Cupid & Psyche 85
Around the time ofCupid & Psyche 85's release, Scritti Politti mastermind Green Gartside was fond of citing deconstructionist theory as an influence on his subversion of boy-meets-girl lyrics. He might just as well have namedElvis Costello, given the trenchant nature of bubbly-on-the-surface pop tunes such as the U.S. Top 20 single "Perfect Way" ("You want a margin of error for two") and "The Word Girl" ("The girl was never real / She stands for your abuse"). With veteranAretha/Dusty/Bee Geescohort Arif Mardin on board for several cuts, and contributions by pop subversives such as Fred Maher andRobert Quine,Cupidremains a classic of hyperintelligent post-new-wave pop funk.--Rickey Wright