Customer Reviews

Alf

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have always been a fan of Alison Moyet since I first heard her with Yaz. I've picked up every album I could find that she has graced with her vocals - and never disliked. This album constitutes her first solo effort, and the visible abount of thought and work that went in to song choice, track layout, production and practice really payed off. The musical style is mixed, from soft pop to ballads, but remains smooth in sound - a far cry from the harsher style of Yaz. This album, unlike her later albums which began to decrease the amount of production work and begin to take her on the road towards a more "folk/natural" sound, remains unique in her collection as a final (albeit darker) chapter in her dance/pop career. Well worth acquiring.

Alison Moyet's solo career began with this album after leaving Yazoo (Yaz in USA). And what a solo debut it is! Nine fabulous tracks that haven't lost their strength over the years. Alison's emotive and ruminative voice has a depth many other female singers lack. Though the production by Jolley/Swain tends to be a bit slick, Alison 'Alf' Moyet saves the album from mediocrity with her soulfulness. Alf's songwriting-skills are impressive and her songs emit power. 'Love Resurrection' makes you spin around the room, while 'All Cried Out' makes you want to belt the song in full volume. The latter being the best song on the album. 'Where Hides Sleep' brings out the restlessness in you, as does 'Money Mile'. A praising review, but why only 4 stars you may ask. Simply because Moyet's albums 'Hoodoo', 'Essex' and 'Singles' are a bit better.

Alison's fist solo offering after her departure from Yazoo began a career away from cold synths and dance repitition.

She showed us how warm she really was with the almost revival feel of "Love Resurection" and the sweet "For You Only".

She showed off her powerful soul notes on epics like "All Cried Out" and "Invisible". Got a little bluesy over "Steal Me Blind" and atmospheric on the ethereal "Where Hides Sleep".

Alison is an important artist and in the mid 80s during the promised and disapointing jazz revivals, ALF brought a breath of freshness and vim! She shames Julia Fordham, blows away Tracy Thorn, and rivaled Sade who at the time wore a white backless Billy Holiday ... dress to connect in people's minds that she was trying to be jazz...thankfully this only lasted one album and she became a star on PROMISE...but enough about her.

ALF is a standard now in the Moyet collection and she has just added another gem, her new album: HOMETIME which is almost scarily her best album ever!!

Buy both and love them...thank you.

It's a testament to the strength of Alison Moyet's first solo album that, all these years later, her music is still measured by it (which is a bit unfair, given the quality of her two best and, bizarrely, unavailable albums, "Hoodoo" and "Essex". But I digress...). "Alf" firmly established Alison Moyet as a great soul diva. Indeed few singers can come close to her ability to convey emotion without resorting to histrionics. Following the demise of the influential Yaz, the public's great expectations were met big time with "Alf", which is accomplished, assured and irresistable. Only three tracks were released as A-sides ("Love Resurrection", "All Cried Out" and "Invisible") but there were at least two further potential smash hits here in the shape of the groovy "Honey For The Bees" (subsequently covered by American soul star, Patti Austin) and the gorgeous ballad, "For You Only". The closing track, "Where Hides Sleep", raises goosebumps with its ethereal harmonies weaving and waltzing over a swaying rhythm track. The rootsy "Steal Me Blind" is probably closer to what people expected of Alison and the lyric reflects her comments in a contemporary interview where she mentioned that some of her friends treated her like a bank.

Producers Tony Swain and Steve Jolly left their mark on this album and, overall, the synth-based sound is probably closer to the Yaz sound than Alison might have liked. Certainly this fan was expecting something a bit rawer than "Alf" (Alison finally delivered on this with her masterpiece, "Hoodoo"). Still, with so many great songs, it's impossible to fault this collection. Maybe some day Sony will please us all by re-mastering this album and including the rare B-sides "Baby I Do", "Hitch Hike" and "Don't Burn Down The Bridges". For now, this is a mid-price must-have. Treat yourself.

The first time I found out about ex Yaz singer Alison Moyet was in an article on the music magazine Rolling Stone, were music editors picked her as their earliest selection for Best Female Vocalist of 1984. I end up buying this CD a few years later and I was very impressed by the range and emotional depth of this extraordinary singer. This is the first of 4 solo great recordings; specially the last two, the overlooked gems: Hoodoo and Essex. On those 2 recordings she really got creative with her music and her own lyrics; both her singing and songwriting skills got stronger. It's truly a shame that her CD releases of her best work until today are out print; that is Hoodoo and Essex (you can still find them occasionally on used CD stores). On Alf, from the opening single "Love Resurrection" through the last cut "Where hides sleeps" her voice it's like a hurricane. Also, buy her greatest hits titled: Singles, where she does a contemporary remake of Roberta Flack's classic "The first time I ever saw your face". Finally, we (her fans and hopefully even more people) will be listening her new CD coming out in August 22 titled: Hometime; and early listenings are finding music critics praising this recording. I really hope that she gets more exposure with this new release. Get to know this underappreciated amazing singer; check her website: alisonmoyet.com

Alison sings like no one else. What a recording. She is emotive, funky, and sassy all at once. Honey for the Bees is wonderful . Would like to hear more from her

Alison Moyet really hits paydirt here as there are "Hits" written all over this album.

"Love resurrection" is a highly charged song to start the ball rolling.

"Honey for the bees" continues the upbeat tempo and your feet will not stop tapping anymore.

"For you only" slows it down a beat for you to catch your breath.

"Invisible" is such a great 80's song, I have so many memories from this song.

You are by now "All cried out".

But "Money mile" takes you out on the road again.

Just when you thought it was safe to stop tapping your feet, Alison wings it again by "Twisting the knife".

Finally, "Where hides sleep" is so sweet and vengeful you begin to ask for more.

You will never get tired of this album. Yes, this album has so many good songs you will sing them over and over. I have - since the 80's!

During 1982 and 1983, Alison Moyet had become hugely successful as the vocalist for the synth-pop duo Yazoo. The duo had a small number of hits such as Only You and Don't Go. Moyet's bluesy and rather unique voice had become well known and instantly recognisable. However, upon the release of the duo's second album You And Me Both in mid-1983, the duo soon announced they were splitting up. Yazoo only lasted a year and a half. The musician of Yazoo was Vince Clarke who went on to form the highly successful duo Erasure with singer Andy Bell. Moyet signed with Columbia Records in order to start a solo career. She teamed up with the songwriter and producer duo Steve Jolley & Tony Swain to record her debut. The result was Alf, titled after Moyet's own nickname.

The album's opener is titled Love Resurrection which begins with a strong synthesizer melody which immediately sets the tone of the album and gives plenty of atmosphere. The verse opens with some solid vocals from Moyet over an effective use of synthesizer. A memorable chorus follows with some great production that involves using double-layered vocals, both from Moyet, one layer being harmonic vocal and the other being the lead. A strong synthesizer solo is featured in this song whilst the ending features some strong backing vocals. The lyrics may refer to a person wishing to resurrect their love although the lyrics are suggestive in places. Overall, a brilliant album opener, perfectly setting the tone of the album which contains plenty of maturity and richness. "What can I do to make light of this dull, dull day? What switch can I pull to illuminate the way? Show me one direction, I will not question again, for a warm injection is all I need to calm the pain..."

The next track Honey For The Bees is an energetic track with a pulsating synthesizer riff over another, showing the track's strong construction. The verses feature some strong vocal from Moyet over a synthesized bassline. The pre-chorus builds the song up with some dominant vocals. A strong and memorable chorus follows with some great lyrics, solid vocals and some brilliant synthesizer which gives the chorus an overall energetic feel. A strong solo section is featured which have a mixture of synthesizer stabs and backing vocal. Percussion is a strong highlight of this track. The lyrics most likely refer to desire with some lines being suggestive. A strong album track. "Every time I look at you I know, your fighting your emotions. Now you have no choice but to let go, and dive into my ocean. Honey for the bees, sugar never was so sweet..."

For You Only is a rather chilling song with a dark atmosphere. This track opens with a rather haunting synthesizer melody which carried Moyet's sensitive vocal through the verses. A strong chorus follows which features some hopeful vocals, strong percussion and some strong synthesizer. This particular section manages to slightly lighten the mood of the song which adds to the strength and effectiveness of this song's chorus. The lyrical theme is fairly self-explanatory of a lonely person who longs for the return of their partner who could be either gone temporarily or for good. This great song flows perfectly throughout and is both haunting and touching - bursting with emotion. "Ready to embrace the day as we both break. When the light stole in it found me wide awake. Wasted from the sleepless night, I wished to touch your hair. Withdraw an empty hand, for you're no longer there..."

The following track Invisible is one of the highlights of this album, written by Lamont Dozier. The song opens with an strongly emotional and heartfelt synthesizer melody. Moyet's vocals are fantastic throughout the entire song, probably one of her greatest vocal performances. The verses carry Moyet's emotional performance by some great piano. A fantastic chorus follows which is both memorable and have a great emotive message. The brilliantly written lyrics refer to a bad relationship where Moyet's partner consistently ignores her, treats her badly and flirts with other women however she cannot force herself to leave him. Moyet conveys a perfect balance of anger and pain in her vocals, making this song extremely effective. A beautiful song overall. "You don't have the time and you wont spend a dime, not even to call me, oh. You don't know I exist and I wouldn't be missed if I had the nerve to quit you..." and "I tell myself lies and give you alibis, knowing your promises you'll never keep. Like a merry-go-round I'm going up, going down, I'm on a dead end street..." are two strong examples of the emotional message within the lyrics.

Steal Me Blind is a mid tempo ballad which opens with a strong and memorable synthesizer melody. The verses consist of strong vocal, great backing vocal, background synthesizer and a perfect sense of rhythm within the percussion. A great pre-chorus features a more dominant synthesizer melody and some emotional vocal from Moyet. The chorus is breathtaking, thoroughly strong and feature some great backing vocals. The lyrics refer to her friend's being inconsiderate by bleeding her dry and stealing her blind. This song is another powerful album track with plenty of depth. "Well my friends I feel it's time, to reassess the situation and decide what's mine. Every time you steal me blind, with no consideration for the way I feel inside. And you just look at me, like you don't understand. How could we, how could we let it get so out of hand?"

All Cried Out is another highlight of the album, a strong song that showcases Moyet's vocals well. The album version here is almost seven minutes long whereas the single version is only just over three and a half minutes. A interesting opening features backing vocal, solid percussion and melodic synthesizer. This rather friendly section soon turns to a grim sound which features some great percussion and a couple of emotional synthesizer layers. The verses flow nicely with some rather low vocals from Moyet over some strong percussion and backing synthesizer. A strong pre-chorus shows Moyet building her emotion up in her vocal performance. The chorus follows with brilliant vocals from Moyet and some strong backing vocals over a great synthesizer melody. A huge solo section is present in the album version which allows the listener to explore the full depths of the instrumentation. This section features a great mixture of synthesizer, rich percussion and a small part of backing vocal. The lyrics of this song refer to a woman who's been pushed around by her partner and is now standing up for herself by moving on. "You took your time to come back this time, the grass has grown under your feet. In your absence I've changed my mind and someone else is sitting in your seat..." and "It's hard to give you something when you're pushing and a-shoving me around..." are two examples of the anger within the lyrics.

The next track Money Mile opens with melodic piano, rich percussion and a memorable vocal chant. Moyet's vocals in the verses are interesting as she almost purposely stutters for effect throughout the lines. These verses carry the vocals by strong piano. A strong chorus features some strong vocals and solid backing vocals with synthesizer and piano. This song contains a strong ending section, consisting of piano, great backing vocal and the previous vocal chant. The lyrics most likely refer to how those who are rich or have power simply don't care about the less fortunate. An effective song, overall rich in piano, percussion and vocal. "Into your car park, drive obsolete motors, with petrol consumption at too higher price. Sell us through windows at backroom board meetings, blindfolded and handcuffed and in single file..." and "On your money mile, we are the faceless, the nameless, the homeless. On your money mile, there in your fortress where you couldn't care less..." are two examples of the lyrical meaning.

Following is Twisting The Knife which begins with a two lively synthesizer melodies. The verses feature some strong vocal from Moyet and some interesting lyrics. A pre-chorus builds the song slowly up whilst the chorus is strong and memorable, consisting of brilliant vocal, nice backing vocal and a great synthesizer. A strong and energetic synthesizer solo is included whilst the ending closes with the infectious chorus. Lyricsally, this song could be interpreted as somebody who is no longer going to watch her partner 'twist the knife'. One line that shows this is "I'd like to help you but I can't stand by and watch you twisting the knife, they've got you wasting your life..." The entire song is one of the most lively tracks on the album but still manages to maintain plenty of emotion and depth. "I'd rather turn out all the lights than see you looking like this, caress me with your anger, sting me with your kiss. You've been pushing too hard, I've been trying too long, now I don't believe I have the will to carry on..."

The album's closer is Where Hides Sleep which showcases Moyet's vocals perfectly throughout. The introduction features some haunting multi-layered vocals which follows with a reoccurring synthesizer melody. The first verse is rich in synthesizer and features some rather haunting lyrics. Lyrically, the song's meaning is unclear but may refer to the linking of pain and desire. Another interpretation is the message of frustrated love and sensual longing. The entire song flows beautifully along, showcasing Moyet's vocals throughout. Although the song lacks melody, it is a strong track with plenty of emotional depth that closes the album perfectly. "I open my lips to your warm ancient potion, I would be still and devoid of emotion. For I would be slumber that I could be rest, curl in warm embers of such peacefulness, caressed by oblivion and swallowed by dreams..."

Alf was a huge success when released, becoming a huge hit worldwide. The album went to number one in both the UK and New Zealand. In the UK, the album lasted a total of 84 weeks in the top 100. Alf was a fair hit in America, peaking at #45. The lead single was Love Resurrection which was a hit, peaking at #10 in the UK. All Cried Out followed, becoming a hit throughout Europe and peaking at #8 in the UK. Invisible was released to big success throughout Europe, peaking at #21 in the UK and #6 in Ireland. The single also became Moyet's biggest American hit, peaking at #31. Finally, a remixed version of For You Only was released, becoming Moyet's biggest hit in Germany, peaking at #7. Since the release of the album, Moyet has stated that she has bad feelings regarding the album, mainly due to the overall sound of the songs. At the time, she was simply happy to be recording an album and starting a solo career.

Overall, I highly recommend this album for any 80s music fan. This album has something for everyone with an overall rich sound, unique vocals and plenty of depth. Every song is beautifully constructed with plenty of maturity. The overall production is very 80s and therefore may sound dated to some but this only gives the songs plenty of atmosphere and feeling. Moyet had begun her solo career with a strong start. Alf is a brilliant slice of 80s, showcasing Moyet's incredible vocal and writing talent.

All the things you think late at night when no one can hear you!!! An excellent outlet to scream at the top of your lungs and drive!!!

1. Love Resurrection

2. Honey for the Bees

3. For You Only

4. Invisible

5. Steal Me Blind

6. All Cried Out

7. Money Mile

8. Twisting the Knife

9. Where Hides Sleep