Picked this one out of a used bin after seeing Dave Wakeling in concert. (My only complaint about that fantastic live show was the fact he didn't play anything from the Special Beat Service album.) I either completely missed this release back in 1986 or I was still upset at The English Beat for breaking up and took out my hurt feelings by ignoring General Public. All that said, this isn't a bad album, it's just not very memorable. The songwriting is okay, but it seems the band was trying to update their sound for 1986 and it's just a bit too slick. For the most part, the ska-lite tendencies of the past give way to synthpop tendencies: synthesizers, drum machines, and sterile studio sheen straight out of the A&R department. All filler, no killer.
Sidenote: There's no barcode to be found on the CD packaging. I guess maybe there was a barcode on the longbox?
Press of the time:
- Rolling Stone: "pop that's thought provoking but never pedantic."
- Smash Hits (6 out of 10): "rather tawdry and unoriginal"
- CashBox: "a spicy little provocative stew"
- Billboard: "Fans of band will find plenty to cheer about" [sic]
- The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (1997): ★★★
Album chart peaks:
- US Billboard 200: #83
- CashBox: #66
Tracks: Four singles were released and none charted in the US or the UK: Come Again, Faults And All, Too Much Or Nothing, and In Conversations. Of those four, the best are Come Again and Too Much Or Nothing, while my least favorite is In Coversation (I would have released Never All There instead of In Conversation but I wasn't consulted). It's fun to hear Saxa make a guest appearance on a couple of tunes including Forward As One, making that track the most Beat-ish on the album.
Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None
Previously revisited for the blog:
Rub It Better (1995)
All The Rage (1984)
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