One record at a time: 419. Tears For Fears - The Hurting

I own two copies of "The Hurting". The first is an original UK pressing that I bought eight years ago and the second is a limited edition white vinyl from 2021.

Released in 1983, Tears For Fears debut was a huge success in the UK and spawned four singles. "Pale Shelter", "Mad World", "Suffer The Children" and "Change" are probably known to many as charged expressions of angst set against amazing tunes. These tracks form the backbone of the album with slightly less commercial material strung around them. That's not to say the other tracks aren't good, but they are certainly less immediate. 

The title track that opens the album features the distinctive sound of an Linn LM-1 drum machine and jangling guitars that sound as 'new wave' as it is possible to get. The song contains a great melody, but the stilted rhythms are designed to compliment the lyrics rather than pander to the radio. 

"Ideas as Opiates" is barren save for a Yamaha CP-70 piano and the obligatory eighties sax solo, but it just about manages to hold my attention. Less interesting is "The Prisoner" which sounds like an OMD b-side with drum programming by Depeche Mode. By the time we reach the final song "The Start of the Breakdown" the ideas lack some polish, but everything remains entertaining.

Throughout the album vocal duties are shared between the principal members Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal with all of the songs being written by Roland. To this day I am not sure if Ian Stanley and Manny Elias were 'proper' members of the group or salaried musicians. Whilst their contribution to this record was significant, it is the next entry in the Tears For Fears back catalogue in which Ian Stanley truly emerged as a keyboard genius. 4/5

One record at a time: 418. Sunscreem - O3

I first heard Sunscreem in 1992 when a friend played me the 7" single of "Love U More". I liked the song very much and I decided to buy their current release "Broken English". Whilst the latter single didn't impress me nearly as much, I did elect to buy the album "O3" when it was released the following year.

As with most of my collection, I first bought this album on compact disc and bought these two vinyl versions sometime during the last ten years. Whilst the standard version on the left pretty much mirrors the content of the compact disc, the remix edition on the right is a completely different take on the album. I wasn't too sure if this second version should be considered a separate remix album, but Discogs seems to regard it as a variant of the main title, so I will treat it accordingly. 

Both albums open with a track called "Portal" which is laden with breakbeats, 90s house piano and burbling synths. We then move through various singles which continue the rave vibes with "Pressure", "Perfect Motion" and the afore mentioned "Love U More" being the highlights. The difference between Sunscreem and a lot of dance acts of this era is that their singles were songs with vocals and a traditional verse/chorus structure. Whilst this approach garnered radio play, I always felt their heart lay in heavier dance music and the bugged out remixes they created. This idea was reinforced when I realised a number of tracks on the album are actually uncredited mixes of their singles. "B", "Doved Up" and "Release Me" are deeper cuts that were tweaked for the dance floor and originally put out on 12" singles as remixes.

The "Special DJ Remix Edition" features additional mixes by Farley and Heller, Leftfield, Slam and Dave Valentine. I'm not a fan of most of these tracks, but the Farley and Heller dub of "Perfect Motion" does have a terrific bassline. To accommodate all of these lengthy remixes, the DJ edition ditches "Chasing Dreams" and the slightly disappointing ballad "Idaho" - but it doesn't lose anything in the process. 

In terms of remixes, the most glaring omission is the Farley and Heller "Heavy Club" mix of "Love U More" which is one of the best things either artist ever created. Quite why you would omit this amazing remix from a record designed for DJs is beyond me. Both albums finish with versions of "Psycho" which is an incredibly cheesy 90s house piano track that sounds like The Prodigy doing Country and Western.

I have a lot of memories tied up in this album and it will always remind me of my youth. Yes, it has one or two less interesting tracks and it flip flops between heavier club music and lighter pop tunes, but it is still worthy of attention more than thirty years after it was created. 3/5

One record at a time: 417. Ed Starink - Synthezier Greatest (The Ultimate Collection)

Unless you are an electronic music uber-geek, the name Eduard Starink probably doesn't mean much to you. And who can blame you? Hell, they didn't even bother to put the man’s name on the front of his records, so it is no wonder few people have heard of him.

You see Ed produced a series of 'sound-a-like' compilation albums that were much like the "Synthesizer" records made by Project D. Yet, aside from a performer credit hidden on the inner sleeve, the main producer of the work was never explicitly stated. From what I can tell, Ed was happy with this arrangement and chose to allow the "Synthesizer Greatest" brand take centre stage. 

I first heard about these albums around 1991 when I stumbled across a very cheap cassette of the first compilation in a shop in Wakefield. I knew exactly what I was buying, so it was no surprise to find that these tracks weren't attempts to remix, extrapolate or create variations on the original work; they were just smudged carbon copies. 

As you might expect, Vangelis and Jean Michel Jarre compositions are heavily represented in the tracklisting with the usual suspects like Kraftwerk, Art of Noise and Jan Hammer also getting a look in. My musical taste changed quite a bit during the early nineties so the "Synthesizer Greatest" cassette soon began to gather dust and it eventually fell out of my possession.  

Fast forward thirty years and I saw this new compilation released as a limited edition of 1000 individually numbered copies on translucent blue coloured vinyl. Whilst nostalgia drove me to purchase this record, it hasn't driven me to play it very often.

Rather than replicating the tracklisting of the original album, this record labels itself as the "Ultimate Collection" and seems to randomly pick tracks from the first few entries in the series. This is a shame as some of Starink's best efforts seem to have slipped through the net. The impressive rendition of Vangelis's "Hymn" is missing along with the pulsating "Chase" which was originally recorded by Giorgio Moroder. Personally I don't think the theme from "Twin Peaks" represents 'synthesizer music' and I have no idea why a seemingly new rendition of the traditional piano piece "Gympnopédie" deserves inclusion. Something of a mixed bag that is only worth investigating if a wave of nostalgia compels you. 2/5 

One record at a time: 416. Dusty Springfield - Reputation

I have always felt rather indifferent about this album and I have to admit, I only own it because of its link to the Pet Shop Boys. Even the involvement of my favourite group wasn't enough to stir me into action when it was released and I didn't buy "Reputation" on compact disc until about ten years after it was first made available. I didn't spring for this LP until as recently as 2022.

Unfortunately, the first side of this record is produced by a series of 'guns for hire' that created tracks of varying quality. I recently learnt that the title song is a cover version that, save for Dusty's voice, doesn't sound very different from the original. The third track, "Arrested By You" is also a cover of a Rupert Hind ballad that is as limp as an old sock. "Time Waits for No One" is just generic rubbish that sounds like 'production by numbers' and, whilst "Born This Way" is fair enough as a statement, the music is pretty uninspiring. No, the action here is definitely reserved for the flip side. 

As soon as the rolling bass and Fairlight strings of "In Private" begin to ring out, things feel much more homely for a Pet Shop Boys fan. Aside from the other magnificent single, "Nothing Has Been Proved" there are more adventurous songs (or 'experimental' as Neil Tennant described them) in the form of "Daydreaming" and "Occupy Your Mind". The latter song in particular has always stuck me as sounding amazing with its rave inspired TR-808 beats and pulsing synth basslines. 

The only duff note for PSB comes in the form of yet another cover version. "I Want To Stay Here" which was written by Carole King and Gerry Goffin (who also wrote several songs for Dusty's famous "Dusty In Memphis" album) back in the sixties. The slightly twee melody and poor backing vocal arrangement don't really fit with the more progressive sound featured on the rest of the album and I can't work out why this song was included.  

The album was 'executive produced' by Pet Shop Boys - which essentially means they recommended producers and songwriters to Dusty and tinkered with the finished tracks (such as removing the saxophone solo from "Arrested by you"). Whilst this record boosted Dusty's reputation back in the nineties (see what I did there?) and made yet another stellar entry to the Pet Shop Boys CV, the first side doesn't really stand up to scrutiny today. 2/5

One record at a time: 415. Soulwax - From Deewee

I have lamented the decline of The Vinyl Factory in other posts, so I won't go into it again; but suffice to say back in 2017 they actually produced something worth listening to.

I bought this limited edition of "From DeeWee" based on my love for the Soulwax album "Nite Versions". This version differs from the standard release as it has different artwork, uses clear vinyl and was limited to 500 copies. It's not worth a fortune (you can buy a copy for less than £100) but it does sound very good and is the best way to hear this unique album.

The artwork tells us the music included here was recorded in one take, but we also know that the performance was comprehensively rehearsed, there were multiple takes and the whole thing was subsequently mixed, edited and expanded. All of this attention to detail means that the finished record avoids all of the pitfalls inherent in a live performance, but preserves some of the spontaneity.

Much like "Nite Versions", the brothers Deewee blend vintage synths and drum machines with live drumming and bass guitar to create disco tinged electro that will satisfy even the most demanding electronic music fan. My personal favourites are two of the first tracks "Masterplanned" and "Missing Wires" which are underpinned by rubbery analogue synth bass and gloriously simple beats."Do You Want To Get Into Trouble" is another highlight that even caught the ear of my young children, "Who sings this song? Who? Soulwax? Never heard of them." But they were both dancing.

What I like so much about the music on this album is that it has strong melodies and ideas. There is no abstract or self indulgent noodling to be found on "From Deewee", everything is efficient and calculated. The approach is almost like that of Kraftwerk where ideas flow into each other and are realised precisely. There are also idiosyncrasies such as the curious spoken introduction to each side stating the catalogue number and each side finishing in a locked groove. It might not sound like Kraftwerk, but their DNA is palpable. 4/5