83 posts
Classic Album
How an opportunistic meeting of a pop prophet in waiting and a fledgling powerhouse vocalist led to Upstairs At Eric’s – a stripped-back synth-pop masterclass that remains timeless A helping…
Classic Album: Fleetwood Mac – Tango In The Night
A mostly AWOL Stevie Nicks was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the difficult birth of Fleetwood Mac’s 14th studio album, Tango In The Night. So…
Classic Album: Happy Mondays – Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches
The Happy Mondays’ Pills ’N’ Thrills And Bellyaches elevated Shaun Ryder and Co to leaders of the Madchester wave in the early 1990s and it is still twisting our melons…
Album Insight: Prince – Graffiti Bridge
With a run of albums demonstrating his Midas touch behind him, Prince opened up the vault for his 12th studio effort, Graffiti Bridge – by no means his finest, but pivotal…
Album Insight: Pet Shop Boys – Fundamental
Twenty years on from Please, the Pet Shop Boys went back to their roots by teaming up with the most in-demand producer of the 1980s, Trevor Horn, for Fundamental The…
Album Insight: Pet Shop Boys – Elysium
One of the most controversial albums in the Pet Shop Boys catalogue, Elysium was the peak of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe trying an LP that wasn’t solely about the…
Classic Album: Talk Talk – It’s My Life
Initially ignored in the UK, Talk Talk’s second album, It’s My Life, marked the first signs of a shifting trajectory. But it stands up on its own merits as a…
Album Insight – Pet Shop Boys’ Super
Described by Neil Tennant as “the most ‘up’ record” the duo have ever released, Pet Shop Boys’ Super embraces house music… By the 2010s, most bands that had been together…
Classic Album – Bronski Beat’s The Age Of Consent
Bronski Beat’s The Age Of Consent packed political punch and pop hooks galore, sending the accidental superstars stratospheric with their blend of art and activism… Bronski Beat’s Top Of The…
Classic Album: ABBA – The Visitors
Underneath the pristine sheen of ABBA’s The Visitors was a dark undertone laced with break-up and Cold War paranoia. Despite fading sales, it was nonetheless another pop masterpiece, melding high energy with…