One record at a time: 217. Howard Jones - The 12" Album

For whatever reason, I have never got round to buying Howard Jones's debut album on vinyl so "The 12'' Album" is the first HoJo record on my shelf. This record was a surprise find at a car boot sale in 2019 and it's in pretty good condition to say it only cost £1.

Things kick off with "Always Asking Questions" which sounds so good my memory says it must have been a single; but the internet tells me it was not. This is not the first time my memory has lied to me.

The "New Version" of "New Song" is a little more sparse than the hit single version but it is really interesting to hear Howard's vocal and his electric piano in a different context. The organ licks are especially spectacular.

Side one rounds out with another top ten single in the form of "What Is Love? [Extended Mix]". As far as I can tell this is the same mix found on the original 12" and it offers a classic eighties approach to remixing. For the first three minutes things sound much like the single but then the DX7 "BASS 1" preset is heard in isolation before the song gradually re-builds back to its grandeur.

Side two opens with the non-album single "Like To Get To Know You Well" which is presented as the "International Mix" from the original 12" single. I'm not a massive fan of this track as it doesn't really flow well and the production sounds a little flat. Things pick up with the excellent "Extended Mix" of "Pearl In The Shell" and an new version of album track "Conditioning" titled "Total Conditioning".  

I love old school 12" mixes and miss albums like this being released. Yes, remix albums were a marketing tool, but this one still offers great entertainment 38 years after it was released. 4/5