From: awrc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Al Crawford)
Newsgroups: rec.music.reviews,rec.music.misc
Subject: Reviews From The Crypt: Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder
Date: Mon, 06 Apr 92 10:35:46 GMT
Reply-To: awrc@dcs.ed.ac.uk
Followup-To: rec.music.misc
Distribution: world
Organization: The University Of Edinburgh - Department Of Computer Science



Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder                  Virgin CDV 2351         1985

	Total Running Time: 32 min 55 sec

	1.	Why Must The Show Go On			5:11
		In Transit (Instrumental)
        2.      Good-Bye Bad Times			3:44
        3.      Brand New Love (Take A Chance)		4:06
        4.      Valerie					3:19
        5.      Now                                     4:28
        6.      Together In Electric Dreams             3:52
        7.      Be My Lover Now                         3:51
        8.      Shake It Up                             4:17

It's interesting to see an album where the producer is given equal credit
with the vocalist. OK, so all the songs here are Oakey/Moroder
compositions, but Moroder's key musical contribution is in production, with
the occasional piece of synth work.

This 1985 album sounds *exactly* what you would expect if you took Moroder,
whose trademark sound was ridiculed in the late 70s in exactly the same way
as that of Stock, Aitken and Waterman was ridiculed in the late 80s
(although while Moroder came back into favour, I don't see the same thing
happening with SAW), and Philip Oakey, vocalist with the Human League. The
album sounds like The Human League produced by Moroder. Which, for me at
least, makes it well worth a listen.

First up is "Why Must The Show Go On" which is competent if unadventurous
synth-pop. This segues into "In Transit" (listed as a separate track on the
CD booklet but part of track 1 on the CD) which in turns runs into
"Good-Bye Bad Times". This track was released as a single back in June of
1985 and, although it failed to do much, Scottish readers will know it in
its instrumental form as the theme music to the political TV programme
"Left, Right And Centre".

Straight into the next track without a join, and by now the relentless beat
is beginning to get a little annoying. "Brand New Love (Take A Chance)" is
similar to the first track in that although it doesn't have anything wrong
with it, there's little memorable about it. Sure, it's got loads of Moroder
trademark sounds, but they're plastered all over every other track on this
album too. The link between this track and "Valerie" is at least rather
more interesting than the others due to the difference in tempo.  "Valerie"
is a rather better song but again, not exactly inspiring.

"Now" is a definite improvement. The relentless hypnotic thumping is
replaced by a rather more determined beat and the sounds are rather less
typically Moroderish (although synth crashes still abound).

The opening strains of "Together In Electric Dreams" and 1,000 mid 80s
computer geeks shed a wistful tear :-) Peter Frampton does the guitar solo,
Oakey wears his Judge Dredd t-shirt in the video and *zap* it's 1985 again.
Definitely my favourite track on the album, I believe that in the UK at
least it saved the film it was the title track to from being a complete
flop - although it did nothing in the cinemas the success of the single in
the charts (#3) led to the film doing well on video.

From there you can only really go down - "Be My Lover Now" would make a
decent _Crash_ era Human League song but the female backing vocals spoil
the effect by being in tune, something Susanne and Joanne would never have
managed.

"Shake It Up" is an improvement though, having the same more determined
sound as "Now" and allowing Oakey to use the lower end of his range a bit.

Overall a decent album but not a classic by any means. If you like the
Human League chances are you'll like this, but even then the endless
thump-thump-thump will still get on your nerves eventually.

Erland Rating: +1

--
		      Al Crawford - awrc@dcs.ed.ac.uk
       "Breakdown. Splinter. A thousand fragments disperse and die."
Xref: sparky rec.music.reviews:192 rec.music.misc:13638