Simply Red (aka Mick Hucknall) launched onto the music scene in 1984, the heady days of my youth. I was just 20 and that’s a scary thought!
Mick Hucknall was born near Manchester on June 8 1960 and started his music career in the unsuccessful punk band “Frantic Elevators”. It was only after he moved into the genre of rock/soul, that he went on to build an enduring and successful career. There are other members of the band, but they are less well known Tony Bowers (b. October 31, 1952) (bass), Chris Joyce (b. October 11, 1957, Manchester, England) (drums), and Tim Kellett (b. July 23, 1964, Knaresborough, England) (brass, keyboards), plus Sylvan Richardson (guitar) and Fritz McIntyre (b. September 2, 1956, Birmingham, England) (keyboards) - source www.vh1.com.
It’s testament to Mick Hucknall and all the other band members’ talents that they have built a career spanning two decades and been extremely successful on both sides of the Atlantic. The band’s most recent album “Home“, released in 2003, has just been released into the Canadian market.
HOLDING BACK THE YEARS 4:30
“I've wasted all my tears Wasted all those years And nothing had the chance to be good Nothing ever could yeah”
Definitely the most soulful track on this album, and perhaps even the most well known Simply Red song, the lyrics are quite stunning. The music in parts feels almost classical and the strength of Hucknall’s voice and its extended range from the highest to lowest notes is complimented well by it. It reminds me of the passage of time and how wisdom is borne of experience. One of my favourite tracks. My rating 10/10.
MONEY’S TOO TIGHT TO MENTION 4:28
“Money's too tight to mention I can't get an un-em-ploy-ment ex-ten-sion Money's too tight to mention”
I really like the dramatic instrumental introduction to this song. At the time of release, this song would have been meaningful to an awful lot of people. I suspect that this has been written from personal experience and before the singer found success as an enduring pop star. Most people can relate to this kind of problem! Mick Hucknall’s voice at its best here demonstrated to full capacity, and full of emotion. Overall rating 8/10.
THE RIGHT THING 4:22
“Feel I'm getting harder now, get off your back four Get on top more owww! Feel I'm sinking farther down, get off your back four Get on top more”
This is definitely a song for lovers! Whether the lyrics are about “sex” or not is probably debatable, but the lyrics are somewhat amusing if you have a relatively fertile imagination, which I like to think I do. Sung with an aggressively emotional tone, the 4 beat musical rhythm with good drums and percussion, is one of those songs it’s just great to make love to. My rating. 9/10.
IT’S ONLY LOVE 3:52
“Don't be afraid to touch me babe Girl let's be real There's nothing wrong With the way we're carrying on”
A heavily instrumental song, with minimal lyrics, again Mick’s voice is filled with emotion as he tells his lover not to be afraid. About passion newly discovered perhaps - enough said. Probably my least favourite track. Just 5/10 from me.
A NEW FLAME 3:57
“She's turned me round A new flame has come And nothing she can do Can do me wrong”
As I listen to this album, I’m beginning to think musically it’s nothing startling and that a lot of the “harder” rock numbers, have a very “same-ish” feel to them. I guess that could be a criticism, but the regular instrumentals, backed up with good drums and occasional brass make each song unique in its own right. This is a song about that incredible passion that comes from a new love and the stomach churning excitement of those early days. I like it. 7/10 from me.
YOU’VE GOT IT 3:55
“Why did I mistake sex For another sense Then wanted someone else To try to tell you no”
Another soulful song, this is a track with hidden depth and meaning. My interpretation is that it’s about mistaking sex for love. Or love for sex? About making a mistake and regretting it profusely. Another composition that does justice to Mick Hucknall’s vocals. My rating 8/10.
IF YOU DON’T KNOW ME BY NOW 3:26
“We've all got our Own funny moods I've got mine, Woman you've got yours too”
My joint favourite track on this album. For me, this song is about “relationships”, not just love, not just passion, but about the depth of understanding that builds over time. How partners need to get to know each other through strong communication to stand the passage of time. This is a song that I always find comforting in those angst ridden days at the end of a relationship; well, I did when I was younger, that’s for sure. Again, the music is fairly muted and melodic and allows the listener to focus on the originality, strength and emotion of the singer’s voice. As joint favourite, it’s 10/10 from me.
STARS 4:08
“Too many hearts are broken A lover's promise never came with a maybe So many words are left unspoken The silent voices are driving me crazy”
A very close call for favourite, and a very popular Simply Red song. Again, a song about love that many of us can identify with. I suspect that this is another song about infidelity, but this time the roles are reversed - although the love’s still there and you want to make up, the trust has gone, so it becomes an impossible dream. Great piano, brilliant rhythm and emotional music and lyrics make this a fantastic song. My rating 9/10.
SOMETHING GOT ME STARTED 3:59
“Totally broken-hearted Guilty of what I did to you Lately since we parted I truly know that I need you”
This is probably the catchiest tune on the album. It has the heaviest rock feel to it, is fast and dramatic. Could be another song about infidelity, but it’s definitely another song about “love”, which seems to be the underlying theme here. Not one of my favourites but it’s OK. Overall rating 6/10.
THRILL ME 5:03
“thrill me you've got a love so strong thrill me you really turn me on thrill me wait till tomorrow night thrill me i'm gonna treat you right”
A rock song with an R&B soul feel to it, this song does justice to the unique distinctive, melodic tone of Mick Hucknall’s voice. It has excellent instrumental with both great percussion and underlying saxophone. The lyrics are about a lost love, breaking up with someone who fills you with passion and about losing that excitement. My rating 7/10.
YOUR MIRROR 4:00
“wait a minute. this is wrong even the birds still sing their faithful song and your beauty lies within you look in the mirror baby look in the mirror baby”
With an underlying 8 beat rhythm, the tune for this song is very catchy. It’s one of those songs if you hear it in the morning, it won’t leave your head all day. The lyrics to this are sublime. It’s a song about no matter what else is going on in the world, and how often other people let you down, even though you may have lost faith in all those around you, “I don't believe in many things but in you I do”. I love to listen to this when I’m feeling low and finds it lifts my spirit significantly, so it’s 9/10 from me.
FOR YOUR BABIES 4:16
“Her faith is amazing The pain that she goes through contained in the hope for you Your whole world has changed The years spent before seem more cloudy than blue”
The lyrics in this song sound much more positive than the tone. The underlying tune here is definitely melancholic.
SO BEAUTIFUL 4:58
“You're so beautiful but oh so boring I'm wondering what am I doing here So beautiful but oh so boring, I'm wondering If anyone out there really cares”
Heh. Now I *love* this song. It really is about whether beauty is skin deep and about how the most beautiful person in the world can be totally dull and boring. I think it’s semi-satirical look at the beauty is skin deep concept. The music is *light* allowing full access to the depth, range and distinctive tone of Mick himself. General rating 10/10.
ANGEL 4:00
“I know there must be someone, someone for me I've lived too long without the love of someone And there's no misery, like the misery I feel in me”
This is about the loneliness that stems from not being in a relationship, yet desperately wanting to be.
FAIRGROUND 4:23
“It’s always friends that feel so good Let’s make amends like all good men should Pleasure at the fairground on the way”
Clever use of female backing singers lend a little bit extra to this song. A song about pleasure that stems from breaking up and making up. Strong piano is also added to the tune that makes it fairly unique. My main criticism is that it’s not particularly complementary to Mick Hucknall’s voice, but a good song nonetheless. My rating 6/10.
I have covered additional tracks on this album, as I was fortunate enough to buy a version that contained bonus tracks for the princely sum of £4.99 from Woolworth some years ago.
MY CONCLUSION
The band hold as much appeal today as they did when they first started. In fact, if anything, later releases only serve to demonstrate how much they have improved since the early days. Their lyrics have always strongly featured, but have matured with age.
If you enjoy middle of the road music and something with a pop/rock/soul feel to it, you could do far worse than give this album a try.
Available for £10.99 from Amazon, with used and new from £3.49, and for £1.99 on Ebay.
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