentals give me early Persona game vibes in the overworld.

Wasn’t impressed when the album first started but it grew on me as it went on. A cover of one of my favorite Talking Heads song (Heaven) didn’t hurt either. “Holding Back the Years” made it clear why this album made the list and then the last couple songs were enjoyable enough. I’d prefer to listen to Bobby Caldwell if I’m in the mood for this kind of music but that isn’t very often

My wife walked in while I was listening this and says 'it feels like I'm ordering a drink in a hotel lobby'. She's not wrong. Pleasant, but ultimately pointless and says nothing of interest of value in a fairly mundane way.

Solid example of this soft rock/disco pop music.

3.5* 83%

well i had fun

A couple of good songs but some of it very middle of the road as well.

Simply good

honestly idk what the hell this one was but i liked it

Somewhere between 3 and 4 maybe 3.5

Betted than I thought, but cringey

Better than I thought it would be. Not quite so mainstream as Stars, and some nice tunes on there.

Pretty good but dips a bit for me pretty much every other song across the album, thought some were way too generic especially the two popular ones moneys too tight and holding back the years, but the deeper cuts were nice, best one was the first song for me and Jericho was second. The last three songs were highlights as well but not to the same degree.

The more funky bits can be enjoyable, but there's also a lot I'm not particularly fond of here. 2.5

Well I would have considered this an iconic 80s album but listening now it's rather bland. The hits are there but boy the rest is uninspiring.

Not my favorite, but musically enjoyable

He's good a pretty good voice, some of the songs are fun and jazzy, some are just boring, and some complain about Ronald Reagan and not being able to afford new shoes. Uh...average.

I enjoyed myself! This did often feel quite dated, though.

smooth, just how i like it. very pleasant listen, would return to this. ok the funky tracks are a little cheesy i don't like them that much. but the soul stuff hell yeah thats good

This was pretty good. Not exactly my cup of tea but generally enjoyable.

It's some fine funky pop/soul, but doesn't leave a strong impression on me. The covers were probably the best songs.

I’d rather listen to the good old white boy Michael. But it’s alright Moneys too tight to mention

Nice, not really my tipe, but I enjoyed it.

an overall fine listen. sounded a little bit dated throughout but never enough to pinpoint why or where

Some solid 80's stuff that sound like something I'd tune out while shopping. It was pretty nice but I'll probably forget it soon

The first two tracks are an introduction to the two facets of Simply Red: the pop/post-disco side and the jazzy, soulful one. I think they pull off the latter better, though it's a fun experience seeing two very different genres being juggled pretty convincingly by the same band. Little elements like the walking bassline and fluttering sax lines on Sad Old Red take me back to my jazz big band days. Although no other tracks reach the smoothness of Sad Old Red, you can still hear hints of soulful jazz and blues through some of the keyboard and vocal parts, particularly on Jericho and Open up the Red Box. A couple of songs are definite misses. The Talking Heads cover, Heaven, is too artificial for my taste. No Direction is created in the fashion of "throw more musical bits and bobs at the mix until something magical hopefully happens", and it's a little more chaotic and non-cohesive than I'd like. The vocals are also pretty inconsistent between tracks. It almost sounds like every song features a different singer, yet there's a good reason why most musicians tend to avoid doing this. Regardless of any flaws, though, this is far from a 1-star album. The top reviews are almost entirely 1s and 2s, and this surprises me, because there's some genuinely good stuff hidden amongst the 80s-era sheen. I suspect widespread, deep-seated hatred for anything 80s-related is the culprit here. And if that sounds like you – man, what are you doing this project for? 3/5 Key tracks: Sad Old Red, Money's Too Tight (To Mention), Open up the Red Box

Desperately 80s, I quite enjoyed parts of this. I was shocked to find Heaven, which I thought was abysmal, was a Talking Heads cover. Nothing new going on but easy listening, good vocals. 3.25/5

Mid

This soul is far too blue eyed for my taste.

Not at all what I was expecting. This is a lot more funky and jazzy than Holding Back the Years. 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. Come to My Aid and Money’s Too Tight are catchy. The rest sounds like something you’d find on an 80s movie soundtrack.

This 80s soul/adult oriented pop is not my cup of tea but I have to appreciate its smoothness, the production and the singer's voice, so I'll give it 3 stars even if I won't listen to it again.

I guess I'm lucky to have not been over exposed to Simply Red and maybe I have a bit of a soft spot for pure 80s pop. Anyway, I didn't hate this, don't really love it, it just is what it is. Fave: Money's Too Tight (To Mention). I mean we're talking about Reagonomics!

Anos 80 na veia...soul e meio que dance music...até q gostei...achei um pouco parado

Yllättävää kyllä mä tykkäsin tästä! Jotain tosi kasaria, vähän niinku soulii ja poppii versiointii jostain synabändeistä. Täytyy tutustuu lisää. Kolmonen tulee, ei ihan taivu neloseen viel. 3/5

Kuunneltu riittävä epäselvässä tilassa en ymmärrä kriiitikkoja.. Kelpo musiikkia josta en muista heh mitään... Iso respct artisteille aina jos 3 star..

A couple of ok songs. Overall not very good but not the worst I've heard.

porukka on tehnyt tieteelliisen tutkimuksen miten tehdä miellyttävintä musiikkia mahdollista... teki ehk gradun asiasta ja totteli sääntöjä.. valitettavasti miellyttävä != maukas... maukkuuttahan tässä ollaan alusta asti arvosteltu, ja siinä pitää vähän kritisoida pikkasen kritisoida. hajutesti eka snifffff.. odota.. kulaus, purskuttele suussa... päänojaus taaksepäin silmät kiinni mieti universumin tarkoitusta: Tuhkaverho oli nyt poissa. Taivas oli selkeä ja hyvä. Hän lähti takaisin alas viimeiseltä vuorelta matkalla viimeiseen kylään. Se ei olisi vaikea kävely. Ja vaikka olisikin, hän ajatteli, ei hän nyt niin pahasti välittäisi. Se antaisi hänelle aikaa muistaa. Ja takaisin maailmaan... hymysuin kättelee tarjoiliaa kiitos kiitos.. 3/5 sad old red

I just didn't dig it. It wasn't bad but it wasn't me. Still I'm a little older after having listened

No doubting micks got soul and holding back the years is a winner but more of a housewives choice

Sounds more modern than I would have thought... weirdly not 80s?

Pretty fun, I actually prefer the version of Heaven on this album to the one on Stop Making Sense. I'll probably never listen to this album again.

this is fine. no i did not need to hear this before i die

Pre-listening thoughts: guy on the cover looks like Ethan slater AHHHHH 😱😕😢😨🫣😵 Post/during listening thoughts: ok 80s pop but not in a cool Peter Gabriel or Kate Bush way but rather in a mid synth way. I like pop regardless though so it gets a few brownie points. This is totally a guilty pleasure kind of listen where I know it’s not pop or 80s at its best but I still enjoy a good amount of it regardless. WHAT is going on in No Direction 😭😭😭😭😭6.5/10 DID I NEED TO HEAR THIS BEFORE I DIE: nope Fav tracks: Come to My Aid, Jericho, Money’s Too Tight, Red Box Least fav tracks: picture book

Nice to hear an album rather than just the hits. Can’t deny he has a great voice, and the album artwork is a classic.

pretty bland but enjoyable

Had a fair amount of good song in this, would listen again. Give it a 3.5 if I could

Came into this expecting to hate it. And, while not groundbreaking, this turned out to become actually nice, plesant, easy listening.

This bloke thinks his shit doesn't stink if he's got his ginger mug on all the albums his made. A quintessential 80s pop album, absolutely mid.

Went in with low expectations, they weren't exactly met but was still pretty underwhelming

Empshasis on simple, nothing insulting but nothing to learn from either

Didn't leave a mark.

Don't like

It's alright, but I don't get the fuss. Mick Hucknall winds me up too.

Simply Red is not exactly in my lane, this is their debut album and i found it quite relaxing chilled background music to work to. It feels quite old-school to me and makes me think of elevator music etc. Nothing stood out to me throughout the album. Not my favourite but very inoffensive.

Better than I thought it would be but kind of just fine for me. I got very confused when the song Heaven started as it's a Talking Heads song and I thought maybe Talking Heads covered Simply Red which blew my mind, but no, it is a Talking Heads song.

2/3

Gave this one a few listens and I enjoyed it a decent amount. It's not perfect but it finds a nice little corner to enjoy. I love the control of the lead's voice. Also anyone that covers Heaven has a thumbs up in my book. Favorites were Come to My Aid, Heaver, and Holding Back the Years.

"Lookin' atchyo head! Head! Head!" 3/5

Solid album

It’s okay

Not sure what I was expecting from these but I like it. Getting jazzy and bluesy vibes. Unexpected.

Some new wave soul out of the UK. According to Wikipedia, Simply Red would go on to win the grammy for best new artist and become a staple of UK charts for years to come. They are perhaps best known for their hit song Holding Back the Years, which is fine. You may also recognize the song Heaven, which was originally done by the Talking Heads, and is fine. In fact, several times throughout this album I would think about how much I would prefer to be listening to the Talking Heads. Nothing against Simply Red, but they don't quite hit the same mark for me. It's all mostly fine.

Sort of cringed when I saw Mick’s face appear for my pick today but I actually didn’t mind this too much. It was for the most part catchy, though sometimes as always, it was the vocals that left me feeling like I could have done without it.

Definitely not what we were expecting, although with the context of the rest of the album you can hear the soul influences on "Holding Back the Years." It's a strong 3, edging toward 4.

not the biggest fan of simply red but undeniably a great album back in the day

Decent album.

Was alright, made me want to listen to the more popular fairground album.

Catchy 80’s pop/rock. Fun to listen as it’s not too serious. 2.8

Simply Red are a band that I’ve been aware of my whole life, but I’d have struggled to tell you anything they sang. After listening to this, there were definitely some tracks I recognised, but just never knew it was them. This made for a pleasant listen. I’d probably describe it as a light jazz pop, mainly piano focused, with really nice soulful singing. It’s not usually a genre I’d gravitate to, but I can certainly appreciate this for what it is. I understand the appeal, and will continue to enjoy when I come across these songs in the wild, but will likely also continue to not seek it out myself.

decent

More like simply mid

Never heard of these guys before. It's alright so far. Definitely has that 80's sound. Wasn't crazy about it. 3 stars.

Pop soul, blue-eyed soul. Energetic and passionate, I enjoyed this album even though it went on a bit long. I can see why fans of the genre enjoy it but maybe it's not completely for me. Light 3.5/5

Couple songs I’ve heard before overall enjoyed it!

Sooooo. Simply Red get a bad rap. The production is vomit inducingly 1980s. But a lot of the songs underneath are actually great, and performed with power. And unexpectedly there is a surprisingly good soul version of a Talking Heads song on there!

Dudes voice is dope and deff had some bangers

A good listen but nothing groundbreaking. 3.5

It was fine. I didn't hate it but I definitely wasn't deep bopping. Was pretty excited when that jazzy intro hit, but it didn't do much more for me past that.

Mediocre

Soul genre 3/5

Another one of those albums I've enjoyed but will probably never touch again. Favourite track: Jericho.

It’s easy to forget the disgust with which this album was viewed by the alternative crowd at the time. It’s not unjustified. The album is overly produced, overly polished, “smoov”, full of jazzy tropes and soul cliches. It’s a shame because Hucknall does have a decent voice and we can only imagine what he might have turned in had he channelled the spirit of 60s r&b instead of this pop fluff. Aside - didn’t realise there’s a cover of Talking Heads’ ‘Heaven’ on this album. Great song, sadly here ironed free of any idiosyncrasies or quirks that made the original a masterpiece. Nevertheless a star gained for demonstrating taste.

A decir verdad pense que iba a ser una experiencia medio pesada, pero la verdad que es un album que se deja escuchar y te traslada un poco a los 80. No es nada de otro mundo pero cumplio.

I really liked this a lot more than I thought I would. It has a very cool, soulful jazz vibe. It's a surprisingly high 3 for me.

The hit song from this album SLAYS. For that it’s getting a 3

Holding Back the Years was a nice throw back. Overall quality music.

80s AOR that exceeded my expectations

A little disco-soul flavor mixed in, so I'm ok with that.

Hucknall prejudice aside , this is surprisingly good . Shame everything that followed was MOR background music. best tracks - Holding back the years & money

Fun weird vibes

It was nice. Very pleasant.

This album came out the same year as the Kate Bush album -- so wildly different. It's sort of smooth jazzy, disco-y in parts, some pop, a few funky guitar riffs. Sort of diverse but under a broad soul umbrella. It's okay, but not something I'd clamor to put on. 3.3

Mick Hucknall sings well and writes some slightly bland songs. Nice to hear 'Heaven' again though.

Surprisingly good. There are some boring songs along the way but most of the album is really rather good. Not excellent, but entertaining nonetheless.

Fun listen and nice last song. bit repetitive

Descent 80’s dance, with a bit of slow jam. Don’t know why people hate this one a lot — it was just so-so. The first song was probably my favorite.

This album would be far better were it to have released either earlier in the 80s, or into the 90s. However, I also think this album could've never been made in any other time, as it is so perfectly 80s, so of course it released smack-dab in the middle of the decade! It actually is funkier than expected, and judging from the appearance of a Talking Heads cover (the worst song on the album, by the way: it isn't a good cover) I'd say they were going for something relatively danceable while still being solid sophisti-pop, allowing the album to slow down and become more introspective when needed. It all succeeds in doing what it is trying to, but it's hard to not still roll your eyes at the very thought of this album. It is just too cheesy, too cream-filled (a-yo?), too passé, and too predictable. But, I can't help but get into it a little bit. Not via the major hit, Holding Back the Years, no, no, no, no 80s ballads for me, thank you. Rather, I think it does its upbeat tracks rather well, and while it is no Talking Heads in the groove department, it can still be relatively solid for what's there, and I could say I enjoyed it with relative ease. It really isn't special, or frankly, good, but I had my fun with it, and luckily the CD wasn't too prominent yet, otherwise I could see this being one of those needlessly long LPs, but we have been saved on this glorious day. Rejoice! 80s mainstream pop is still just okay!

Not an awful album, I’d even listen to a song or two again maybe. But there is nothing here that warrants a place on this list.

Helt okej album, lätt att lyssna på, bra låtar och ändå ett ganska blandat sound. Även om jag sparade många av låtarna så var det kanske inte det bästa jag någonsin hört. Inte det snyggaste albumcover heller.

This album did have a handful of great moments, but on the whole it just drags on a bit too much for my liking.

Some good tunes on here and the vocalist is very good. Personally, I dislike the instrumentation - just not what appeals to me. Jazz, some blues.

Come To My Aid // Heaven // Holding Back The Years //

Simply Red. No tiene Stars.

One of the most 80s sounding records. Meh Rating: 2.7

I like how genre expansive this is. Was not expecting to like it so much but it has some good moments. Not really memorable songs

It was okay, nothing astounding.

Come To My Aid is pretty cool opener. Picture Book is a pretty cool closer. The middle varies. The cover of "Heaven" in the style of an androgynous '80s Joe Cocker viscerally upset me on the first listen but was good on round 2 once I got over the shock.

Not bad

Actually liked this a lot :)

Yet another 80’s/90s British pop band. Sheesh. Overall, this is better than a lot of these bands that dominate the 1001 albums project. The fact that I’m overloaded with these bands, and frankly bored with the genre doesn’t help my ability to enjoy this album. But it’s well done, and not every song is stereotypical Britpop. There real piano and real horns, even. At least sometimes. Solid soul feel. at least sometimes. Then it would swerve back into generic mid 80s pop. I have to admit that I liked this a lot more than I expected. At least sometimes. Of course, my expectations were pretty low. But for me it’s a solid 3, as there’s a good bit of solid music along with the ‘meh”. But too much meh to go higher. The big hit “Holdin Back The Years” (#1 in US, #2 in UK) is a probably the blandest, most soul-less, boring east song on the album. 3/5

Ok, I actually have his greatest hits album, which I have listened to once. To me, he is the quintessential one hit wonder. None of his other songs ever reach the level of smooth as “Holding back the Years.” Check that. Add “If you don’t know me by now” which is a cover, so maybe my point still holds. I really, really wanted to like his stuff, too.

gotta be in the right mood for that level of 80s. but "holding back the years" is a bop

2.5/3.0 Not my bag but has it's moments. Super competent and if you like a light Jazz, early to mid 80s style, this might click for you. I liked the more downbeat tracks best. The dub vibe on the title track at the end was a pleasant diversion

Simply boring. Not horrible, though.

Not bad.

There are a lot of interesting musical choices from unique instruments to genre mixing to lyrics that don't quite go where you expect. But at its core this album just isn't deep or exciting or that fun. I can see it's appear as a pop act of its time but there's no real itch that it scratches today.

Mellow album, was ok.

Inoffensive but also not good

Very good

Nan would be having a field day. Yesterday Rod Stewart and today Simply Red. I have heard a lot of Simply Red but never an album, in fact I did not know he released music so early as most songs I like are early 90's. I was already quite excited because I love this genre. I get it is basically pop but I just love the enthuses on the bass and how each part is played it is so nice and groovy. There is a huge amount of classics from it, however I think artists started to fall back on it and sort of burn it out. I kind of had that with this album, the 3 good songs were really great but the rest felt a little like it blended into one. From the classics I know (including Holding Back the Years) I was constantly hoping for more from each song. Overall it was a great sound but kinda fell off as an album but a great debut nonetheless. 3/5 Stand Out Songs: Come to My Aid, Money's Too Tight Holding Back the Years

I enjoy this album in a lot of spots, but, honestly, I feel like I'd enjoy this band more as a subject on One Hit Wonderland, y'know?

Well, it was better than yesterday. Actually, it was basically fine. Upbeat Simply Red is definitely preferable to crooning Simply Red, which there is too much of here. Money's Too Tight... is an absolute stonker though, and lifts it up the rankings. Also, the first song is very good indeed. Some killer, mucho filler.

Aiight. Very 80s

A great album but having owned it from its first release it has become repetitive and not easy to settle into, every opening few bars awakes a memory but very quickly I am looking for the next track.

Everyone told me it’s not good but I enjoyed it. Not the best record in the world but still decent.

Red Headed Soul? One would think it was an American soul album. It is all very pleasant, some disco-ish songs. Going back to the British-centric list, where's Rufus/Chaka Kahn? Blue eyed soul but not real soul, that's an issue for me. 3*

Soulful and 80s. I actually liked it, especially “Heaven”.

Sounded like every 80’s album ever

Simply Red. No tiene Stars.

Couldn’t get into it

Ta bonito

Eh. Felt too long.

Not a fan of this ass whiggly kind of muzak but I can cut this some slack. Hucknall‘s voice really is soulfully perfect, the band shows its talent especially when let off the leash.

First couple songs were great. But the rest was more or less generic 80s. Some social commentary on money issues but otherwise didn’t seem too special to me

New wave, blue eyed soul that sounds a lot like George Michael. Not bad but no reason to include this one on the list.

I’m guessing this guy was bigger in the UK than the US? Never heard of him before. The sax solo in “sad old red” was fire. VERY 80s production. I do prefer George Michael’s version of this overall vibe.

Simply Red. No tiene Stars.

Wow. That album is way more of a party than little orphan Funkhouser on the cover implies. I'm glad he's not sucking record executive dick for fame anymore. Sounds like he went through some dark times for a while there. But he persevered, made it through, just a boy with his jazz hands and hope. Good for him.

I think I've heard of Simply Red before, and certainly have heard their big hits, "Holding Back the Years" and the cover of "Money's Too Tight (to Mention)", but I doubt I knew those were by Simply Red, and I also seriously doubt I've ever heard the rest of the album. I also really enjoyed the experience of listening to and watching the album through the CD+G Museum's decoding of the enhanced CD, in all its 4-bit glory (and lots of trivia and factoids alongside great pixellated photos and not-so-great pixellated graphics). I'm sort of surprised to find out this won the Grammy for best new artist, as it wasn't a particularly compelling album to me. But certainly enjoyable, and I would never have guessed they were British, which speaks to their tight sound and a well-produced soul-inspired album.

Come to My Aid - Incredibly fun, poppy and catchy Sad Old Red - Great jazzy vibe and stellar sax solos Look at You Now - Fun instrumentation but some annoying vocal repetitions Heaven - Nice soft rock song, not too standout, a bit repetitive instrumentation Jericho - Catchy beat, great vocal work in the first half, a bit repetitive after breakdown Money's Too Tight - MJ song with (presumably) less controversy Holding Back the Years - Great ballad Red Box - Did not really like this one No Direction - Liked it more than I expected but still nothing standout, keyboards were a bit grating at times Picture Book - Amazing vocal work, great final track, maybe the best song on the album

come to my aid best song

Pretty nice music, soulful while being its own thing. Not so sure about that Talking Heads cover, but oh well. C

A few excellent tracks, sadly the rest are not worth mentioning. Just shy of 4 stars.

Uninspired

Nice music, great voice, some hits. But didnt amazed me.

Contains a classic, you wait for the classic, the classic passes, you wonder why.

Fun 80s pop. I can totally get why someone would nerd out about this, it's just not my thing. I was dancing a little listening to this though, there's something to be said about that.

3 stars

Pure 80s smooth listening here

nice 80er vibe :)

I didn't think that the album with a forlorn red-haired child would fit the description of pop-soul, but boy was I wrong. There was a lot of good variance to the album, while still having a lot of consciousness about who was performing the songs and what they wanted to say

Didn't hate it, didn't loooove it. Was just a little bored.

Pretty okay. If it were a bit more cohesive maybe it'd be a 4

I was looking forward to this one the second I saw it. I've never deep dove into Simply Red's catalogue, but "If You Don't Know Me by Now" and "Holding Back the Years" are two of my all-time favorites. Two things kinda surprised me about this one... First: How much I DIDN'T love the songs that weren't HBTY. Second: So much saxophone, and that's not a complaint. Beautiful beautiful saxophone, but all in all, I don't see myself revisiting this one a lot.

Pretty chill one. I think I knew a few of these songs already, vaguely.

nice surprise

I was a little distracted while listening to this. But from what I heard, decent. 3

C'est de la bonne musique, je peux comprendre l'attrait et l'impact sur la scène. C'est vraiment très typique de son époque. Mais ça ne me rejoint pas particulièrement. Je crois par contre que ça a sa place ici. 6/10

couple groovy ones, some got kinda stale especially with the remixes though

It's interesting how some albums sound like they are fresh and this one sounds like it is very 1985 due to the heavy brass.

Oh this was such a fresh sound when it came out, that fusion of soul and pop. I didn’t own it myself but it’s so familiar, I think one of my uni mates must have had it. It was so good to hear pop music that was overtly political. “Did the earth move for you, Nancy?” Hucknall’s voice is so distinctive that I suppose it’s inevitable it sounds a bit samey now. Entertained to learn from Wikipedia that “Hucknall was among the people present at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester in June 1976 where the Sex Pistols were playing” Favourite track - Holding Back the Years

"Holding back the years" is the standout and previously known single. This was gentle soft rock. Well done, but I prefer encountering it as I did previously as an unknown-to-me some hits wonder. Also the lead singer seems to be a bit of a narcissist about being a ginger. The band's name and several tracks are "simply" references to him being a redhead. Perhaps he is just a guy and not a narcissist, but the constant references to him and his ginger hair are overdone.

SR was almost a symbol of abuse way back. Safe 80s funk with a couple of hits. The pint sized ginger guy has a voice but its all so nice. Not a fan of the Heaven cover.

Enjoyed it more than I expected - good white boy soul, without his ego getting in the way. The famous tracks are the most annoying, a preview of what was to come. Soundtrack to many a boomers shagathons