Nick Heyward - Woodland Echoes (2017)

I received this double CD set a few weeks back after pre-ordering it in early April as part of Nick's self-funding efforts on Pledgemusic. Nick's in love again and wants to express it through song (as someone wrote in an Amazon review: "'I love this girl. She's the one. I'm happy and content. I want our life together to go on and on. She's the sun, moon, and stars.' That's the theme. Yeah, I get it.") So I'll focus more on music than lyrics which is my m.o. anyway. There's nothing similar to Haircut 100 tunes on this thing, but there's some great cuts that sometimes hearken back to his earlier solo work. The critics like it:

and it's easily his best work since 1995's Tangled. Metacritic currently has it rated at 81 which sounds about right.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart, but debuted at #89 on the UK charts.

Tracks:

1. Love Is The Key By The Sea - a beautiful waltz and my current favorite track on the album.
2. Mountaintop - I'm not wild about this foray into the pseudo-country genre (complete with fiddle solo) but I'll be damned if I don't sing along anyway because it's such a happy tune.
3. The Stars - sounds like it could have been on Nick's 1993 album, From Monday to Sunday and that's a good thing. '90s college/singer-songriter pop still exists in 2017.
4. Beautiful Morning - a laid back acoustic ballad. Pretty, but not much to hold my interest for four and half minutes.
5. Who? - in which Nick does his best imitation of Michael Buble with some measure of success. Wish it swung a little harder, but I like it nonetheless.
6. Forest of Love - starts as a quirky little number à la TMBG, but then the tension is released when it goes into the chorus. Typical beautiful Nick melody over a descending bassline. I really like the coda that starts about 2:30 in.
7. Baby Blue Sky - currently my second favorite tune on this album, this song echoes back to his '90s work when he was being compared to Oasis. Feel good music with beautiful harmonies.
8. I Can See Her - a mid-tempo Beatlesque love song complete with string quartet on the chorus and slide guitar solo in the manner of George Harrison. One of Nick's strengths is writing bridges and this song is a good example of that.
9. Perfect Sunday Sun - another Britpop throwback which is, beneath the wall of electric guitar, catchy as hell.
10. New Beginning - enjoyable acoustic instrumental interlude, perfectly sequenced
11. I Got a Lot - Good chorus hampered by a bland verse. Pleasant but not memorable. Notable for an appearance by former Haircut 100 drummer Blair Cunningham.
12. For Always - My least favorite cut. A bland way to end the album. Needs salt?

Bonus tracks (for some reason, the bonus tracks are on a separate disc, which is a pain for 9 minutes worth of tunes but whatevs):

1. Angelfish - Nick's attempt an an all-out rocker. Can't blame him for trying, but easy to see why this wasn't included on the album: it sounds nothing like a Nick Heyward tune.
2. Make It Happen - Another rocker, but this one is more melodic and more adventurous with the chords. Might have been big on the '90s rock charts, but again, apart from the Heyward norms.
3. Back Together - a fun ukulele-driven love song which should have been the album closer instead of For Always so that's the way I'll hear the album from this point forward.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None as it is a new release, but if you've followed this blog for very long, you know that I sprung for this mediabook:

My copy is 78/1500. The companion book is lyrics and Nick's photography, which is better than it probably should be (I'm just saying that because I wish I had that talent).

Previously revisited for the blog:

Live At The IndigO2 28th Jan 2011 (2011)	Tangled (1995)
The Mermaid And The Lighthouse Keeper (2006)	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)	You're My World (1988)
Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1996)	Postcards From Home (1986)
The World (1995)	North of a Miracle (1983)
	Pelican West (1982) and Deluxe Edition (2016)

Nick Heyward & India Dupre - The Mermaid And The Lighthouse Keeper (2006)

Faithful readers of this blog know I'm a big fan of Nick's work and have been since I happened across Pelican West in 1982 and North Of A Miracle the following year. So I ordered this self-released CD from Nick's website - it was available for a time on iTunes, but I don't see it there today (it's downloadable/streamable* at Amazon, however). And now that I look, I don't see it available on Nick's website, either. Can't even find any online reviews of the album, for that matter, so maybe I'm breaking ground here, eleven years after the fact.

This is a collaborative effort with India Dupre who promotes herself as an actress so don't ask me how these two got together. (update: on page 41 of the August 2017 edition of Classic Pop magazine, Dupre is characterized as Heyward's ex-girlfriend, so there ya go.) And because of the lack of credits in the liner notes, don't ask me how much she had to do with the writing and production of the album. Her thin vocals are present on all songs is the most I can tell you.

I don't know if it's because of the collaboration, but this isn't Nick's best effort. The laid back love songs aren't bad, but they all sound the same after a while and none of them stand out in ways a Heyward song should. It probably goes without saying, but I would like to hear a solo Heyward version. Even having written all that, I like the album good enough and the CD gets played around here a few times a year.

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

Tracks: The better tracks are Indian Summer, Secret Garden, 14 Summers, and Talk To Me. I usually skip track 10, Santorini, which bears no resemblance to a Heyward tune.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None, but Nick signed my CD booklet before mailing it to me and I like that.

*are these even real words?

Previously revisited for the blog:
Live At The IndigO2 28th Jan 2011 (2011)
The Apple Bed (1998)
Stars In Her Eyes (1998)
Today (1997)
The Man You Used To Be (1997)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)
The Greatest Hits of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1996)
The World (1995)
Tangled (1995)
From Monday To Sunday (1993)
He Doesn't Love You Like I Do (1993)
Kite (1993)
The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1989)
I Love You Avenue (1988)
You're My World (1988)
Postcards From Home (1986)
North of a Miracle (1983)
Pelican West (1982) and Deluxe Edition (2016)

Nick Heyward - You're My World (1988)

UK Import CD Single

So with a blog titled "The CD Project" you'd think that I would have several Mini CD singles (aka CD3), but until recently I didn't have one.

Standard CD and CD3

While they remained popular in Japan for quite some time, the 3.1 inch CD single had a relatively short life span in the US from about 1988-90. I think the aim was to replace the vinyl 45 and cassingle format, but after a while the record companies simply put less music on a standard size (4.7 inch) CD for singles. It didn't help that the CD3 required an awkward adapter to play in many standard CD players:

Anyways...I didn't have a CD3 and thought I should acquire one for blog purposes so I found this 4 track Heyward single recently on eBay. Not only did it fill a format void in my collection, I discovered new Heyward music that I didn't have in my collection. Win-win! So after scolding myself for not acquiring this disc earlier, I sat down and gave it a listen.

Peak on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart: Did not chart (peaked at #67 in the UK)

Tracks:  The first two tracks, the single You're My World and Pizza Tears, appear on Heyward's album I Love You Avenue (1988, Reprise). The third track is an extended version of You're My World, clocking in at 6:51. It's a solid dance remix that incorporates all the elements of dance remixes of the time, including too much echo, and drum break in the middle, and a heavier bass line than the original. A fun synth solo was also added. The final track, Strange Life, was entirely new to me. It's an enjoyable Erasure-style dance tune and while it isn't Heyward's strongest song, it's new-to-me Heyward and that's always welcome in this house.

Smash Hits, August 24, 1988, p. 77

Personal Memory Associated with this CD:  None.

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

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)

Nick Heyward - North of a Miracle (1983)

UK Import

Note: this release was originally purchased as an LP, later replaced by a CD, later replaced by the 2010 expanded edition on Cherry Red Records containing 2 CDs and 21 extra tracks.

Disclaimer: As I've written before, I'm an unapologetic Heyward fan. I own and often listen to his entire catalog. This album has a spot on my "desert island" list. If you're okay with all that, then read on...

It seems that every music lover I know has that one artist that they inexplicably love even though they seem alone in that blind adoration. I'm sure you have at least one such artist of your own - the one that brings out the incredulity in you as you scream "most underrated ever!" For me, Heyward fits that definition. This album was just what this 17 year old boy needed in the fall of 1983. It was one of the first pop LPs I replaced with a CD in 1990. Even all these years later, this album continues to get significant playing time. In other words, it struck a chord with me (bad pun intended). I never could get any of my high school or college friends interested in Heyward's music or that of his previous band, Haircut 100, but I listened to this all the time. To me, everything clicked: the writing, the production (by Beatles' engineer Geoff Emerick), the orchestration, the performances, etc.

John Hughes must have liked this album, too. Two songs from it (When It Started to Begin & Whistle Down the Wind) appear during the school dance scenes in the 1984 Hughes classic, Sixteen Candles. The 2010 rerelease includes some great liner notes. The author, English broadcaster Gary Crowley, is obviously as big a fan of the album as I am. There's a little clipping to this rerelease, but not so much that it bothers me; it's not like I don't have other copies of this music sitting on my shelves.

Metacritic.com wasn't around back in 1983, so here are some links to other album reviews:

• Rolling Stone, issue 416, March 1, 1984 (★★★)
• Smash Hits (8 out of 10)
• Trouser Press
• Allmusic (★★★★½ )
• Nick's website & Nick's Myspace page
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music (★★★)

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #178
• CashBox: #170

Tracks: I have to admit that I've always preferred what was side one (originally tracks 1-5; but tracks 1, 2, 7, 3, & 4 on this release) to side two, but I've really got no complaints here. My favorites have changed over the years: originally my faves were Take That Situation and Club Boy At Sea; these days I'm liking the 1-2 punch of Two Make It True segueing into On A Sunday. Who knows what I'll favor next month?

Bonus tracks:

B-sides, 12" remixes, instrumental versions, and 9 live tracks from Heyward's 1983 tour stop in London. Stretching the playing time to over 2 hours, all tracks are essential. I'm sure you'd expect me to write nothing less.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I remember hurrying home from school one cool, rainy fall afternoon, locking myself in my bedroom, and playing this album. Everything just fit. I also remember repeatedly listening to Take That Situation (especially the sax solo over the key change) on a Walkman during a family vacation, most likely around Christmas '83. That must have driven my parents crazy.

I've still got four import 12" singles related to this album. One is autographed although the signature isn't authenticated. (Nick, if you're reading this, could you authenticate your signature? Kthnx.)

I listen to this album often but I've put off blogging about it for almost 3 years, afraid that I'd gush too much. How'd I do?

Update [Sept 7, 2020]: during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were plenty of virtual album listening parties available as people stayed and worked from home. This album was chosen for a June 1 party. Click here for Nick's own tweets/thoughts/remembrances about this great album: Tim's Twitter Listening Party

Previously revisited for the blog:

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

Nick Heyward - Kite (1993)

Import CD Single

Kite was Heyward's biggest solo hit in the US, peaking at #107. He's obviously more well-known in his native UK, but I've remained a faithful US fan of his pop. Heyward calls the song Kite his "crowning pop moment," but I'd have to disagree with him there. This single comes from Heyward's From Monday To Sunday album.

Tracks: All three tracks are pleasant enough with an indie '90s sound.Of the b-sides included here, Women In Love is good enough to have been included on the album.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: With the dawn of the Internet came a desire for me to hunt down every song Heyward ever released, which meant purchasing a lot of singles for the b-sides. Now, those b-sides have all been included in repackaged "Deluxe Editions." I know those things are just a money grab for the record labels, but I just can't help myself.

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)
The Best of Nick Heyward & Haircut 100 (1989)
I Love You Avenue (1988)
Postcards From Home (1986)

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	UK	US
Favourite Shirts1	4	-
Take That Situation2	11	-
Fantastic Day1	9	-
Laura4	45	-
Marine Boy1	-	-
Blue Hat For A Blue Day2	14	-
Whistle Down The Wind2	13	-
Love Plus One1	3	37
Warning Sign4	25	-
Baked Bean1	-	-
Love All Day4	31	-
Snow Girl1	-	-
Over The Weekend3	43	-
Nobody's Fool4	9	-

¹ from Pelican West
² from North Of A Miracle
³ from Postcards From Home
⁴ non-album single

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)

Nick Heyward - From Monday To Sunday (1993)

Note: CD originally purchased in 1993 has been replaced with the 2010 UK Import expanded edition with 10 bonus tracks.

Disclaimer: I'm an unapologetic Heyward fan (admittedly a rare breed in the US). I own and often listen to his entire catalog. If you're okay with that, then read on...

Heyward's foray into straight-ahead power pop and it works. To me, it sounds a lot like early '90s college rock/pop as groups traded in their synths for acoustic guitars and wrote a lot of mid-tempo stuff (think Crowded House meets Toad the Wet Sprocket with much catchier melodies). Even though we don't get the full-on 8-piece-band sound of Pelican West or North Of A Miracle, the smaller band plays great and the songwriting is as catchy as ever. A welcome change of pace from what was on Top 40 radio at the time. The re-release include excellent liner notes from Heyward himself as well as English DJ Gary Crowley. With the bonus tracks, there's 1.3 hours of music on the disc. Such a deal.

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

Tracks: I'm a sucker for Heyward's songwriting, so I like them all. In the liner notes, Heyward calls the song Kite his "crowning pop moment" but I actually prefer Into Your Life, Ordinary People, January Man, and Everytime. He reaches back to his '80s sound with How Do You Live Without Sunshine which has a chorus that sounds like it escaped from a John Hughes movie.

Bonus tracks: I was already familiar with the first three bonus tracks as they were included on CD singles: the Kite single (which I'll get to later) and the CD single for He Doesn't Love You Like I Do. Of these three, Woman In Love is the best. The other two are just okay. The last seven tracks are demos. The first of these, Another Stupid Tuesday, appeared years later on the CD single, The Man You Used To Be. That track is followed by a string of fantastic Beatleseque tunes which should have been released a long time ago. Better late than never?

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When this CD was released, I was a stay-at-home dad with a 3 month old son in an ugly rental house in San Antonio. Without my income, money was tight, but I managed to save pennies and get this CD. I have memories of listening to this in the 3rd bedroom, which was kind of an office for me (what I needed an office for is beyond me). Purchasing the CD was quite a leap of faith since Heyward's previous album release, 1988's I Love You Avenue, was slightly less than memorable. Since this was one of the few CDs purchased around that time, it was played often.

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)
He Doesn't Love You Like I Do (1993)
I Love You Avenue (1988)
Postcards From Home (1986)

Nick Heyward - The Man You Used To Be (1997)

Import CD Single

The final track from The Apple Bed and 3 non-album tracks. I'm a fan, but rarely listen to this.

Tracks: The Man You Used To Be is a good album closer, but wasn't the best choice for a single. The non-album tracks are nondescript so its easy to see why they were left off the album. Track 3, Time, has a Byrds feel to it.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

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

Nick Heyward - The Apple Bed (1998)

UK Import

Note: the CD I own is not the 2011 reissue.

Heyward's two albums from the 1990's issued on the Creation label (this album and 1995's Tangled) flopped commercially but are solid pop albums that sound like a combination of XTC, labelmates Oasis, and late-era Beatles. I could go on and on about any Heyward album, but I think this excerpt of a review from allmusic.com sums it up nicely: "It ends up being the sort of album everyone wished McCartney would make in the '90s, but didn't quite. Luckily, Heyward took care of it."

Peak on the US Billboard 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: I've already reviewed two CD singles from this release (Stars In Her Eyes and Today). Other favorites are Closer, The Goodbye Man, and Dear Miss Finland. I'm a confessed hardcore fan so I don't skip any tracks. There's a hidden track which usually bothers me, but since its a reprise of sorts of the song Closer, I don't mind. Sorry, Holly, there aren't any available clips of these songs, so I'll guess the record label must have really clamped down on YouTube. However, you can check out samples here.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This is one of the first import CDs I ordered online. That was a big deal in the mid-to-late '90s (at least to me). I think the website was cdeurope.com which was later bought out by CDExpress which is, best as I can tell, defunct.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Stars In Her Eyes (1998)
Today (1997)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)
The World (1995)
Tangled (1995)
He Doesn't Love You Like I Do (1993)
I Love You Avenue (1988)
Postcards From Home (1986)

Nick Heyward - Tangled (1995)

UK Import (album inexplicably never released in US)

This record has been described both as Oasis-lite and great lost Britpop music of the mid-’90s. I think it sounds like Oasis with better songwriting; ofttimes you shouldn't confuse popularity with quality. I've been a fan of Heyward since he was with Haircut 100, and while he has adapted his styles to current trends, his singing and songwriting have been consistently strong (his low point was in the late '80s, but made a strong comeback in '93). I've already reviewed two CD singles from this release (here and here), and while there are tracks I like better than others, I listen to this CD often. Heyward is one of those few artists whose music I always buy before ever hearing it. Unfortunately, he hasn't done much lately except for a Haircut 100 live reunion album (yes, you know I've got it and will blog about it later). I don't know if he doesn't have a label or he's just not writing anymore. Shame. An expanded edition of this album was released in 2011; not sure there's enough new stuff to warrant a purchase.

Tracks: My favorite track is the opener, Kill Another Day followed closely by She's Another Girl. Other highlights are Believe In Me, along with the Beatleseque tunes She Says She Knows and The Breadwinner. The other tunes are solid; I don't skip any tracks.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I wasn't working in 1995 (by choice) and this album was just what I needed at the time.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Stars In Her Eyes (1998)
Today (1997)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)
The World (1995)
He Doesn't Love You Like I Do (1993)
I Love You Avenue (1988)
Postcards From Home (1986)

Nick Heyward - He Doesn't Love You Like I Do (1993)

CD Single, UK Import

He Doesn't Love You Like I Do was the lead single from Heyward's 1993 release From Monday To Sunday. It didn't chart in the US and only reached #58 in the UK. Still, there's something about Heyward's songwriting that's I've always liked.

Tracks: The single is good, the second track (is it still called a "b-side" if it's on a one-sided CD?) is just okay. The true gems on this single are the acoustic versions of Blue Hat For A Blue Day and Whistle Down the Wind which are songs originally from Heyward's wonderful 1983 album North Of A Miracle.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This single was one of my first discoveries/purchases on that newfangled thing called the Internet around 1996. I had no personal income at the time, so the discovery of import CD websites was probably not a good thing.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Stars In Her Eyes (1998)
Today (1997)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)
The World (1995)
I Love You Avenue (1988)
Postcards From Home (1986)

Nick Heyward - I Love You Avenue (1988)

I'm a big fan of this British singer/songwriter and have most if not all of his albums and singles, but this is probably his worse release. Pure late '80s saccharine synthpop with all that entails. The writing isn't always terrible, but the production of the time doesn't really serve the material well. To give you an idea of the overall sound of the album, you should know that some of the mixing here was done by John Hudson, who also worked with a-ha and The Dream Academy. The CD is out of print but it is available inexpensively online via eBay. As of this writing, the album is not available on iTunes, but all of Heyward's other albums are.

Smash Hits

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

Tracks: Not too many memorable tracks on this one. The best track is the ballad Traffic In Fleet Street. I also like You're My World, This Is Love, Tell Me Why, and the title track. The weaker tracks include Hold On, Pizza Tears, Change Of Heart, and August In the Morning.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: Heyward's first solo album, North Of A Miracle, is one of my all-time favorites. After it was released, I never heard another thing about him and just figured he'd quit recording. Then I came across this disc in '89 or '90 at the huge Dallas Half Price Books on Northwest highway near Central Expressway. The store has since changed locations, but its new location is just as big. I knew immediately that this disc wasn't as good as North Of A Miracle, but I was so happy to have new music by Heyward that it got plenty of playing time for a while.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Stars In Her Eyes (1998)
Today (1997)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)
The World (1995)
Postcards From Home (1986)

Nick Heyward - The World (1995)

Import CD Single from the UK

Single taken from Nick's 1995 album, Tangled.

Tracks: The World (Radio Edit) is only 17 seconds shorter than the album version. Funny. It's a good enough song, but I'm sure I purchased the CD for the other two non-album Beatlesque tracks. The first of those, Mr. Shirt & Tie is a fun pop song that sounds like Nick had been listening to Rubber Soul a lot. The second, Friday, is also good but more in the vein of Sgt. Pepper (the album, not the song). Overall, I'm sure he fit in well with other artists on the Creation Records label, i.e., Oasis, Teenage Fanclub, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and The Boo Radleys (one of the best band names ever).

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
Stars In Her Eyes (1998)
Today (1997)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)
Postcards From Home (1986)

Nick Heyward - Postcards From Home (1986)

Note: this CD is the 2002 reissue containing 6 bonus tracks.

Heyward is a UK singer/songwriter, '80s teen idol, and former leader of the one-hit wonder Haircut 100. This slick bubblegum pop album is far from being his best, but it's not his worse, either. Let me be upfront and honest: Heyward's 1983 album North of a Miracle is not only my favorite Heyward release, it is one of my all-time top ten CD's. (It will appear on this blog a little later). Postcards from Home is the follow-up release to that classic and, unfortunately, it doesn't quite measure up. That said, there are some pretty good songs here among some filler, just ignore all the lyrics.

Smash Hits

Tracks: The better tracks here are Over The Weekend, Goodbye Yesterday, Teach Til You Reach, and Cry Just A Little Bit. Weaker stuff is Again In My Heart and Come On Baby Run. Two of the bonus tracks are 12" versions of Heyward's 1984 singles, Love All Day and Warning Sign, which were both minor Top 40 hits in the UK. Love All Day isn't too bad, but I don't care for Warning Sign. The next bonus track is a very different take on Over The Weekend, followed by the 12" version of Goodbye Yesterday, included for the completists among us (that wouldn't be me, would it?). The final two tracks are high energy live versions of Fantastic Day and Take That Situation that are alright for live recordings.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I didn't know this album existed until the mid-'90s and the advent of the Internet. I discovered a rudimentary (most websites were rudimentary back then) Heyward fansite that included his entire discography and I learned about it there. The album had been out of print for a long time, but I was able to locate and purchase an LP (probably from GEMM) and transferred that to a CD. Then I found a copy of the CD on eBay for around $30 - impulse buy. Then they released this version in 2002 and I was able to sell my earlier CD copy to recoup some of my losses. I think this will be the last version I get. At least that's the plan right now.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Stars In Her Eyes (1998)
Today (1997)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)

Nick Heyward - Stars In Her Eyes (1998)

Import CD Single from the UK

Even when he's doing best Oasis imitation, Nick Heyward always puts out great music. The first track is from Heyward's album The Apple Bed, the others are available only on this single.

Tracks: Stars In Her Eyes sounds like it could have been on Sgt Pepper. Shine and The Brightest Pearl are other pop gems; I can't believe they didn't make it to the album. Go ahead and skip the final track, ironically titled Going Somewhere.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I'm such a Heyward fan, that I would scour the Internet back in the mid to late '90s (when the Internet was still new - 14.4KB dial-up, anyone?) looking for CD singles from sites like CDNow.com or Music Boulevard. The Internet turned me from a simple fan to a compulsive completist.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Today (1997)
A Hard Days Nick (1996)

Nick Heyward - A Hard Days Nick (1996)

CD Single

A CD single with bonus tracks of Beatles' covers, packaged in a poor knock off of the Hard Day's Night album cover.

Tracks: The single, Rollerblade, is a great song, but the lyrics seem a bit dated. Do people still rollerblade? The first Beatles' cover, If I Needed Someone has some fuzzy reverb guitar noise, making it sound like Oasis covers the Beatles. The covers of All My Loving and Nowhere Man are very straight ahead, including note-for-note copies of guitar solos and the same vocal harmonies as the originals. In other words, there's not much need for these covers.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Nick Heyward - Today (1997)

CD Single

Today was a single taken from Nick's CD The Apple Bed. It sounds like like Nick prepared to write that CD by listening to nothing but songs from the Beatles' 1965-67 releases and anything by Oasis. While that isn't necessarily a bad thing; it certainly is much different music from his '80s stuff.

Tracks: Today is a nice track (it failed to chart in the UK; not released in the US), but I prefer Dear Miss Finland, which sounds like something off Revolver plus a lot of fuzzy feedback. Listening to the non-album track, 3 Colours, it is easy to see why it was not included on the CD and relegated to the final track on a CD single.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: This single reminds of early music websites like CDNow and Music Boulevard (both now defunct), which I would use to search for CD singles such as this one.