Picture Book

Best leuk die Simply Red, maar snap nu waarom ik niet een heel album volhoud. Veel te glad allemaal! En van die stem moet je echt houden.

Op de hitjes na loop ik hier niet heel warm voor.

En dan ben ik nog mild. Ik vind Simply Red echt verschrikkelijk, komt door die neuzelige stem.

If you don't know simply red by now, you may never, never, never know them. Pretty good debut album.

I always Money too Tight to Mention. Guess that's a death blow for this album

We listened to this over breakfast at which point my co-judge offered her opinion that it was "stinky", and on second listen (with headphones) I agree that a few songs, especially the debut smash hit, "Holding Back the Years" are over-the-top stinky. But I liked the title track and though I usually hate covers, I thought their version of Heaven was transformative. He has a great voice and I like the fact that the theme of not having any money shows up in a number of songs. So 5/10 from me with rounding down due to the radio-ready production.

Some tracks sound embarrassingly dated but Holding back the years and Moneys too tight manage to hold up well. Credit to Mick Hucknall for his strong vocals and for a good effort for a debut album.

Good music, although the most repetitive sections really stood out for me (No Direction) and put me off. 80% of it I liked but 20% of it was working against me.

Liked more than I thought I would

Beautiful

Simply ok

Mostly inoffensive. First half much better than the later tracks, which drag this down from being middle-of-the-road.

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

I like the big Simply Red hits more than i perhaps ought to. I'm just about old enough to have nostalgia for them. This is still kinda boring though.

no

Simply Shite more like, amirite.

Great album

Simply Shite more like

Classic. Virtually every song is excellent.

Boring , generic blue-eyed soul. 1 🌟

heh guapete

I like the purple skin on the album cover. Billy Idol sprang to mind, both of there styles are very soulful. I especially like the intricate percussion parts.

Enjoyed this, tight 80s smooth soulful pop. Reminded me of Phil Collins/Genesis at times and Michael Jackson at others. Fav track: Jericho

I don't hate this album. I just prefer Style Council.

definitely smooth and not in a lacklustre way. It feels like a lot of love went into this album. Feels like sitting at a bar with a drink and a stranger, just to swap stories and part ways.

Funky music Pop dance genre 3/5

Classic 80s music. Memories of college and dance clubs 🥰

Music styling is pop-jazz-saxo beats. But good grief! Didn't really think too much about the lyrics until it got to "Jericho's" first verse. That sounds like some messed up crap, and made me go back and look at the other lyrics a bit closer. Hope there is a reasonable explanation for those lyrics on Jericho. Should re-think having this album in the best 1001 of all time in my opinion. 0 stars if I could

I did not care this album. I was not familiar with the band or any of the songs. It definitely had an 80s sound to it, but the songs sounded much different from each other.

The beauty of this 1,001 albums project is it forces me to listen to a lot of music I have never heard before, even including this dogshit album. Regretfully, this also likely means I'll have to suffer through at least one Nickelback album, since they are likely somehow less bad than this album. The bright side is I never need to hear these songs ever again. And, God willing, likely won't.

Ok. I heard it. I can die now

Got through the first half, realized this album is a masterpiece in my eyes

Wasn't my thing

Apart from the hit singles "Money's Too Tight (to Mention)" and "Holding Back the Years" the album lacks good songs. The production and overall sound has aged better than expected and the vocals are still fantastic.

I liked Money's Too Tight (To Mention)

not my thing

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.

i’m sure holding back the years was fire back in the day

This made me wish I was simply dead. Shite.

I've heard of Simply Red but never listened to their music. Not what I was expecting, actually enjoyed their music though the album wasn't very exciting.

Funky tunes, enjoyed it but not memorable enough

Nossa, eu odeio Simply Red. Que tortura. Esse álbum deveria estar numa lista "1001 albuns para NÃO ouvir antes de morrer"

This feels like a combination of disco or soul music with sprinkles of indie or blues thrown in depending on the song. It really defies categorization. Unfortunately, most of the songs aren't very good. Heaven is the best song from a bluesy standpoint and money's too right is like a generic disco song. Overall, this is a 5/10 album. I would say it doesn't belong on the 1001 albums list.

Favourite Song: Holding Back the Years

Mick Hucknall has an amazing voice. Their best songs sounds like he's vocally grappling with the music; all snarls, growls and whips. This album contains a lot of Simply Red's best songs, like U2 I'm not sure why this band is seen as 'uncool' but I guess that's someone else's loss.

The pop tracks are great, the lounge tracks are not

Thought I was gonna hate this so much but its actually catchy AF 😂 he's got a decent voice tbf to him. Real mix between like Lounge Soul and more funky dance stuff. Prob worth a 3. Maybe actually a 2,its ite but just not for me. 2.5 at best.

Great voice but only a couple of songs really caught my attention, predictably "Holding Back the Years" and "Money's too tight (to mention)

Not for me

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.

.

A version lesser than "Go Back Jack Do it Again" of Steely Dan. Ok

not to bad.

Enjoyable, but wasn't in the mood.

If feel like the artist doesn't know what genre to play so he plays them all.

Holding Back the Years was a beautiful serenade. Kept thinking I was listening to Carly Simon or Annie Lennex. Had some good song… If you don’t Know Me By Now….then listen to their best

The band finds a steady R&B groove reminiscent of '60s Stax house band the MG's, and, as with the MG's, it's all in the service of a big-voiced soul singer, in this case a British redhead. Features the U.S. number-one "Holding Back the Years" and the U.K. Top 20 "Money's Too Tight (To Mention)."

not really something i like but i can tell its good music nonetheless

Forgettable 80s adult contemporary. “Holding back the years” is an amazing standout (though a cover) but that’s about it.

Beautiful brilliant neosoul album from the mid80s new wave Manchester scene no more no less

“Picture Book” by Simply Red (1985) One of the benefits of doing daily reviews of music selected randomly by someone else is that every once in a while, you across music that is good, but that somehow you missed over the years. This is one of those good albums. Good grooves, tight but colorful rhythms, thoughtful lyrics. Lead vocal is good, marred only by airy lows and tinny highs. Arrangements are elaborate enough to sustain interest, featuring well executed keyboards and trumpet. If I had heard this in 1985, I’d like to think I would have been a fan of Simply Red. That's all I have today It's all I have to say 3/5

This felt like something I would have heard when I was younger, a sort of poppy soft rock. Kind of felt like Peter Gabriel at moments but also like other 80's pop/rock. I really enjoyed the opening song and it immediately was stuck in my head. Some of the others were skips but overall I enjoyed this one. Creepy album cover.

Good music, great memories

This kind of reminds of department store music. Not really my thing and the singer kind of sounds like a poor man's Nina Simone. 4/10.

I actually have this album on vinyl so I’ve listened to it before. Although the singer has a pretty unique/cool voice and a few of the songs are really catchy and funky, I just didn’t really enjoy this album overall. Maybe with repeat listens more songs would grab me. Reminds me a lot of Hall & Oates, but not as fun and awesome. Stand out tracks: come to my aid, look at you now and moneys too tight.

meh

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

It's one of my mom's favorite bands. I don't think extended versions should be evaluated the same way. Maybe I would prefer to listen to the original album.

Pop. Soul. Agradable.

damn I hate those 80's synths... the album closes strong but the damage is done

This was alright, easy listening

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

Decent quality guilty pleasure. But if i think of him, i need to listen to something else.

1.5 | Muchos discos mejoran en la segunda vuelta, este es el primero que empeora. La base del disco, el fundamento musical, no es malo; tiene un cimiento muy fuerte en muchas canciones de Soul, R&B y Jazz. Después se dedica a tomar esas bases y embarrarlas de sacarina, quitarles todo su carácter y hacer música tremendamente aburrida. Lo que más me sorprende es que, la canción que fue el sencillo y la que todos conocen es la peor de todo el disco en mi opinión. En caso de Steely Dan les llamaba "música de elevador," pero esto es bastante más cansado y tedioso, lo único que se me ocurre es llamarle música de consultorio dental. El medio punto extra sería solo porque sí tiene bastante buena voz. Lo único que me dieron ganas fue de escuchar Soul de verdad.

Meh. Pretty boring. 4/10

80’s stuff. Kinda boring

Finally a really good 80's album. 4.2 I could listen to this front to back and be content.

A ratos me gustó, a ratos me aburrió. Supongo que no es mi tipo de música. Tiene momentos interesantes y un par bastante movidos pero nada que quiera volver a escuchar.

ugh. i wanted to like that, i really did. but i didn't.

Had a hard time making sense of this one, especially after the first track was super 80's synthy and then the second track was jazz/big band. Overall I didn't like the album that much but it did make me curious about them. Loved their Talking Heads "Heaven" cover, it made me appreciate the lyrics in a way that I hadn't in the TH version.

Ehh it was 80s

How is this essential? This is easily the most dated album I’ve gotten so far.

Surprisingly good. I'm definitely now of the right age to really appreciate this record. Younger me would have hated this.

Was actually not bad. Good discovery!

Simply Adequate.

Very Popy and boring

Boring lounge singer with a terrible face. Just moaning unlikable terribleness.

Production: 7/20 Songwriting: 8/20 Innovation: 8/20 Bangers: 0/20 Emotional response: 5/20 =28 "His music's rubbish and he's a ginger." - Tony Wilson

I know I will be alone on this one but I can appreciate this sort of 80s sophistipop. The talking heads cover was a bit of a surprise and I didn't love it but I generally enjoy the confluence of synths and soul from this era. 3.5 up to 4.

First song was 80s cheese. Then 2nd is sorta Soul and live? What the hell is Jericho's lyrics? Personal enjoyment would be a like a 2. But it's to be objective I guess a 3. He's not a bad singer and nothing is bad, but absolutely not my music.

A este disco también le tuve que dar dos pasadas. Casi todo el disco tiene como una onda melancólica, no tanto por el ritmo, sino por los acordes/escala que utilizan. En mi mente, este disco suena como un Maroon 5 ochentero.

Not bad for background. Somewhat boring though

cuando aún no usaba la voz tan chillona, buen soul y blues para ser blancos

Lo esperaba una rayita peor, con los antecedentes que tenía, sin embargo ya abierto a aceptar la música que los "adultos contemporáneos" oían en los ochenta, le alcanzo a ver algo de valor. El problema es que no me encantan los teclados, los metales que usa, la voz, las percusiones… Creo que solo el bajo me pasa. 'No Direction' y las marimbas de 'Come to My Aid' me chocaron.

First side was pretty poor, few good tracks on side 2 but overall a forgettable experience

Yucky

Some good songs but not for me

Quite a nice album, not sure if it's for me but I have a feeling I will give it another go

I basically had this on repeat during 6th form. Brilliant blast from the past.

Simply 80s... Fine for what it is, but it does nothing for me.

Just really felt like a random British pop group. Didn't stand out for me in any way.

meh, didn't move my needle

meh........ not too fond of the style....

Fabulous take from the 80s. Can’t believe I’d never listened to this before

Buttrock

Udefinerbart, opmuntrende, instinktivt, spontant

Conjure every cliche you can think of when I say the words "Mid-80s adult contemporary music." This is that and more. I had to take three breaks while listening to this 45 minute album. Best track: Heaven

skimde deil

This was okay to listen to. Only a couple of songs were standouts.

The opening of the album is heralded by an extremely dated synth line which immediately suggests the worst, but the rest of the songs fail to follow through with that promise. The Birks' Works quote is a particular high point, and while the title track is a rather indulgent note to end on, the musicianship is high-quality all the way through.

1985. Key Songs: Come to My Aid, Holding Back the Years

I dunno - conflicting feelings. Only listened to it once, but felt like a watered down Wham!

I am during your life