May 21, 2019

Then Jerico - First (The Sound of Music) (1987) ☠

Country: United Kingdom
Genre: New Wave, Pop Rock
Label Number: 828 0442
☠: Selected by Lass
© 1987 London Records
AllMusic Review by Dan LeRoy
With hype building behind a clutch of successful singles, London quartet Then Jerico made its full-length debut in 1987 with the grandiosely titled First (The Sound of Music). The album, mostly produced by Owen Davies, actually featured a sound common in the mid- to late '80s: massive backbeats married to the big guitars that had come back into vogue. Atop it all sat the impassioned, warbling vocals of Mark Shaw, whose haircut and cheekbones made him a strong contender for the U.K.'s leading pinup of the moment. But the group wanted to be seen as a band -- and taken seriously -- and First wasn't about to turn into any crass chart cash in. Somewhat ironically, however, the best songs on the album are the poppiest -- like "Blessed Days," bolstered with synth horns and female backing vocals; the mildly funky "A Quiet Place (Apathy and Sympathy"; and the soulful rocker "The Motive (Living Without You)." Retreating from that territory sometimes brought too much guitar bluster from Scott Taylor and pushed Shaw's voice past the point of pleasurable listening (see "Stable Boy"), while a presentable cover of Roxy Music's "Prairie Rose" sounded like the work of musicians intent on proving their credentials to a doubtful public. But uneven as it is, the best parts of the album are enjoyable enough to make it more than just an '80s novelty, while the three extended remixes (of "Let Her Fall," "Prairie Rose," and "The Motive") appended to the American CD issue add another reason to seek it out.

tags: then jerico, first, the sound of music, 1987, flac,

4 comments:

  1. Hello - both links are out - please could they be fixed? Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Spam DetectorJune 04, 2020

      . User commented here as "Unknown" via Blogger:

      https://www.mediasurfer.ch/2019/05/then-jerico-big-area-1989.html?showComment=1591250744219#c3384977758909690894

      "Your constant changing of names is indicative of bot spam behavior"

      "It is not against the rules to change your name however your behavior is similar to that of bot spam, commenting the same exact thing under different names."

      "Pick 1 name and stick to it. The average user does not behave this erratically."

      "Changing your name does not increase the chances of your comment being published."

      "Respect my resources and my off-hours. I need them becasue people can be stupid and I must check said stupidity with my resources."

      "I can make your user experience very easy or very difficult. The choice is yours"

      - This message was generated automatically by Spam Detector, C# 14

      Delete
    2. The links have been updated. I was trying to salvage the originals but they are long gone from Adfly's domains lists.

      Delete
  2. Thank you Sentinel.

    ReplyDelete

Comments as "Anonymous" have been restored. Please keep the comments civilized. We do not accept requests.