★☆☆☆☆
Rio starts off mysteriously, there’s a lot going on! it reminds me of Japanese jazz fusion of the 80s. the words are simple. the chorus is catchy and makes a decent effort to act as a counterpoint melody. it’s too happy. I like the sax solo more than everything. torturous experience. New Religion is way better, the rhythm is tight and it’s atmospheric. the bass stands out. the words seems to be just random jibber-jabber.
I’m talking for free, I can’t stop myself, It’s a new religion
I’ve something to see, I can’t help myself, In regulation hats ‘n scarves ‘n things
Walking in formation down the lane, They carry their cross, make a church bell ring
Like An Angel is melodic and laid-back. the songwriting is disappointing. the guitar work is interesting. vocal processed like mid-70s Bowie songs. the main melody is rather bleak and arabesque, I like it.
Hungry Like The Wolf, the big hit. the bass sounds too twangy. I can’t say much about it, quite generic. I like how the vocals and at one point the guitar imitate a wolf’s roar. this came out two years before Michael Jackson’s Thriller, I can definitely notice some resemblance.
My Own Way sounds like arcade games. the drums sound good. the build-up is very elaborate and it gets very disco once the strings come in. the lyrics are still too vague for me. pretty boring, I could skip 3 minutes and not notice a jump. the track-list might be a little off since I’m listening to the album on a pretty obscure platform.
next one’s Save A Prayer anyway. I actually like the mood, it’s darker and the melody is deceptively simple yet brilliantly. this might be my favorite so far! it’s melancholic and somehow dystopian.
Girls On Film starts hectic and weird. the guitar riff is catchy, I don’t hate it. catchy and upbeat with a decent synth riff in the chorus. Anyone Out There starts rather gloomy, it turns into a smoothly driven beat. I don’t hate this one either.
I tried to sleep last night but I’ve caught your dreaming
About days we used to wonder away
the outro is nice too, conveys that feeling of “standing behind the line” and getting lost “outside”. Hold Back The Rain starts just as happy as others. it has a weird breaking sound in the middle. it’s “ok” I guess. too much repetition. all these songs could be way shorter. Lonely In Your Nightmare is lyrically richer, relatively.
And when the lights of hope are fading
quickly then look to me
I’ll be your homing angel, I’ll be in your head
I have two versions of The Chauffeur in my release, one’s a 2009 remastered (like other ones so far) and the other, which I like so much more! is The Chauffeur (Blue Silver) - Early Version, whatever that means. the “blue silver” version has less overproduced vocals. I think it’s a live performance, the bass is fatter, the acoustic guitar feels lush. the melody has a smooth, liquid descend.
the original one is nice too! although I can’t wrap my head around the “forms”. the songwriting, the composition, none of it. it all fits together somehow, but it feels like it shouldn’t.
Last Chance On The Stairway is so danceable. I can imagine a lot of people having had fun, singing along, jumping all around with it. specially the pre-chorus, and the chant at the end.
it’s been a tough listen. pop isn’t my usual cup of tea, specially 80s, disco, glammy pop. it’s been a fun ride, not that I enjoyed all the music, but I’m gonna remember the experience for a long while. it probably just takes a more joyful listener to enjoy it better. I really liked a few of the songs, and I’m glad I “have listened” to it, despite probably not doing ever again.