Because I'm a sucker for an album I heard a couple of times in college, especially when it's sitting in a clearance bin marked 50¢.
The most successful album released by the Canadian vocal quartet and most likely my first exposure to the group. Heck, they had a video getting played on MTV or VH1 and one of those channels was constantly on the house TV as background noise until something caught our ear or eye. A capella groups were rare back then, so this sort of stuff caught my ear. 7 originals - sort of updated doo-wop - and 3 covers done with expert precision forgoing autotune and other production gimmicks. (I can forgive the electronic percussion. It was the '80s.) If you appreciate vocal talent, it's still worth a spin every now and then.
For what it's worth, I discovered this album is one of only seven albums released on the Open Air label (four of those seven by The Nylons). More on that history here: Open Air Records on A&M Records.
Press of the time:
- Billboard: "New tunes have appeal, but biggest draws will be the three '60s songs."
- CashBox: "a clutch of classic remakes joins a fistful of tasty originals."
- The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (1997): ★★
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard 200: #43
- Billboard CD: #25
- Rolling Stone: #30
Tracks: As both Billboard and CashBox suggest, the hits were covers and rightly so. Kiss Him Goodbye was the group's only US Top 40 hit, peaking at #12 on the Hot 100 and #10 on the adult contemporary chart. But I prefer the title track (#75 pop, #16 AC). The other '60s cover is track 4, Sam Cooke's Chain Gang. Of the originals, my picks are Dance Of Love, Face In The Crowd, and Crazy In Love.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I don't remember anything more than hearing this music at the house I rented during the my junior and senior years in college. I'm guessing one of my roommates - either Randy or Eric - owned this album. My money is on Eric.
Previously revisited for the blog:
One Size Fits All (1982)
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