Alright on Top

Luke Slater | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 9, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mute U.S.
• ASIN: B000063IVF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #511,465 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Nothing At All

2. You Know What I Mean

3. Stars And Heroes

4. I Can Complete You

5. Only You

6. Take Us Apart

7. Searchin' For A Dream

8. Take Me Round Again

9. Twisted Kind Of Girl

10. Doctor Of Divinity

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If only all pop could be as intelligent as this..., May 18, 2002

By 

Takis Tz. (InYourHead) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alright on Top (Audio CD)

In days where "pop" music is defined through the borderless silliness of the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears or disguised in braindead techno and house scapes there is still hope: Luke Slater.
I heard this album the first time thinking "i cant be possibly liking this"..You basically have this fear throughout that someone is tricking you into liking something cheesy served in a new formula but this is far from being the case.
"Alright on Top" is a masterful club album, and having said that, you could play 80% of this album in a club, blow peoples' minds out and they'd be even thinking that you're actually mixing tracks skillfully from...different artists, that's how stunningly good this is.
This is dance-music you listen to without being reduced to shame. The atmospheres seem to change in every song but what really dominates is ultra-bombastic rhythms with great lyrics and very catchy melodies all packaged in a very clever -but not "calculated"- way..
At times you'll have the feeling that this LP is the closest you've heard to goth gone disco or the other way around and you'll be amazed that it manages not to sound ridiculous.
As for the vocalist on offer here he's the rocks in a very good whiskey.
Great, imaginative stuff. Pity that "consumable" music doesnt come around more often in the quality of this album.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars surprisingly different from his earlier stuff, April 12, 2002

By 

mason inman (Berkeley, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alright on Top (Audio CD)

When I first got this cd, I wondered, "Who is that guy sitting behind Luke Slater?" and then when I put the cd in, I thought somehow the wrong cd had gotten into my package. There were crisp vocals and an upbeat, kind of pop bassline with an 80s flavor. But as I listened some more, I could hear that this isn't some kind of cheesy dance album, but has great production. It's definitely different from Luke Slater's earlier stuff (Wireless, Freek Funk), being less dark and more dancy, but is still hard and has an electro edge.

It's a testament to Slater that he can produce diverse kinds of music, and can work with a vocalist really well (they wrote the music and lyrics for most of the songs together). I usually don't like male vocalists on electronic music, and I'd never heard of The Aloof (the vocalist Ricky Barrow's former group), but I really like his singing on here, and the vocals aren't overly repetitive or inane like so much of the singing on electronic music...The single they're promoting, "nothing at all", is typical of the album, so that will show you what it's like, more or less.

P.S. I changed my rating from 4 to 5 stars. I like this album even more after listening to it a lot.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Indeed alright on top, August 10, 2004

By 

F. D Royster "orbitalone76" (Aurora, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Alright on Top (Audio CD)

Luke Slater, however, is usually known for his aggressive four to the floor techno. Madonna fan's nearly strung him up by his ankles after turning her ballad the Power of Goodbye to a pounding industrial techno stomper.
It was shocking to fans, critics and DJ's alike that Slater decided to make a pop album. A lot of people don't like this album, but I think its enjoyable. Artists always take it on the chin for changing musical directions, or "underground artists" trying pop. I think its brave.

Luke Slater's sonic barrage of beats is still there, but is also an homage to early 80s synth pop.Traditional verse chorus song structures, along with New Order basslines and Erasure synth arpeggios rub up against 4/4 techno, and broken breakbeats.
As much as it is Slater album, it could also be a solo effort by Ricky Barrow. Soulful, gravely but also cool, his vocals give these songs an above the Brittany-Justin pop edge

Nothing At All takes those trade mark Slater beat assaults and tames them with pop sensibility, Thomas Dolby synths, and Barrow's slightly soulful vocal.

You Know What I Mean is a midtempo number that crackles with sexy electronic burts of energy then errupts into a big New Wave chorus.

Stars and Heroes is the crowning single of Alright on Top, and is great homage to early 80s synthpop, but with a modern 21st century feel. Bouncy synth bass, arcade noises(i thought my cell phone was going off...it was actually the song) and analog synth pads cushion Barrows best vocal delivery on the record.

I Can Complete You is full on retro 80s action, with a completely vocoded vocal. Only mediocre.

Only You thankfully picks up the pace again with some amazing breakbeat drum programming and scratch work by Slater, and a great vocal performance by Barrow, along with some deep bass and 80s synth lines. A nod to New Order comes at the end with some very Bernard Sumner-esque guitar work.

Take Us Apart Is like Erasure on speed...a bad batch of it.Follows the formula of I Can Complete you, but works much better as hyper synth pop with a heavier 4/4 beat.

Searchin For A Dream Follows Only You with more great breakbeat/big beat work and taking a break from the retro-lectro action.

Take Me Round Again is much more typical Slater sonic techno barrage but this time with vocals by Barrow.

Doctor of Divinity is more typical Slater like techno with its Beltram like beats and electronic crackles of noise on top of more subdued 80s influences

Alright On Top doesnt bring any huge innovations to electronic music. But if you try not to live in Luke Slaters past and accept it as it is, its a good electropop record.