This album isn't quite as good as its predecessor (Who's Afraid Of?) The Art Of Noise!, but there's still plenty of good stuff here. Just some geeky studio wizards having fun with their technological toys creating some experimental dance music. They've definitely got a recipe to make music from non-musical sounds: get some samples, add the underlying groove, stir in occasional dashes of other electronic business, then vary the mix each time around. Repeat. This sometimes makes me wish I had the skills to be a geeky studio wizard, but mainly it just gets me to dance. Sadly, the group would never make an album this good again.
Note for AoN fanatics: my copy of this CD is the 1988 China Records release containing the better version of Paranomia without Max Headroom as well as the bonus track of the extended version of Peter Gunn.
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard Top 200: #53
- Billboard R&B: #49
- Rolling Stone: #34
Tracks: I like Opus 4, Legs, Backbeat/Beatback, and Chameleon's Dish. Henry Mancini's Theme To Peter Gunn is always a fun tune and the group was smart enough to bring in Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and twang guitar king Duane Eddy to add a special touch to the proceedings here. That track won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1987. It's the best tune on the disc with the 6 minute extended version preferable to the 4 minute version. I usually skip over Instruments Of Darkness and Camilla.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None. Listening to this disc usually makes me want to grab The Best of The Art of Noise and listen to that instead because the mixes are better.
Previously revisited for the blog:
The Seduction of Claude Debussy (1999)
The Best of The Art of Noise (1988)
In No Sense? Nonsense! (1987)
(Who's Afraid Of?) The Art Of Noise! (1984)
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