The Album Review Club - Week #191 (page 1286) - Harlequin Dream - Boy & Bear

Working out how best to frame my hypocrisy on this one. I nominated an album that no one could understand the words of and I regularly defend Bernard Summer's approach but somehow I'm not prepared to give this the benefit of the doubt for its lyrical gibberish. I think I might just blame Jim Kerr's hair and face. If I try hard enough I'm am pretty sure I can scientifically prove that they are the hair and face of a man trying to pass off random tosh as some form of impressionistic spiritual lyricism.

The main other issue is when I hear the opening bars of Waterfront I can't help seeing the stupid 'dancing' that Kerr used to do. I'm not ideologically opposed to stupid 80s dance moves, I once saw the fella from the Lotus Eaters fall off a large cabinet stack doing Kerresque moves and it was comedy gold, but I struggle to give Jimbo the benefit of the doubt.

On the upside I've done my second listen, my desk is intact and I'm fairly sure there was an involuntary head nod at some point too.
 
@BlueHammer85 , don't want to muddy this thread elsewhere, so replying here. We have had at least 2 rap albums nominated that I cna think of off the top of my head.
 
A lot of back-handed and begrudging compliments on here for Simple Minds and very little actual praise it seems. I’ll be upfront and say most days NGD is my favourite album of all time, and I love this record too.

I dont agree they tailed off after this. I think the decline started with the album after, Street Fighting Years, which was ponderous, self-indulgent and just plain unexciting. Putting Don’t You Forget about me to one side (as they didn’t put it on the album), Once Upon A Time is a shimmering, upbeat, optimistic, crescendo-filled, superbly produced record - improved upon too by Robin Clark’s vocals. Live they were at their peak, on that and the Sparkle tours, with Sparkle just shading it. That’s on the basis of seeing them live and listening to many bootlegs over the years.
The versions of all their songs they played on the Sparkle tour were there best ever for me.

Sparkle itself (and the great Brass Band in Africa Chimes b side) was a wonder, though the ones they toured sounded even better live. The 10 minute Waterfront they opened the Alive in Rotterdam show on The Tube tv show late 85 was way beyond the LP version (and latter versions weren’t as good either). On that topic best recordings from that Sparkle tour I’d recommend are Dortmund and Irvington (both on YouTube in parts).

It was always an album where the A side ruled when I first played it - that was where the singles were and those were the majority of what the band chose to play live. Over time I’ve got to love the B side more and more. Now I love it all.

Kerr had had plenty of grief for his vocals but right from the start of the band I loved his enigmatic style, where fragments and phrases and individual lines had impact on the listener, even if a clear narrative through the song was hard to follow. It didn’t matter to me. The sounds of the words and the way they were delivered mattered too.
Just hearing him reel off those names, Natassja Kinski included on Upon The Catwalk was bewitching to listen to. Back then I didn’t realise Waterfront was inspired by the Glasgow shipyards, and I didn’t even know there was an Easter(house) in Glasgow - but it didn’t matter.

They were my favourite live band for years, and those years included this album and the songs on it. As an aside, I never thought MacNeil got enough recognition, though Forbes and Gaynor and Burchill did. When he left later it really was a massive step down.

Oh and re the U2 inspiration, the answer is yes. U2 (who I have never liked anywhere near as much) were on record as saying NGD was a big influence on The Unforgettable Fire album and the previously unexplored sounds and textures they employed on that.

Of all their output I’d give this, Once, and NGD a 10.


Actually, maybe an 11 for NGD ;-)
 
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It is well documented that 80s synth-pop is not my thing. And despite a number of nominations here that challenged that, continues not to be my thing.

Of all the 80s synth-pop I have heard, that was not my thing, this has some level of intrigue. Parts of this album, were better than I expected. Others, pretty much as expected. Some kinda did nothing.

The positives, it has passion, I'll give it that. Passion I like. Has a bit of oomph. Good opening, fizzles out, but good to begin with. The things that Would excite me, are kind of lost in the distraction of the production, the synths, the 80s accent. Lyrics and singing of a boozied wise sage too drunk to get his point across. Likeable, but to a point of background caution.

The kick inside and white hot day the two songs that stood out. Classic 5.
 
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BlueHammer85 said:
Just giving the greatest hits a go as a warm up for this - is it uncool to say ‘Alive and Kicking’ and ‘Don’t You’ are great tracks ?
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It’s not uncool — just incorrect :)

Actually I like A&K fine but I dislike DYFAM, in part as I said because of its affiliation with Jon Hughes, whose films I intensely dislike.
 
FogBlueInSanFran said:
It’s not uncool — just incorrect :)

Actually I like A&K fine but I dislike DYFAM, in part as I said because of its affiliation with Jon Hughes, whose films I intensely dislike.
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But he directed Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, surely one of the 80s best comedy films. Then there was Planes Trains and Automobiles, which you’d have to be a rock not to laugh at. And then he went and wrote Home Alone! I’m intrigued enough to ask what you don’t like about John Hughes films?
 
RobMCFC said:
But he directed Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, surely one of the 80s best comedy films. Then there was Planes Trains and Automobiles, which you’d have to be a rock not to laugh at. And then he went and wrote Home Alone! I’m intrigued enough to ask what you don’t like about John Hughes films?
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I like 2/3rds of FBDO. The shit with the Ferrari is stupid, and Ferris is a twat. I think PTA is thoroughly unfunny, but I have never thought either John Candy or Steve Martin is as funny as everyone else thinks. Home Alone is good but that’s his level: a slapstick children’s film. I cannot stand Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink or 16 Candles. His portrayal of high school and high school students is laughably one-dimensional and unrealistic. His characters don’t talk nor act like teenagers. At the same time, for high school fantasies-cum-college admission pressure we had Risky Business; for day-in-the-life chronicles we had Dazed and Confused, for opposite-sides-of-the-tracks love stories we had Valley Girl, for nerds vs popular kids vs stoners and Phoebe Cates naked we had Fast Times At Ridgemont High, and for sparkling, witty, ingenious subculture comedy we had Clueless — all far far far better films (not to mention many others like Superbad, Mean Girls, etc.).

Edit — and how could I forget the brilliant Almost Famous in a thread about music?!?
 
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FogBlueInSanFran said:
I like 2/3rds of FBDO. The shit with the Porsche is stupid, and Ferris is a twat. I think PTA is thoroughly unfunny. Home Alone is good but that’s his level: a slapstick children’s film. I cannot stand Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink or 16 Candles. His portrayal of high school and high school students is laughably stupid and unrealistic. At the same time, for high school fantasies, we had Risky Business; for day in the life chronicles we had Dazed and Confused, for love stories we had Valley Girl, for nerds vs popular kids vs stoners we had Fast Times At Ridgemont High, and for comedies we had Clueless — all far far far better films (not to mention many others like Superbad, Mean Girls, etc.).
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The trouble is, due to lack of information, we all thought that those films were pretty accurate over here.
 
Pretty underwhelmed on first listen and already inclined to dock it a point for the pointless and almost criminal cover of Street Hassle, as bad a cover as I have heard.

It has left me intrigued about their earlier stuff though which I might explore before giving this a second listen
 
Sparkle in the Rain – Simple Minds

I’m familiar with one full Simple Minds album and about 3 or 4 other singles – none from Sparkle in the Rain.

My overriding feeling with this album is how mushy the production is. Whilst there are a few bits and pieces to like here and there, any potential for greatness, even not-that-badness, is swallowed up by the sounds of great big synths and slabs of keyboards. “Book of Brilliant Things” is a typical example of this overload but it’s not on its own.

“Waterfront” comes over all bombastic – that’s the word I’ve been searching for to describe most of this album – but for some reason I enjoyed this more than the tracks around it. Maybe it’s the tease that it was going to sound like The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues” at the start, or the fact that it settles into a less bombastic sound for more than half its running time.

“C Moon Cry Like A Baby” is not bad either as it has a slightly less plasticky and more soulful feel.

“The Kick Inside of Me” injects some much-needed guitar, almost like Charlie Burchill has spent the album up to this point trying to find his six-string which has been buried beneath a pile of keyboards on the studio floor.

Sparkle in the Rain does have an upbeat, dancing in a dark club at midnight vibe to it, which is I’m sure why @FogBlueInSanFran likes it. Also, as he’s plainly stated, it reminds him of a certain time in his life, which we can all relate to. But I’m surprised any self-respecting music fan sporting an orange Mohican would find much to love here.

On the whole, it’s music that I just can’t connect with. There’s not enough space between the notes, with every potential space filled with some shiny new (for the time) toy keyboard sound. I notice that those who like this album don’t like what came later, but I’d pick “Belfast Child” as my favourite Simple Minds song – a wonderfully evocative piece that builds slowly with lots of great instrumental parts, not least the wonderful Lisa Germano on fiddle. And yes, it’s not lost on me that this is the old head versus moving feet thing.

As noted by others, Jim Kerr gives it all with the vocals and I can respect a band that’s playing their thing, but this reminds me of all the stuff that my fellow classmates were falling over themselves to like in the 80s, and I was left wondering what all the fuss what about. 5/10.
 
Coatigan said:
It is well documented that 80s synth-pop is not my thing. And despite a number of nominations here that challenged that, continues not to be my thing.

Of all the 80s synth-pop I have heard, that was not my thing, this has some level of intrigue. Parts of this album, were better than I expected. Others, pretty much as expected. Some kinda did nothing.

The positives, it has passion, I'll give it that. Passion I like. Has a bit of oomph. Good opening, fizzles out, but good to begin with. The things that Would excite me, are kind of lost in the distraction of the production, the synths, the 80s accent. Lyrics and singing of a boozied wise sage too drunk to get his point across. Likeable, but to a point of background caution.

The kick inside and white hot day the two songs that stood out. Classic 5.
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It's interesting that you consider this as 80's synth pop. I've finished my three listens on this and so have gone back to listen to Life in a Day and Reel to Real Cacophony, neither of which I've heard in decades. They are both absolutely synth pop (and I would argue have aged ok) but I think already by this album you can see the signs that it's beginning to devolve into some sort of proto-arena sludge, the synths aren't driving the sound - they're used for 'atmospherics' and to give it a more expansive feel for the anthemic gibber to come. It's all very prophets/jupiters (mis)used as rock infill courtesy I assume of Mr Lillywhite. I haven't listened hard enough but I suspect it's worse than that and there's a DX7 in there somewhere confirming the moral bankruptcy of the venture.

Even if I put aside my own, admittedly niche, view that for it to be 'proper' synth pop it has to be brutalist analogue monos softened only by multi-tracking, then still I hear much more arena pop-rock than I do synth pop. I've been trying to work out why Kerr is more annoying on this album than the earlier ones and the answer is very simple, there's more of him. The synths are culpable in that, the more soundscapey approach basically seems to be to provide a more dramatic platform for his voice, the trouble with that is he can sound pompous enough without giving him that extra underlying bombast to work over.

I kind of wish I hadn't gone back to the first two albums as it might unfairly impact my score on this one.
 
threespires said:
It's interesting that you consider this as 80's synth pop. I've finished my three listens on this and so have gone back to listen to Life in a Day and Reel to Real Cacophony, neither of which I've heard in decades. They are both absolutely synth pop (and I would argue have aged ok) but I think already by this album you can see the signs that it's beginning to devolve into some sort of proto-arena sludge, the synths aren't driving the sound - they're used for 'atmospherics' and to give it a more expansive feel for the anthemic gibber to come. It's all very prophets/jupiters (mis)used as rock infill courtesy I assume of Mr Lillywhite. I haven't listened hard enough but I suspect it's worse than that and there's a DX7 in there somewhere confirming the moral bankruptcy of the venture.

Even if I put aside my own, admittedly niche, view that for it to be 'proper' synth pop it has to be brutalist analogue monos softened only by multi-tracking, then still I hear much more arena pop-rock than I do synth pop. I've been trying to work out why Kerr is more annoying on this album than the earlier ones and the answer is very simple, there's more of him. The synths are culpable in that, the more soundscapey approach basically seems to be to provide a more dramatic platform for his voice, the trouble with that is he can sound pompous enough without giving him that extra underlying bombast to work over.

I kind of wish I hadn't gone back to the first two albums as it might unfairly impact my score on this one.
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Ok, synth-pop-rock then.

Which I did thinknm of including, but thought it was a mouthful
 
Coatigan said:
Ok, synth-pop-rock then.

Which I did thinknm of including, but thought it was a mouthful
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Yeah wasn't having a pop. You're right it's a bit of a mouthful but it is in that kind of hybrid space, which in and of itself isn't a problem if you just like the songs for what they are but to me makes it a bit wishy-washy at times.
 
Rainbows have their colours organised into neat arcs for a reason. Take a rainbow and smash all the colours together and you get a smear of brown. Whilst this is not true in a scientific and accurate way it is metaphorically true. In Sparkle in the Rain, Simple Minds take a rainbow and smoosh it hard, but, i suspect accidentally, kept a loose enough group on some of the colours to create slightly different shades of brown with an occasional blue or green sneaking through. For reference I think brown is an underated colour and I'm not confident that blue or green are in the rainbow. It's a poorly conceived metaphor.

I appreciate that I am writing this wearing a bright orange jumper but i have a natural distaste for the ostentatious. Up on the Catwalk gets us off to a bad start with a standard rock star braggadocio. Book of Brilliant Things is just a phrase I don't like. If it was about a photo album I'd allow it but I'm not really sure what it's about except that it is world wide and brilliant. Speed Your Love To Me could be about a kid trying to set Santa Claus on fire but I suspect it's not sadly. The opening three tracks are overly confident - Prometheus stealing rainbows from the Gods and force feeding you skittles until you puke abstract art over your own shoes whilst Jim Kerr shouts sex noises in your face. Take it in turns guys - you don't all need to be turned up to 11. Keep the light in nice arcs.

I like humilty. I once worked with some famous singer from the Philippines. She had her own show in Vegas (probably in one of the smaller casino's - I don't know the Vegas scene) and even though she came with her own bejazzled microphone it was a Shure SM58. Just two weeks ago I had a singer turn up with their own Neumann KMS 105 but before I could hate his extravagance he pointed out the grill was super rusty. Humilty goes a long way. We have to wait for Waterfront before we get a glimpse and it's pretty fantastic. A super simple one note bass part about nature returning to the Glasgow ship yards. Sure it's still Simple Minds throwing everything at you but there is a little more structure and the bass line anchors everything. A sliver of colour emerges. It's less which i like more.

East at Easter has a nice slow build perfect for a stadium if that's your thing but please God someone put a pencil line through the lyrics. No one needs to rock a little child unless you're in the wiggles. It's giving too much rock star energy. But still the slower build allows some space to appreciate the players and it never quite goes to 11 which is a nice change of place.

Street Hassle is a guilty pleasure. It's pretty cheesy and no song has really needed Sha la la la's since the 1950's. They can't help themselves "cascading lowly he entered her slowly" - it's like they are daring me to hate them but again the song has a nice build that helps you appreciate the loud bits. White Hot Day is ok i guess but "C" moon is trying too hard to be enigmatic.

The Kick Inside Of Me is probably my favourite track. The opening seconds are fantastic and the vocal performance works really well for me. Kerr sounds like he's almost trying to catch up. Like the previous two songs it's possibly too long and I don't need all the fuss that follows. I just need a little less of everything.

Shake Off The Ghosts demonstrates that some of my issues are band issues rather than just Kerr being on almost every second of the album. Give it a rest lad. In fact all of you just chill out. Stop being so ham fisted and let the rainbow be enough. Scoring is hard. I want to give it a 7 but the band would insist on a 10 so to prove a point it's a 6. which i appreciate makes no sense given the content of my review but screw you Simple Minds - life was easier when I could just hate you but the stupid d note played repetitively on the bass and the first 18 seconds of The Kick Inside Of Me showed me that you're not as pretty as you think you are but in a certain light after a couple of drinks I'd succumb to your charms. You however would not possibly lower yourself. Muppets.
 
RobMCFC said:
Sparkle in the Rain – Simple Minds

I’m familiar with one full Simple Minds album and about 3 or 4 other singles – none from Sparkle in the Rain.

My overriding feeling with this album is how mushy the production is. Whilst there are a few bits and pieces to like here and there, any potential for greatness, even not-that-badness, is swallowed up by the sounds of great big synths and slabs of keyboards. “Book of Brilliant Things” is a typical example of this overload but it’s not on its own.

“Waterfront” comes over all bombastic – that’s the word I’ve been searching for to describe most of this album – but for some reason I enjoyed this more than the tracks around it. Maybe it’s the tease that it was going to sound like The Doors’ “Roadhouse Blues” at the start, or the fact that it settles into a less bombastic sound for more than half its running time.

“C Moon Cry Like A Baby” is not bad either as it has a slightly less plasticky and more soulful feel.

“The Kick Inside of Me” injects some much-needed guitar, almost like Charlie Burchill has spent the album up to this point trying to find his six-string which has been buried beneath a pile of keyboards on the studio floor.

Sparkle in the Rain does have an upbeat, dancing in a dark club at midnight vibe to it, which is I’m sure why @FogBlueInSanFran likes it. Also, as he’s plainly stated, it reminds him of a certain time in his life, which we can all relate to. But I’m surprised any self-respecting music fan sporting an orange Mohican would find much to love here.

On the whole, it’s music that I just can’t connect with. There’s not enough space between the notes, with every potential space filled with some shiny new (for the time) toy keyboard sound. I notice that those who like this album don’t like what came later, but I’d pick “Belfast Child” as my favourite Simple Minds song – a wonderfully evocative piece that builds slowly with lots of great instrumental parts, not least the wonderful Lisa Germano on fiddle. And yes, it’s not lost on me that this is the old head versus moving feet thing.

As noted by others, Jim Kerr gives it all with the vocals and I can respect a band that’s playing their thing, but this reminds me of all the stuff that my fellow classmates were falling over themselves to like in the 80s, and I was left wondering what all the fuss what about. 5/10.
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I think we broadly agree but your review is clearer
 
mrbelfry said:
Rainbows have their colours organised into neat arcs for a reason. Take a rainbow and smash all the colours together and you get a smear of brown. Whilst this is not true in a scientific and accurate way it is metaphorically true. In Sparkle in the Rain, Simple Minds take a rainbow and smoosh it hard, but, i suspect accidentally, kept a loose enough group on some of the colours to create slightly different shades of brown with an occasional blue or green sneaking through. For reference I think brown is an underated colour and I'm not confident that blue or green are in the rainbow. It's a poorly conceived metaphor.

I appreciate that I am writing this wearing a bright orange jumper but i have a natural distaste for the ostentatious. Up on the Catwalk gets us off to a bad start with a standard rock star braggadocio. Book of Brilliant Things is just a phrase I don't like. If it was about a photo album I'd allow it but I'm not really sure what it's about except that it is world wide and brilliant. Speed Your Love To Me could be about a kid trying to set Santa Claus on fire but I suspect it's not sadly. The opening three tracks are overly confident - Prometheus stealing rainbows from the Gods and force feeding you skittles until you puke abstract art over your own shoes whilst Jim Kerr shouts sex noises in your face. Take it in turns guys - you don't all need to be turned up to 11. Keep the light in nice arcs.

I like humilty. I once worked with some famous singer from the Philippines. She had her own show in Vegas (probably in one of the smaller casino's - I don't know the Vegas scene) and even though she came with her own bejazzled microphone it was a Shure SM58. Just two weeks ago I had a singer turn up with their own Neumann KMS 105 but before I could hate his extravagance he pointed out the grill was super rusty. Humilty goes a long way. We have to wait for Waterfront before we get a glimpse and it's pretty fantastic. A super simple one note bass part about nature returning to the Glasgow ship yards. Sure it's still Simple Minds throwing everything at you but there is a little more structure and the bass line anchors everything. A sliver of colour emerges. It's less which i like more.

East at Easter has a nice slow build perfect for a stadium if that's your thing but please God someone put a pencil line through the lyrics. No one needs to rock a little child unless you're in the wiggles. It's giving too much rock star energy. But still the slower build allows some space to appreciate the players and it never quite goes to 11 which is a nice change of place.

Street Hassle is a guilty pleasure. It's pretty cheesy and no song has really needed Sha la la la's since the 1950's. They can't help themselves "cascading lowly he entered her slowly" - it's like they are daring me to hate them but again the song has a nice build that helps you appreciate the loud bits. White Hot Day is ok i guess but "C" moon is trying too hard to be enigmatic.

The Kick Inside Of Me is probably my favourite track. The opening seconds are fantastic and the vocal performance works really well for me. Kerr sounds like he's almost trying to catch up. Like the previous two songs it's possibly too long and I don't need all the fuss that follows. I just need a little less of everything.

Shake Off The Ghosts demonstrates that some of my issues are band issues rather than just Kerr being on almost every second of the album. Give it a rest lad. In fact all of you just chill out. Stop being so ham fisted and let the rainbow be enough. Scoring is hard. I want to give it a 7 but the band would insist on a 10 so to prove a point it's a 6. which i appreciate makes no sense given the content of my review but screw you Simple Minds - life was easier when I could just hate you but the stupid d note played repetitively on the bass and the first 18 seconds of The Kick Inside Of Me showed me that you're not as pretty as you think you are but in a certain light after a couple of drinks I'd succumb to your charms. You however would not possibly lower yourself. Muppets.
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As much as I like it, it’s hard to disagree with any of this. And this is why I think about this record as great junk and a guilty pleasure!

Having said that, I am a bit surprised by the low scores overall from a group of people who gave that Waterboys record a near-7.5!
 
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