Here I will be playing the 2012 180g repressing, but I also own the hardback book version from the same year and an original copy from 1989. I bought the re-pressings as they were being sold off cheaply by Vinyl 180 who had released them a couple of years earlier. These are far from perfect pressings with crackles throughout, but they are at least packaged very well.
As "I Want You Now" kicks into life I'm immediately reminded of how dance orientated this album is. Producers Julian Mendelsohn and Pet Shop Boys seem keen to draw on the sounds of early house with a pounding beat and funky bassline that could have come straight out of a Chicago warehouse. Yet the antiquated orchestra hits and Fairlight string stabs clearly single this out as eighties pop. I have never been a fan of the ridiculously low register Liza employs during chorus, but this is a great introduction nevertheless.
The single "Losing My Mind" comes next and is full of frothy hi-energy. The drums on this track sound a bit dull when compared to the more contemporary samples used on other tracks, but the relentless bassline drives things along nicely. "If There Was Love" provides a perfect example of this contrast in drum sounds with its TR-808 snare and pounding kick piercing through the mix. The only downside to this track is the DX7 harmonica preset which sounds a bit naff to modern ears. The excellent contributions of Danny Cummings (percussion) and Pete Vitesse (piano) are prominent here but the sax of Courtney Pine is most definitely not to my taste.
One of the best compositions on this record is the plaintive "So Sorry I Said". There's a great Fairlight double bass sample and some nice programmed percussion underpinning Liza's earnest vocals. "Don't Drop Bombs" is another upbeat electronic track which is once again heavy on the programmed percussion but the backing vocals seem completely unnecessary to me. Next is a half finished cover version of "Twist in my sobriety" in which Liza sounds like she isn't too sure of the melody or convinced by the merits of the song in general.
Angelo Badalamenti's orchestral arrangement for "Rent" adds a new dimension and turns an electro single into a moving show tune. I quite like the song "Love Pains" but the production here is all wrong. Liza is regarded as one of the most distinctive singers of her generation; so why get three backing singers to drown her out? It makes no sense. There's another orchestral version of a Pet Shop Boys song with "Tonight is Forever" but the magic of "Rent" is missing. The perfect finishing track "I Can't Say Goodnight" is in a fine cabaret tradition but with a synth-pop twist. This is an enjoyable album but it lacks consistency and one or two of the song choices are questionable. 3/5
