The Best of A Flock of Seagulls

Flock Of Seagulls

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 5, 1991)
• Original Release Date: 1987
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Jive
• ASIN: B0000004U8
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,029 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #19 in	Music > Dance & Electronic > Compilations > Dance Pop
  #92 in	Music > World Music > Europe > British Isles > Britain
  #96 in	Music > Pop > New Wave

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
"And I ra-a-an, I ran so far awa-a-ay...." OK, now that you've got that stuck in your head for the rest of the day, you may as well go ahead and get the rest of the hits and misses from the most badly coifed outfit in synth-pop history. Frontman Mike Score, a former hairdresser, is responsible for this Liverpool band's worst and best aspects, the latter being a talent for almost painfully catchy pop melodies and synth hooks that bounce along nicely over gradually descending bass lines. In addition to the aforementioned "I Ran," this best-of sports two versions of the equally sublime "Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)" and a selection of tracks from AFOS's six-year career, including "It's Not Me Talking." --Bill Forman

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And I ran...I ran so far awaaaaay!, March 1, 2004

By	Daniel J. Hamlow (Narita, Japan) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Funny cascading haircuts aside, this electropop band hailing from Liverpool had one of the best-known singles that defined the genre along with Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran. No, the lead singer's name wasn't Jonathan Livingston, but hairdresser Mike Score, as I recall. This compilation collects their hits from their first four albums. "I Ran" is their best known single, a US Top Ten hit, which incorporates keyboards, drum machines, jangling guitars, and weird sound effects, they all signalled a futuristic pop sound that blew the doors wide open for the Second British Invasion. I don't know what this did for girls who had "almond hair and tawny eyes" who have aurora borealis around their head. Were men that blown away that they ran so far away?

A song with a similar sound is the upbeat romantic "Space Age Love Song," with futuristic sound effects, and the guitar here makes me wonder if the power-pop group Voice of the Beehive were influenced by them.

The jamming "Telecommunication," with that great power-pop guitar, is another favourite along with "I Ran," mentioning futuristic communication technology, such as laser beams into TV screens. At nearly two and-a-half minutes, it's a nice bite-sized nugget of space age pop.

Reflective lyrics, dreamy but edgy guitars, windy sound effects, the same constant drums, and a lesson well-taught permeates "The More You Live, The More You Love." with all sorts of cliches such as "the more you love the more you grow," "nothing last forever," and "true love turns to pain."

"Wishing (If I Had A Photograph Of You)" turned out to be their only big UK hit from their Listen album. Wistful airy synth fills done after the refrain matches the equally longing, "If I had a photograph of you, or something to remind me, I wouldn't spend my life just wishing." For those wanting to dwell in more yearning, there is an extended nine minute version included.

The Devo/Missing Persons-speed tempo of "(It's Not Me) Talking" has more sci-fi motifs, with an intense barrage of keyboards, drum machines, and those jangling guitars. The difficulty of emotional readjustment is told in "Transfer Affection."

"Who's That Girl (She's Got It)" is a later single in their career, but the energy remains unabated, heavy drums, power synths, and brief keyboards glisses rattled after the title is sung. In other words, they've got it.

The instrumental "D.N.A." from their first album has the same energy as the other songs from there, with that guitar and drum backing making it work. And the mostly instrumental title track to their 1984 album, "The Story of a Young Heart," featuring a loud clanging guitar amid a wall of noise synth and keyboards, closes things off, with repeated echoing of the title lyrics from "The More You Live, The More You Love."

A Flock of Seagulls had a flock of great songs with a consistent sound, but methinks they were eclipsed by their fellow British Invasion members, to wit Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, Thomas Dolby, and Ultravox, which is too bad because practically everything here is worthy of the Top 10 or Top 20. If I had a time machine, I'd run so far away... well, maybe to the dawn of the Second British Invasion,... up to 1986, loop, then repeat.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fleeting Moment of Pure 80's, October 24, 2001

By	Artful Dodger (United States) - See all my reviews

Somewhere along the musical progression from Gary Numan to a-ha, there is a small but brilliant blip called A Flock of Seagulls. With an old-school synthesizer, one truly awesome guitar player, and a video production budget of somewhere in the region of $12.99, AFOS created three essential new wave gems and an unmistakeable sound that remains unique (and powerful) even to this day. AFOS lacked the charisma of Depeche Mode and the dance floor savoire-faire of, say, Human League, but what they did have was full-on 80's New Wave dedication. For a brief, shining moment, AFOS was everywhere any self-respecting teen Waver wanted to be. They were one of those great little bands that filled in the spaces between the larger acts of the decade and left us all with some great memories and fantastic tunes that withstand the test of time. To all of you retro teenyboppers out there: don't miss 'Space Age Love Song' and its great synth finale (one of the high points of 80's electronica to be sure) and the perfect, Bowie-quality, melancholic grandeur of 'Wishing'. AFOS capture a bit of that mechanic, almost Gothic coldness that used to scare the music hippies of the day (well done!) while still managing, at their best, to totally ROCK.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why this collection is crucial for Flock collectors, September 14, 2006

By	Daniel W. Kelly (Long Island, NY United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

For starters, it has the 9 minute 12" version of "Wishing." But it ALSO has the 7" remix of "The More You Live The More You Love," which I've always felt is far superior to the LP version, because it's much more new wave sounding. ALSO, note that the track listing has always been wrong on this disc, including on the CD insert itself. The final track on here is NOT The Story of A Young Heart--it is the FULL MOON REMIX of "The More You Live The More You Love," which was the B-side to the original 12". "The Story of A Young Heart" can be found on the Platinum and Gold Collection.