The Album Review Club - Week #195 (page 1310) - A New World Record - ELO

I am probably able to appreciate this album, more than I can actually bring myself to like it. And I tried.

I get its context (which does matter here), get that it is of a time and and a scene (or a combination of scenes), and I kinda get what he was trying to do with the whole rave-light, pop synth, occasionaly soulful mixing. Those were the years, that was the movement and he was doing something within that context, both reinforcong it and trying to do something slightly different within it.

But ultimately, I just couldn't get into it or the right mood for it - as a whole album, now 30 something years later. Yeah there are a couple of catchy strong songs, one or two nice songs. But it is not my thing really, and in quantity, tails off pretty quickly.

Guess that is the inherent conundrum that Pop has, trying to produce 'hits', but then 10 such hits diminishes the one or two. Unless you are Taylor Swift maybe but then it is the themes of puppy love and teenage heartbreak that stick more than the music.

The standout songs for me are Whirlpool and Show me, when he lets his voice do more than the demo synth tinny beats and backing tracks. I think I prefer bald Seal when he gets a bit more decisive with his styles and focuses more on soulful pop a bit later on.

Relative more to the other albums scored recently than necessarily itself in isolation, probably a 5 seems fair all considered.
 
Seal has a voice with a huge range and dripping in quality, but this record sounds like he’s in search of a musical milieu that suits it. So it appears he layered his voice across a diverse set of bog-standard background notes to see what might stick. And fuck it — let’s get Trevor Horn to help us. This is fine but raises my hackles a bit because Seal was a Joni Mitchell fan — but Joni doesn’t sell in 1991 so nothing here sounds like her in any way, shape or form. Such cynicism (his and mine) are problems right away.

The other (and main) one is for me as always, the tunes need to carry the day before the voice, or a particularly compelling message does. Seal doesn’t have a message that means anything so he has to get by on the tunes, and they aren’t good enough.

I hear a lot of considered-great artists in Seal’s voice. He sounds like Jimi Hendrix on “Whirlpool”. He channels late 80s Peter Gabriel on “Show Me". When he sings “It don’t always live that way. . .” on “Deep Water”, he treads perilously close to Eddie Vedder territory, though Seal may have been first, meaning Eddie channels him — the distinction/timeline makes no difference to me really. On all, Seal as a singer is eminently listenable. But none of those songs that accompany his voice hit me in any potent way. Largely speaking, they’re limp and unoriginal.

Not all of them though. Musically, the reason “Crazy” works is that the backbeat is pushed farther up the mix, and Seal sings with it rather than trying to upstage it. See? Not that hard, is it? I do also like how he glides like Sade on “Violet”, where the lilt of the semi-bossanova and what I think is a fretless bass (?) and spoken word fragments add more depth than on most of the other stuff here.

I do have a bit of an issue being told a great hi-fi system and multiple plays will enhance my experience with this record. I don’t buy this. If it’s great, it’s gonna hit me where I live first time out on that tiny red transistor radio (cost: $4.99) that I carried with me everywhere when I was 11 (when I first started listening to — and forming opinions about — pop music). Do you think I first heard Manfred Mann’s version of “Blinded By The Light” on a pair of Wilson Audios?

Overall this record is thoroughly inoffensive, reasonably gutless and effectively meaningless; it’s patina and gloss, like a sedan chair for vocals. There’s nothing wrong with that, except there is, because — as I’ve written approximately 284 times already, I need the tunes to work before the voice. If I didn’t, I might like opera more.

5/10.
 
Last edited:
Seal - Seal

Sometimes, things land where you don’t expect them to. Despite having little in the way of overt instrumental skill on display, I really enjoyed this album. There are a few reasons for this, which I’ll explore now.

The power of nostalgia – I must have started work at a similar time to @Mr Grumpy. When this came out, I was less than 12 months into my career, had met my girlfriend (now wife), and we were about to embark on our first holiday abroad together (a matter of weeks after this album was released). Regular readers will know how important holidays have become to me and my family. “Crazy” was a huge single at the time and this, plus a number of other similar tracks, take me right back there.

"The Beginning" – inoffensive, upbeat soul with a nice acoustic outro. I loved the lilting guitar with a bit of slide that starts "Deep Water" and it eases in Seal’s vocal. This shows how well he can sing – despite the modern sounding production, there’s no cod-rap, no gimmicks in his vocals and Seal’s voice is really nice to listen to.

When "Crazy" starts, the nostalgia machine is in overdrive. Fantastic song. Again, whilst not aligned with the band sound that I usually like, this song shows what a decent voice and basic but catchy simple riff, when melded to a well-constructed song (nice middle-8: “In a world full of people …..”), can achieve. Regardless of what instruments are used or how heavy the production, this sounds like a great song to me. Perhaps somebody could analyse why? EDIT: Maybe Foggy has already provided part of the answer.

The remixed “Killer” is OK as well but not half as catchy as “Crazy”.

“Whirlpool” is a bluesy number that showcases Seal’s vocal ability in a sparse arrangement. Despite the increasing production on “Future Love Paradise”, I’m still enjoying the album. But the last three songs don’t live up to the standard set by the first six.

Listening to this album for the first time in the middle of the night, 40,000 feet over the Atlantic also helped my reception to it. It was perfect listening where I drifted in and out of consciousness for an hour or so (yes, I have listened to it properly after I got home before you ask!).

Despite the fact that it doesn’t all work for me, I think that this is a fantastic nomination. It’s not folk or country or indie or punk or metal and therefore is different to most of what’s been selected before. 7/10.
 
Mr Grumpy said:
Can the OP review and score his own submition?
Click to expand...

Though you'd can't score your nomination you can offer further commentary and insight into your choice if you want. I sometimes do that, AGDCFF was a hill I was prepared to die on :-) I'll respond to specific points sometimes with my perspective, obviously there's no joy in becoming argumentative for the sake of it but I've been known to make counterpoints albeit the world won't listen !
 
Mr Grumpy said:
Can the OP review and score his own submition?
Click to expand...
By all means discuss it. We all do that, either by responding to people or generally adding further context. But the scoring itself is not something we have done and would be a bit redundant.
 
RobMCFC said:
Seal - Seal

Sometimes, things land where you don’t expect them to. Despite having little in the way of overt instrumental skill on display, I really enjoyed this album. There are a few reasons for this, which I’ll explore now.

The power of nostalgia – I must have started work at a similar time to @Mr Grumpy. When this came out, I was less than 12 months into my career, had met my girlfriend (now wife), and we were about to embark on our first holiday abroad together (a matter of weeks after this album was released). Regular readers will know how important holidays have become to me and my family. “Crazy” was a huge single at the time and this, plus a number of other similar tracks, take me right back there.

"The Beginning" – inoffensive, upbeat soul with a nice acoustic outro. I loved the lilting guitar with a bit of slide that starts "Deep Water" and it eases in Seal’s vocal. This shows how well he can sing – despite the modern sounding production, there’s no cod-rap, no gimmicks in his vocals and Seal’s voice is really nice to listen to.

When "Crazy" starts, the nostalgia machine is in overdrive. Fantastic song. Again, whilst not aligned with the band sound that I usually like, this song shows what a decent voice and basic but catchy simple riff, when melded to a well-constructed song (nice middle-8: “In a world full of people …..”), can achieve. Regardless of what instruments are used or how heavy the production, this sounds like a great song to me. Perhaps somebody could analyse why? EDIT: Maybe Foggy has already provided part of the answer.

The remixed “Killer” is OK as well but not half as catchy as “Crazy”.

“Whirlpool” is a bluesy number that showcases Seal’s vocal ability in a sparse arrangement. Despite the increasing production on “Future Love Paradise”, I’m still enjoying the album. But the last three songs don’t live up to the standard set by the first six.

Listening to this album for the first time in the middle of the night, 40,000 feet over the Atlantic also helped my reception to it. It was perfect listening where I drifted in and out of consciousness for an hour or so (yes, I have listened to it properly after I got home before you ask!).

Despite the fact that it doesn’t all work for me, I think that this is a fantastic nomination. It’s not folk or country or indie or punk or metal and therefore is different to most of what’s been selected before. 7/10.
Click to expand...
I forgot to mention "Killer", which is the other song I liked.

Seal is a very good singer and "Crazy" is a great song. It's also the song that took the world by storm. There's a reason these things happen.

Does that make this a record that (as so often happens with artists who have one song they want to squeeze maximum profit out of) he built AROUND "Crazy"?

I don't think so, otherwise he would have produced more songs that sounded like it.

I think he really didn't know what he was best at, so he tried a bunch of things to see. So to me this sounds like an audition tape, you know? That's why I wasn't a big fan of it.
 
@threespires If i may offer my thoughts on it then. :-)

I did say that this album has never really fallen out of my listening.
I should qualify this a little because by "Album" i actually mean a section of songs.
@mrbelfry and his second modal hits it on the nail. These are my favorite style of songs on the album. Tracks 2,5,7,8 would be on auto-pick on the CD player and, on occasion, still are. Whirlpool, Show me and Violet.
Show me is the best track on the album imho which is a credit to Seal as he manages to pull this off despite the obvious challanges from his horny partner who himself puts in the efforts and you get a great sort of contrasting partnership.
I do love Violet. I love the way it soothes you and is in no rush to slam the door on the album, rather it's a long, slow, beautifully paced goodnight. I like the samples in it as they add a little intrigue and detail.

As i said in my OP, i bought the album for the techno-pop but ended up falling for the slower stuff, leaving the other stuff unplayed.
What has been revealing is listening to the album 3 times on the spin and for the first time in full for since i can remember. Again, doing so changes my opinions on it (a sign of a good album imho).
What i thought had become uninteresting (the 1st part of the album) had me fighting earworms all weekend in the garden and singing to the flowerbeds.

My missus likes it so it must be good.

I get the point about good equipment,etc. I don't think it needs it to be enjoyed buy decent stuff will have you appreciating the detail and effort Trevor put into it.

Also as mentioned above, i find it perfectly accessable. Yuo can put it on and get on with it. I find it continues to rattle in my head long after the disk stops spinning.
The scores so far seem fair to me.
I'd put side 1 as a 6 and side 2 as a strong 7. I really think the latter hlaf is where it shines the best.
I've enjoyed revisiting it critically.
 
There are a couple of songs that I remember but the rest are utterly forgetful.

Normally I'd be all over a Horn production but this is early 90's schmooze at it's worse. Once again, dinner party music for the dull of hearing. Seal has a great voice but this album doesn't push him in any way. It's run of the mill, horribly mixed, with little or no depth.

Crazy is probably the best number on here, his voice working well with Mr Horns knobs but most of the others mashed into one noise. A highly average and deeply annoying album.

Hey boss, we have a sightly different singer with a great voice...excellent, I shall prepare my knobs.

Still, it sold by the bucketful so what do I know.

3/10
 
I think it's ok if musicians explore different ideas on an album. Seals voice is good enough to convince in every song and gives it some cohesion. The different styles have enough in common to make it feel like a single thing for me. I agree a little with foggy in that some of the songs feel undercooked which may give it a vibe of an artist trying to figure himself out but his voice has a quality that's quite easy to listen to. If it had been an album that all like Crazy even though that's a good song I think I would have enjoyed it less. I certainly wouldn't have been as surprised so maybe it's that which is making me overrate it
 
Similar to what others have said really, it sounds like he's looking for his sound but isn't quite sure where he needs to land. His voice is superb, but the backing can be a bit hit and miss which is a shame.

It also made me wonder why he didn't become a bigger star back in the day and listening to this I can partly understand it. The voice is great but he didn't know his style.

Overall it's definitely not a bad album and I did enjoy it more as it's kind of a style I am partial too.

7/10
 
Perhaps it's just me but I find the lack of any real discord or controversy from the club regarding this album to be interesting and in stark contrast to recent submissions.

I was beginning to wonder if people were bothering to listen to it.

Is this a good thing or bad thing?
Is it because the album is quite accessible and in itself not controversial?

I suspect so. If I may offer an analogy: Drinking fine wines and posh spirits is all well and good but sometimes you just need a decent , well made pint to soothe the aches of the day away.

I don't think it's a bad thing tbh.
 
Mr Grumpy said:
Perhaps it's just me but I find the lack of any real discord or controversy from the club regarding this album to be interesting and in stark contrast to recent submissions.

I was beginning to wonder if people were bothering to listen to it.

Is this a good thing or bad thing?
Is it because the album is quite accessible and in itself not controversial?

I suspect so. If I may offer an analogy: Drinking fine wines and posh spirits is all well and good but sometimes you just need a decent , well made pint to soothe the aches of the day away.

I don't think it's a bad thing tbh.
Click to expand...
It isn't a pint album for me - that's something like definitely maybe. This is sparkling water in a nice glass. Or decent wine in a plastic cup.
 
Starting at Grumpy’s final clue (and I will get to the album itself eventually), over time I have become slightly ambivalent towards Trevor Horn. It would be ludicrous to discount his skills and talent and he’s still fascinating to listen to talking about music; but in terms of his output I tend to oscillate between ‘that works really well’ and ‘enough with your trademark over production'. He’s not in the same criminal bucket as Hugh Padgham and his assorted acolytes of gated reverb but there is still an issue that his approach is fine for a while but there comes a point where you want someone to put mitts on his hands and gaffer tape him to the operator’s chair well away from the consoles. His recent Echoes covers album sums up my issue; on the one hand it has a very good Love is a Battlefield by Marc Almond, a very passable Owner of A Lonely Heart by Rick Astley, an utterly risible version of Relax by Wilcox/Fripp and a version of Teen Spirit that would suggest Horn actually has little understanding of the point of music.

Why is this relevant? Well, he’s not the kind of the producer who feels it his job to get out of the way and let the music speak for itself, is he? So, he’s going to form part of this review one way or another. Now I’m certainly wouldn’t go putting him into egotistical douchebag (© FBISF Enterprises Ltd) territory, because when interviewed he comes across as a nice guy with great intent and who has dealt with personal adversity admirably but I’m always nervous of the degree to which he imposes his will on a record. It works well with somewhat less musically able scallies from down the East-Lancs road, but I’m surprised that for example by the time he reunited with Yes they didn’t top him and bury him under the patio before the completion of the 90210 album or whatever it was called.

Horn is by self-admission a meticulous constructor ideal for producing stuff that sounds impactful in the right environment but given the choice between polish and cleverness versus spontaneity and heart I will always ultimately choose spontaneity and heart. (I can hear Rob muttering well how does that square up with your love of synths? Well, I do love synths but I also want a bit of an organic feel too, which is why though I love Vince Clarke’s meticulous multi-tracking of his analog mono synths (which to me creates a very human feel and texture in comparison to some of the more despicable digital synths) it’s the fusion with Alison Moyet’s smoky contralto that really creates the magic.

Anyhoo, the Seal album? The good news on this album is that Seal himself has enough about him to stop this tipping into an overly shiny but ultimately anodyne exercise. There’s also a decent amount of variety in the songs which helps avoid this trap too. Though it is essentially a pop album we know Seal has been out clubbing and raving a fair bit and though the infusions do feel a bit calculated they also elevate it beyond bog standard fare.

There are even some places where a meticulous approach to production works well albeit then going too far, the revised version of Killer being a case in point. It’s got plenty of Horn bombast but there was no point replicating the original single and what he does with it is interesting. It sounds both less clubby and ironically less digital but arguably this approach gives it a more dystopian and brutalist sound which I think works well with the song overall and provides a meaningful reinvention. Until at 3 mins 30, at which point Trevor can't resist sticking stupid samples in….somebody get the mittens back on Trevor now.

There are other occasional missteps – most egregiously Future Love Paradise is cod philosophical word soup accompanied by tampon advert music, it’s almost redeemed by the guilty pleasure style bassline but not quite.

However, beyond this track and some other passages where the production gets a bit too dinner party or a song overstays its welcome somewhat, I think there’s quite a lot that’s likeable about this. The variety I’ve already mentioned and unlike say other’s views I think the change of pace and even style works well without it sounding too disjointed; maybe that’s the unifying effect of Horn’s production that I have partly decried. I enjoy Seal’s voice too, though good rather than exceptional it has a really appealing character to it. Crazy deserves it’s continued status as a radio staple and is an example where the production works well. There are tracks too like Whirlpool, where the production is dialled back, and the song is all the better for it. It does flag a bit later but redeems itself with Violet which I really enjoyed as a way to close the album. I know Seal has enjoyed Horn’s participation and partnership throughout his career so it’s a relationship that works for them. I would just like the occasional moments of roughness that you hear when you see those videos of him out busking, but then arguably that would jar with the overall tone of the album so horses for course maybe.

For reasons best known to itself, my local council has decided to undertake some form of homage to Boston’s Big Dig and consequently you can’t drive anywhere without sitting in an effing queue. However, I’ve had this album on, and I’ve found it has made the process of getting from A to B a lot more palatable. Overall, I’ve enjoyed the change of style and tone from recent weeks. I’m more likely to re-listen to this than say last week’s effort and I’ve already had a listen to his Live in Paris album to see how it translates beyond the studio.

All that said it does have a ceiling in terms of its ambitions. Though I kipped through a large chunk of the 90’s music scene, even I know that there was some interesting stuff going on in 1991. Though I may have restricted myself to the odd bit of St Etienne and Massive Attack I was aware of the significant changes going on in rock music. Against the backdrop of these changes, this sounds like what it is…a really well-made pop record by people who know what they are doing and an impressive debut album. I don’t think it’s ground-breaking (though it’s easy to get who did what and when mixed up) but it fuses a few things quite nicely and is enjoyable without having to work hard to listen to it, so it gets a nicely relaxing 7/10.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top