Haircut 100 - Boxing The Compass (2026)

We're getting the band back together. And it's about damn time. What we've got here is a comeback album that makes you wonder whether four decades really passed. Haircut 100’s first studio album with Nick Heyward at the helm since Pelican West arrives with the band’s trademark ingredients in place: jangly guitars, busy rhythms, prominent horns, nonsensical lyrics, and cheerful melodies with healthy dashes of both optimism and nostalgia. Heyward’s voice has held up well and the band still understands how to make sophisticated pop sound effortless.

The album is a wonderful blend of songs that sound like they could have been on Pelican West while others remind me more of Heyward's solo material. But it's all good stuff. Long story short: this album has gotten daily play since it arrived on my front porch back on July 13 (see below) and I hereby declare it Album of the Summer for 2026. Here's hoping there's more where this came from.

While I'm certainly not disappointed in the music, I do wish a little more thought had been put into the packaging. Pelican West had a wonderful, yellow pinstriped graphic design theme that was consistent and carried out throughout the album and singles packaging. That sort of effort is certainly lacking here as the digisleeve is fairly mundane and simplistic.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart. Heck, I'm unsure this was even officially released in the U.S.

Tracks that sound like old school Haircut 100:

• Vanishing Point
• Soul Bird
• Sunshine
• Someone
• Dynamite

Tracks that sound more like Nick Heyward solo:

• Come Back To Me
• Raincloud
• The Unloving Plum
• That's A Start
• A Wonderful Life

At least that's how I categorize them today. Tomorrow I might move them around a bit.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:

1. October 16, 2025: I see new LP is announced with a release date of March 20, 2026. Excitement abounds.
2. March 11, 2026: on this date, there was only one option for purchase in the US that didn't include ridiculous tariffs, so the CD was pre-ordered from that option, Rough Trade.
3. March 22: email received from Rough Trade apologizing for the delay in shipping, but they are "working hard" to get my order to me. I then noticed the album's release date has been pushed back to May 29.
4. March 26: email received from Rough Trade that my CD will be dispatched on March 28.
5. March 30: email received from Rough Trade that my CD will be dispatched on June 19. I then discover the album's release date has been pushed back to that date. Frustration grows.
6. June 21: email received from Rough Trade apologizing for the delay in shipping, but they are once again "working hard" to get my order to me. Over the following weeks, I slowly realize I will never hear from Rough Trade again.
7. July 9: finally fed up with Rough Trade, I cancel my order with them which somehow includes a restocking fee unless I want store credit instead of a refund. A restocking fee for a CD they never had in stock? Sheesh. And I certainly did NOT want store credit as I will never use that website again. A Boxing The Compass CD is promptly ordered from Amazon (which now doesn't charge the tariff, so I've got that going for me, which is nice).
8. July 10: Amazon delivers a vinyl LP of Boxing The Compass, return/replacement is immediately requested.
9. July 13: a compact disc of Boxing The Compass finally arrives here at blog headquarters.
   
   And scene.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Live At The IndigO₂ 28th Jan 2011 (2011)
The Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1996)
The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1989)
Paint and Paint (1984)
Pelican West (1982):

• 4 CD Celebration Edition (2023)
• 2 disc Deluxe Edition (2016)
• Pelican West Plus (1992)

Haircut 100 - Pelican West 40: The 4-CD Celebration Edition (1982/2023)

Following my original purchase of the LP in the summer of 1982, I subsequently bought Pelican West Plus (1992) then the Deluxe Edition (2016). There's also a 2011 live recording on CD as well as a 1982 live recording from The Roxy in New York City available for download. Yeah, I'm a fan of the thing - some of us still put it in the running for "the happiest album that ever existed." Since I've already gushed about this album on the above mentioned posts, I'll just deal with specifics new to this reissue. I've always considered this one to be a "summer album" so it arrived just in the Nick of time.

Everything has been packaged into a 7" square hardcover book which includes sleeves for each CD along with the 44 page book mentioned in the pictured hype sticker. For more information, check out this handy unpacking video:

The hype sticker also mentions a "limited edition signed print." I'm underwhelmed with that:

More like a "limited edition initialed card." Ah well, let's check out the book. Much better! We're treated to a well-edited oral history of the band from 1977-83, lots of great photos, and detailed credits. All offered up in the pinstriped artistic feel of the original album.

Tracks:
CD 1: Pelican West (52 minutes)

1. Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) - 3:07
2. Love Plus One - 3:34
3. Lemon Firebrigade - 3:56
4. Marine Boy - 3:30
5. Milk Film - 2:58
6. Kingsize (You're My Little Steam Whistle) - 4:25
7. Fantastic Day - 3:15
8. Baked Beans - 4:04
9. Snow Girl - 2:57
10. Love's Got Me In Triangles - 3:38
11. Surprise Me Again - 3:20
12. Calling Captain Autumn - 4:05
13. Nobody's Fool - 4:14
14. October Is Orange (Day 1 & 2) - 4:19

The first 12 tracks are the original Pelican West tracks from 1982. Nobody's Fool b/w October Is Orange (Day 1 & 2) was a single-only release in late '82 which peaked at #9 on the UK charts.


CD 2: Pelican Plus (78 minutes)

1. Boat Party (7” version) - 3:51
2. Ski Club - 3:36
3. Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) (12” version) - 6:29
4. Love Plus One (12” version) - 5:39
5. Fantastic Day (12” version) - 4:18
6. Calling Captain Autumn (Special Extended Version) - 4:36
7. Boat Party (12” version) - 5:34
8. Marine Boy (12” Version) - 4:51
9. Ski Club Of Great Britain - 5:54
10. Love's Got Me In Triangles (Extended Version) - 5:11
11. Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) (Extended Remix) - 7:09
12. Fantastic Day (Live) - 4:18
13. Calling Captain Autumn (Extended Remix) - 6:03
14. Nobody's Fool (12” Version) - 4:59
15. October Is Orange (Day 1 & 2) (12” Version) - 5:10

All tracks on the above two CDs are available on the 2016 Deluxe Edition from Cherry Pop.


CD 3: Junction Box – The Unfinished Tracks (40 minutes)

1. I Believe In Sundays - 3:43
2. Maytime Moments (Instrumental) - 3:36
3. Cheek to Cheek (Instrumental) - 3:46
4. Hayley's Heart (Guide Vocal) - 2:09
5. A Blue Hat for a Blue Day (Instrumental) - 3:40
6. Coming Home (Instrumental) - 3:10
7. Brookfield Girl - 3:09
8. Sunny Boy, Sunny Girl - 4:04
9. Club Boy at Sea - 3:41
10. Steam Bus Junction (Instrumental) - 4:42
11. Whistle Down the Wind - 3:39

Bootleg files of these tracks have long circulated among fans (including myself) under the title of "Half-Baked: The Lost Album." It's nice to see them have an official release and to own a physical copy. (Note: there was once a physical CD-R copy of the bootleg for sale, but by the time I found out about it, that mess had rightfully been shut down by the powers that be.) Nevertheless, they are mostly incomplete demos and not very interesting beyond a few listens. The exception is track 7, Brookfield Girl, which is a fully-formed, fantastic piece of pop music. Several tracks (5, 9, 11, and parts of 6) would end up on Nick Heyward's 1983 Arista release, North Of A Miracle.


CD 4: Haircut 100% Live! Hammersmith Odeon Spring 1982 (Recorded March 31 & April 1, 1982. 61 minutes)

1. Low Rider - 5:56
2. Baked Beans - 4:00
3. Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) - 2:56
4. Calling Captain Autumn - 4:01
5. Milk Film - 2:40
6. Snow Girl - 3:15
7. Lemon Fire Brigade - 3:44
8. Fantastic Day - 4:04
9. Love's Got Me In Triangles - 3:14
10. Love Plus One - 4:47
11. Kingsize (You're My Little Steam Whistle) - 4:40
12. Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) (Long) - 6:58
13. Calling Captain Autumn - 3:38
14. Love Plus One (Encore) - 6:54

Yes, they open with a War cover and it ain't bad. And three songs are so good, they played 'em twice! Track 8, Fantastic Day, seems to be the same live recording as track 12 from the second disc. Other than that one track, I don't believe the other tracks have ever been released or bootlegged. If they have, I've not seen them.


Looking forward to the 50th Anniversary Edition in 2032!

Previously revisited for the blog:
Live At The IndigO2 28th Jan 2011 (2011)
The Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1996)
The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1989)
Paint and Paint (1984)
Pelican West (1982)

Haircut 100 - Paint and Paint (1984)

UK Import

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a Deluxe Edition CD, which, according to the Cherry Red website, "includes all the original album tracks, related bonus tracks, nine development mixes from the band's own archives and four BBC session tracks dating from May 1984."

After recording one of my favorite albums of 1982, lead singer and main songwriter Nick Heyward left Haircut 100 due to personal issues. Percussionist Mark Fox took over lead vocal duties and actually does a good job. What's really missing on Paint And Paint is Heyward's songwriting gift - there aren't many memorable melodies here, but there's plenty of typical H100 grooves. Besides letting Heyward go, the band made three additional mistakes: 1) they changed labels from Arista to Polydor, 2) they experimented with different drummers, and 3) they experimented with different producers. (On the other hand, Heyward stuck with Arista and hired The Beatles' engineer Geoff Emerick to produce his exquisite debut solo album, North of a Miracle).

Smash Hits, July 5, 1984, p. 21

It's no Pelican West, but how could it be? Truth be told, it's better than I thought it would be with side 2 being much better than side 1. However, this release tanked commercially in the UK, wasn't released in the US, and the band quickly fell apart. In 2004, VH1 put the band back together for an episode of their "Bands Reunited" series, then again in 2011 for a one-off concert.

Bonus points for wonderful liner notes/booklet, but I've come to expect that from a Cherry Red re-release.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Not released in US.

Tracks:
Original Album:

• Fish in a Bowl: Starting with familiar H100 guitar and horn licks, you initially can't tell any difference between this album and Pelican West, then the vocals kick in and you can tell a little bit. But when the disconnected chorus comes around, you know notice a big difference in songwriting. So even though the verse, chorus, and bridge sound completely unrelated, the groove is good - you can tell Bob Sargeant had his hand in producing this one.
• Immaterial: Much like the previous track, the verse and chorus don't really seem to go together. The syncopated groove is a little different for H100, but the chugging guitar part moves things along in a recognizable way.
• So Tired: the second single released from the album (probably because of its similarities to Love Plus One) this peaked at 94 on the UK chart. It starts off promising, but by the chorus, the whole thing sounds, well, tired.
• Hidden Years: While there's a tropical feel to this one, it's uninteresting filler with one of the most boring percussion breaks ever recorded. The horn solos are its only redeeming features.
• 40-40 Home: Now things finally start cooking. I've got no idea what they're singing about (guitarist Graham Jones claims it's about his childhood home), but this thing is as catchy as anything on Pelican West.
• High Noon: Another boring, disconnected chorus makes me want to go ahead and move on to what was Side Two on the LP.
• Too Up, Two Down: the third single, this one didn't chart and I can't see why not, it's a catchy thing that contains one of the better choruses on the album. Great arrangement and production (Sargeant again).
• Benefit of the Doubt: can a melody be this disjunct and still memorable? There's an unusual tropical meets ska-lite feel to the whole thing and somehow it works for me. Go figure.
• Prime Time: the lead single, this funk tune peaked at #46 on the UK chart. Smooth vocals interrupted by jagged horn parts. It's good - I can see what it was chosen as a single.
• Where Do You Run To Now?: a ballad?!? It actually starts off with a fantastic hook, but after two measures it completely falls apart and the hook is wasted. I enjoy the soft rock sax solo, though.
• Infatuation: the album finishes strong with the characteristic H100 pop/soft funk sound. After an odd introduction, there's lots of things to like about this one: the sax parts, slap bass, the rhythm guitar, there's even some piano here and there.

Bonus tracks:

• Too Up Two Down (7" Remix): the rare case where the 7" version is the same length as the album version. I can tell the mix has been touched up a bit with a bit of synth pad, but there's little difference. Didn't matter much as this single didn't break into the UK charts.
• Evil Smokestacking Baby: the b-side of Too Up Two Down. Described in the liner notes by bassist Les Nemes as "filler...came from a bass line that I had been messing around with for years and was inspired by having listened to Stanley Clarke." I hear no Clarke influence; this instrumental sounds more like Simple Minds to me. It bears no resemblance to any other H100 tune I've ever heard, yet it mesmerizes me.
• After It's All Been Said And Done: included on the 12" single release of Too Up Two Down. This is the closest this group gets to sounding like Nick Heyward. Maybe that's why they didn't want to include it on the album. I also notice there's no mention of it in the liner notes, but I'm always looking for a conspiracy theory.
• Prime Time (Late Night Shopping Version): the 12" extended remix of the first single. Any good? Well, it includes an ill-advised rap breakdown section and an off-key appropriation of Lennon's Give Peace A Chance if that tells you anything. Yikes.
• So Tired (Extended Version - Long Slumber): the 12" mix. Typical '80s extended version - an instrumental bit added at the beginning.
• Fish In A Bowl (Deeper Version): included on the 12" single of So Tired. Typical '80s extended version - an instrumental bit added at the beginning.
• From the website: "The next nine tracks were supplied by the band from their own archives. They feature working mixes taken straight from the mixing desk during the recording sessions for the band to listen to at home and work on additional arrangements and brass parts. They offer a unique insight as to how the tracks took shape. Six of the tracks made the final album and the other three are heard for the first time on this release." Demos. The band's homework, in other words. Sorry, no "unique insight" to be found here. Move along. I'd be upset at the inclusion of these tunes, but since this was a budget-priced release (2 CDs for $12.99), I'll consider the second CD of the set to be free.
• The last four tracks were recorded at the BBC for a session on the David Jensen show. They were aired on his show on May 13, 1984. (On a completely unrelated note, I graduated from high school 12 days later.) I was expecting more "live in studio" takes but these are too produced and sterile for what I expect of BBC session tracks. None of these four add anything to the earlier recorded versions.

Bottom line, I'd have been okay with a one disc re-release that didn't include the demos and live tunes, just the original album along with b-sides and remixes.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I hadn't heard this album until about 15 years after its release when I picked up a used import vinyl copy on eBay. I wasn't expecting much, so I wasn't disappointed.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Live At The IndigO2 28th Jan 2011 (2011)
The Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1996)
The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1989)
Pelican West (1982)

Haircut One Hundred - Pelican West (Deluxe Edition) (1982/2016)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD, later replaced by the brand spankin' new double disc 2016 Deluxe Edition. Back on December 19, 2010, for this blog's 100th post, I reviewed my original copy of this CD for this blog.

First, let's tackle the packaging: looks good and the liner notes include a new essay by Michael Silvester along with a complete band discography. I was hoping for lyrics, but no dice. Still, B for effort. However, I give the Cherry Pop label an A for transparency:

Musicwise, this has been called "the happiest album that ever existed" and I find it very hard to disagree with that opinion. Since 1982, this album has been in heavy rotation around here and easily makes my proverbial desert island list. For more on the original album and my personal discovery of it, click here for my original post. Also, Classic Pop magazine recently did a wonderful piece on the album in its "Classic Albums" feature series.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "the best band yet to result from the current British infatuation with funk"
• Record World: "sophisticated, attractive work"
• Trouser Press: "airy treats that caress the ear like a soothing tropical breeze."
• Billboard: "The music and hooks are irresistible"
• Robert Christgau (C+)
• Rolling Stone (★★): "melodies have a light-hearted gait, and the hooks are often arrestingly direct"
• Smash Hits (8½ out of 10): "Check out the winning vocals, the sturdy, flexible rhythm section, creamy saxophone, the poignant, exhilarating and thoroughly British songs."

And here's the band "live tweeting" about this recording on Tim's Twitter Listening Party: https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/pages/replay/feed_92.html

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #31
• Billboard Rock: #41
• CashBox: #52
• Rolling Stone: #26

Pinbacks from my personal archives

Tracks: I bought this deluxe edition because it was advertised as having "previously unreleased tracks" so I'm putting that claim to the test this morning. Who am I kidding - I woulda bought it anyway but let's check track availability:

Disc One (original album tracks 1-12):

1. Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) - also on A, B*
2. Love Plus One - A, B, C
3. Lemon Firebrigade - A
4. Marine Boy - A, B
5. Milk Film - A
6. Kingsize (You're My Little Steam Whistle) - A
7. Fantastic Day - A, B
8. Baked Bean - A, B
9. Snow Girl - A, B
10. Love's Got Me In Triangles - A
11. Surprise Me Again - A
12. Calling Captain Autumn - A
13. Boat Party (b side of Favourite Shirts) - A
14. Ski Club (b side of Fantastic Day) - A
15. October Is Orange (Day 1 & 2) (b side of Nobody's Fool) - A
16. Nobody's Fool - B

Disc Two:

1. Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) (12" version) - also on A, C
2. Love Plus One (12" version) - previously unavailable on CD!
3. Fantastic Day (12" version) - previously unavailable on CD!
4. Nobody's Fool (12"version) - A, C
5. Calling Captain Autumn (special extended version) - previously unavailable on CD!
6. Boat Party (12" version) - previously unavailable on CD!
7. October Is Orange (Day 1 & 2) (12" version) - previously unavailable on CD!
8. Ski Club Of Great Britain - previously unavailable on CD!
9. Marine Boy (12" version) - previously unavailable on CD!
10. Love's Got Me In Triangles (special extended version) - previously unavailable on CD!
11. Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) (extended version) - previously unavailable on CD!
12. Fantastic Day (live) - C
13. Calling Captain Autumn (12" version) - C

All those new mixes bring a big smile to my face! Wish I'd had 'em when I was 16.

*Previously revisited for the blog:

1. Pelican West Plus
2. The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100
3. The Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100

The Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1996)

UK Import

Originally purchased for all the 12" versions, I think I've already covered these tracks elsewhere on the blog. Let's find out...

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

Tracks:

1. Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl) (12" version) - track 17 on Pelican West.
2. Love Plus One - track 2 on Pelican West, track 8 on The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100, track 16 on Ultimate New Wave Party 1998, and track 4 on Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s, Vol. 5.
3. Fantastic Day (live) - this is one of 4 different live versions of this song currently in my collection. So while this version hasn't appeared on the blog until now, it is very similar to the live versions that appear on Live At The IndigO2 28th Jan 2011, Postcards From Home, and North of a Miracle.
4. Nobody's Fool (12" version) - track 15 on Pelican West and track 14 on The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100.
5. Whistle Down the Wind - track 6 on North of a Miracle, track 7 on The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100, and track 14 on Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s, Vol. 10.
6. Take That Situation (Rhythm Mix) - track 11 on the bonus disc of North of a Miracle.
7. Blue Hat For A Blue Day - track 2 on North of a Miracle and track 6 on The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100.
8. On A Sunday (12" version) - identical to the album version, track 4 on North of a Miracle.
9. Love All Day (And Night) - track 11 on Postcards From Home.
10. Warning Sign (12" version) - track 12 on Postcards From Home.
11. Over The Weekend (12" version) - Finally a studio version that has yet to appear on this blog. The original appears on Postcards From Home and this 12" version is a typical '80s extended mix with added percussion and synths, lengthened intro, outro, and breakdown in the middle. The song also received a slowed and smoothed remix titled Over The Weekend (And Into The Cornfield Part Two) which appears as a bonus track on the Postcards CD.
12. Laura - track 4 on The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100.
13. The Kick Of Love - track 8 on North of a Miracle.
14. Calling Captain Autumn (12" version) - another track that hasn't appeared elsewhere so there is apparently a need to keep this compilation in my collection. The original version was the closing track on Pelican West. Love the horn and guitar parts on this one. This 12" version adds an additional sax solo to the party.
15. Goodbye Yesterday (12" version) - track 14 on Postcards From Home.
16. The Day It Rained Forever - track 9 on North of a Miracle.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I bought this CD not long after it was released and I would play it on a Sony CFD-8 boombox (like the one pictured below) as I worked in the garden. That was probably summer of 1997. The 12" version of Goodbye Yesterday received more playings than the other tracks.

Previously revisited for the blog:

Live At The IndigO2 28th Jan 2011 (2011)	From Monday To Sunday (1993)
The Apple Bed (1998)	He Doesn't Love You Like I Do (1993)
Stars In Her Eyes (1998)	Kite (1993)
Today (1997)	The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1989)
The Man You Used To Be (1997)	I Love You Avenue (1988)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)	Postcards From Home (1986)
The World (1995)	Pelican West (1982)
Tangled (1995)

Haircut One Hundred - Live At The IndigO2 28th Jan 2011 (2011)

UK import.

Recorded two years ago today, this is an obscure live album from an obscure, short-lived '80s pop band. As far as I can tell, this 2 disc set is only available from the band's website. [update: both the website and the opportunity to purchase this CD seem to be gone now.] The goal was to reassemble the band and play their 1982 album, Pelican West, in its entirety. Since that album is one of my favorites, it's fun to hear the band play together again. The main problem with this recording is that it seems that someone set up the equipment, pressed the record button at the beginning of the show, sat back and enjoyed the show, then pressed the stop button when it was all over. In other words, there's no editing and no production to speak of. One of the sound engineers wrote on his blog that "The whole gig was recorded live straight off my desk and burnt live to CDr and then sold as people left the venue." And that's what it sounds like. So, in addition to some poorly mixed music, we get to hear the band walk on stage, tune their instruments, wish various audience members a happy birthday, etc. All this plus Nick Heyward's nonsensical between song patter. Understandably, there's a point where an audience member can be heard yelling, "Get on with it!" I guess the band felt they had to stall and jibber-jabber between songs to stretch a 40 minute album into a 2 hour show. The whole set is under-rehearsed and sloppy, but I think the band just wanted to have some fun, throw their fans a bone, and make a little spending money while they were at it.

In 2004, all 6 band members were brought together by VH1 as a part of their Bands Reunited series. 4 of the 6 band members made this recorded 2011 reunion; missing were percussionist Mark Fox and saxophonist Phil Smith. Also missing are liner notes; not even a track listing, so here's a pic of the set list:

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

Tracks:  The first disc (clocking in at 56 minutes) contains the first 8 tracks of the original 12 track album. Not really any surprises here; the band's goal was to recreate the album and, with the exception of a misguided rap attempt during Marine Boy and an audience singalong during Fantastic Day, they do just that.

The second disc (59 minutes) contains the final 4 tracks of the album and the 4 song encore which included replays of 3 singles from the album. Singer Nick Heyward even weakly admits, "We've kind of run out of songs that we know." I don't think the audience minded a bit. The band even attempts a song titled Coming Home, which was written to end the Pelican West album but didn't make the final cut. (Heyward eventually revised Coming Home and recorded it as When It Started To Begin on his North Of A Miracle solo album.)

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  None. As with most live albums, this is just a curiosity to be listened to only occasionally. Still, the original album is still in heavy rotation around here, especially during my summers.

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1989)
Pelican West (1982)

The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1989)

German import

Here we're treated to wonderful, bubblegum pop songs, most of which are available on Haircut 100's Pelican West and Nick Heyward's first two solo albums, North Of A Miracle and Postcards From Home. I have all these tracks on other CDs now, but at the time of purchase I didn't have any of this music on CD, just Pelican West and North Of A Miracle on vinyl. So while this CD doesn't get played much anymore, it was one of my favorites when I bought it. The songs were released in the years 1982-85. There are no liner notes, not even a booklet or credits, simply a track listing.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Not released in US

Tracks: It's all good, baby.

	Song	Album	Artist	UK	US
1	Favourite Shirts	Pelican West	H100	4
2	Take That Situation	North Of A Miracle	NH	11
3	Fantastic Day	Pelican West	H100	9
4	Laura	non-album single	NH	45
5	Marine Boy	Pelican West	H100
6	Blue Hat For A Blue Day	North Of A Miracle	NH	14
7	Whistle Down The Wind	North Of A Miracle	NH	13
8	Love Plus One	Pelican West	H100	3	37
9	Warning Sign	non-album single	NH	25
10	Baked Bean	Pelican West	H100
11	Love All Day	non-album single	NH	31
12	Snow Girl	Pelican West	H100
13	Over The Weekend	Postcards From Home	NH	43
14	Nobody's Fool	non-album single	H100	9

Today's trivia: Track 13 on this CD, Over The Weekend, was included on the soundtrack for the terrible 1986 Jackie Gleason/Tom Hanks comedic drama, Nothing in Common.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Purchased at a mall record store in San Antonio in 1994 - I was so excited to find it. If I had only know if the vast selection of CDs of the Internet would be available in a few short years...

Previously revisited for the blog:
The Apple Bed (1998)
Stars In Her Eyes (1998)
Today (1997)
The Man You Used To Be (1997)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)
The World (1995)
Tangled (1995)
From Monday To Sunday (1993)
He Doesn't Love You Like I Do (1993)
I Love You Avenue (1988)
Postcards From Home (1986)
Pelican West (1982)

Haircut One Hundred - Pelican West (1982)

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD.

I normally wouldn't listen to this CD at this time of the year because I consider it a spring/summer CD, but I felt this band's name made it an appropriate pick for the 100th CD listed on this blog. I feel I should warn you that this is one of my all-time favorite albums, so forgive me if I gush a bit. I've listened to this music at least 5-6 times a year for the past 28 years. It's shameless bubblegum pop at it's finest. If you've heard any of this music, you've likely heard the single Love Plus One which was a very minor hit (highest chart position: 37 on the Billboard Hot 100), officially making this group a one-hit wonder of the '80s. The lead singer, Nick Heyward, left the band after this album, but they will regroup for a live performance of this album next month:

Makes me wish I had enough frequent flier miles for a trip to London.

I normally pull out this CD during Spring Break every March and it stays in my vehicle until Labor Day. When I lived on the Gulf Coast of Texas, I considered this to be essential beach music. As I listen to it now, I'm thinking of high school trips to Matagorda Beach and waiting on the old swing bridge across the Intracoastal Canal as my and my friends sit in the Markmobile or play frisbee along the highway as we waited on the bridge to swing back.

Press of the time:

• Stereo Review: "the best band yet to result from the current British infatuation with funk"
• Record World: "sophisticated, attractive work"
• Trouser Press: "airy treats that caress the ear like a soothing tropical breeze."
• Billboard: "The music and hooks are irresistible"
• Robert Christgau (C+)
• Rolling Stone (★★): "melodies have a light-hearted gait, and the hooks are often arrestingly direct"
• Smash Hits (8½ out of 10): "Check out the winning vocals, the sturdy, flexible rhythm section, creamy saxophone, the poignant, exhilarating and thoroughly British songs."

And here's the band "live tweeting" about this recording on Tim's Twitter Listening Party: https://timstwitterlisteningparty.com/pages/replay/feed_92.html

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard Top 200: #31
• Billboard Rock: #41
• CashBox: #52
• Rolling Stone: #26

Tracks: I know and love them all. I can sing all the horn parts and bass parts to all the songs. The lyrics are stupid unintelligible gibberish so I never learned them, but I rarely listen to lyrics anyway. As was common in the '80s, the record labels would change the track sequence for the US and UK versions of the album. Then, when later released on CD, the labels would normally choose to use the original UK sequencing. As a result, the CD isn't sequenced like I remember. The CD also has 5 bonus tracks which are B sides of singles and they sound like B sides. However, also included is the non-album single Nobody's Fool which is a great soul-infused song and should have been included on this album. A 12" version of the UK single Favourite Shirts finishes off the CD.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: There are so many, but I'll choose to tell the story about how I came across this album. In the summer of 1982, my parents and I went on a family vacation. My sister stayed home to work at a dentist's office to earn some money for college. If memory serves, this vacation took us all over Texas and then over to Mississippi before coming home. It was probably a two week trip. At some point that summer, I heard Men at Work's single, Who Can It Be Now. I loved the song, but didn't know the name of the band (if only we'd had the Shazam iPhone app back then). As a result, I would visit record stores and look at the record jackets for new bands that had saxophone player in the group. Being male, I certainly would not have asked a record store clerk for any help, that would be like asking for driving directions. So, on this particular vacation, I found this Haircut 100 record (I'm thinking it was at a Gibson's in Odessa) and it listed a saxophone player as a band member. I figured this was the band I was looking for, so I bought the album. The only problem was that, being on vacation, I couldn't listen to the album for another ten days or so. When we finally made it home, I put this on my turntable and must have been in an adventurous mood because I wasn't disappointed that Who Can It Be Now wasn't anywhere on the LP. I eventually bought Men at Work's Business as Usual and found the song I was looking for, but in the process, I discovered some of my favorite '80s pop music.

Blog post #100