General Public - Rub It Better (1995)

I had no idea this album even existed until I saw this CD sitting in the used bin. Sure, it was marked down from $4.99 to $3.99 then $2.99 and finally $1.99 but I threw caution to the wind (I didn't even pay $1.99 as I got it in a 3-for-$5 deal).  If Dave Wakeling is involved in the songwriting there should be a fair share of hooks here. Let's spin this thing.


Produced by Jerry Harrison of Talking Heads. Hmmm. I wouldn't have put them together but who knows? It just might work.

Cash Box, June 17, 1995, p. 9

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: It's more of a Ranking Roger album than a Dave Wakeling album and I gotta admit that I enjoy almost all of Roger's contributions. Plus it's nice to hear the tones of Saxa again. I like Rainy Days, Handgun, and Warm Love. I also dig Friends Again, It's Weird, and Never Not Alone although none of those three sound like anything General Public or The English Beat had ever done before.  Kinda-reggae-ish cuts like Big Bed simply come off like UB40 filler.  Skip that one and the one-chord Punk.

Overall, it exceeded my (admittedly low) initial expectations. And even though it is "scattered" as written in the above review, this album will getting more listens.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
All The Rage (1984)