Customer Reviews

Best of Naked Eyes

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

 

 

This is a solid Naked Eyes compilation, if you don't mind not having the hit mentioned above. Come on, these guys only had four Top 40 hits! There's no excuse to leave one off. Having said that, the music that is here is rather good. If you only know their two big hits, do yourself a favour and dig a little deeper. You should be pleasantly surprised.

First, thanks to Pete Byrne (the surviving half of Naked Eyes, along with the late Rob Fisher) for clarifying what happened with the two greatest hits collections of Naked Eyes in his Amazon review of Promises Promises (December 14, 2005) - EMI put this earlier compilation together, leaving off When the Lights Go Out, one of only four Top 40 hits by Naked Eyes (What WERE they thinking?). Pete subsequently put together a different, and somewhat superior, compilation (the aforementioned Promises Promises collection), but when EMI decided to delete one of them, they chose the wrong one and kept this one - Promises Promises is now long out of print, and used copies are usually VERY expensive. (Byrne, of course, makes nothing on the sale of used CD's, so don't blame him for profiteering.) This "Best Of" collection only contains 15 songs (all from their two U.S., studio albums), while "Promises Promises - The Very Best Of" contains 20 (including some bonus material).

That being said, even without When the Lights Go Out, this is a fantastic collection of songs by Naked Eyes, covering 9 of the 10 songs from their first album, the self-titled Naked Eyes, never yet released on CD. The Promises Promises collection leaves off only Could Be from their first album. By the way, looking at a Naked Eyes discography, I just found that the debut album was titled Burning Bridges in other countries, including two additional songs A Very Hard Act to Follow and The Time is Now, both included on Promises Promises, but not on this compilation.

Four of the ten songs from their other studio album, Fuel for the Fire (also never yet released on CD), are left off this compilation - Once is Enough and Answering Service do not appear on either compilation, while New Hearts and Me I See in You appear on Promises Promises. Of these four, all but New Hearts appear on Everything and More, a later compilation of rarities, b-sides, and remixes.

For the completist, almost everything from the two studio albums appears on either this Best Of package or the Everything and More rarities CD (and you can pick up When the Lights Go Out on the Back-to-Back Naked Eyes / Spandau Ballet CD quite cheaply - it has all 4 of their Top 40 hits). But hopefully Pete Byrne will be successful in the negotiations he mentioned in his review, to eventually bring out ALL of the Naked Eyes recorded output on CD. And hopefully this will include the song from the Dr. Pepper commercial done by Naked Eyes that someone in another review referred to - how cool.

Though they released only two studio albums, Naked Eyes had some of the catchiest pop songs of the 80's, and this CD is an excellent collection of all (except one) of their best!

I listen to a Canadian live stream radio station that plays deep cuts from 'one-hit wonders' and other obscure retro stuff. That is where I recently heard "In the Name of Love" by Naked Eyes. I instantaneously fell in love with the song, just like I did the first time I heard "Promises, Promises" way back in the early 80's. This prompted me to purchase this CD. If you're making the same consideration, let me reassure you, it will be money well spent. Rob Fisher & Pete Byrne knew how to write & execute a hit song. Why they weren't all hits, I'll never know. Almost every song on this CD is a hit single (In my humble opinion). It gets a little weak around track 13, but there are 12 stand-out tracks before that. Sadly, these gifted artists were shattered by the death of Rob in 1999, which is such a shame because with the resurgence of the 80's sound, I bet these guys could have had another shot.

It was great (and still is) great music! If you are not a fan of the synth sound, then what are you even doing listening to a band consisting of only two people and a bunch of keyboards! Their song writing prowess in my opinion was unmatched at the time and has been a large factor in their longevity. The way they matched the vocals to the complexities in their programming is pure genius and I have been absolutely inspired by their ingenuity. Keyboard was the best medium for their music. I just dont picture the songs having the depth that they did in a rock atmosphere. It is too bad Rob Fisher passed away; I think in today's music arena, he would have blown everyone away. Some of my favorite songs are: No Flowers Please, Emotion in Motion, Burning Bridges, Promises Promises, and A Very Hard Act to Follow (which unfortunately is not included on this album).

Naked Eyes (Pete Byrne on vocals and Rob Fisher on keyboards), were one of the many synth-pop bands to burst on the 80's scene after record companies went New Wave crazy. With the success of Soft Cell, Thompson Twins and The Human League, if you looked good on camera, could carry a tune and had a fairlight, you had a gig. The photogenic Byrne was one of those, and when they secured an American deal with EMI, their clever cover of Bacharach/David's "Always Something There to Remind Me" made them stars.

However, for reasons Byrne explains in his review of Promises, Promises: The Very Best of Naked Eyes, this older, sonically inferior and fewer (15 over 20) songed collection remains in print when the newer one was deleted in a beauraucratic snafu. So instead of 4 hits, you miss out on "When The Lights Go Out." The advantage to this set is the song "Could Be," left of the "Promises Promises" collection.

Naked Eyes managed a string of 4 top 40 singles and two albums to hit the top 100, but their run was short lived. Given that the two albums contained the whole of 21 songs and this CD has 15, you can pretty much sum the group up on one disc. Byrne and Fischer were adequate enough tunesmiths, but they lacked any sort of real identifying qualities (like Soft Cell's over-the-top sleaziness or Tom Bailey's instinctive pop-sense with Thompson Twins). Much of this CD is affable, lightweight fare: synth-pop as Adult Contemporary background music.

However, the three main singles here do strike sparks. "Promises Promises" contains a killer hook, and despite its low chart peak (39 in the US), "What in The Name Of Love" should have been dance floor dynamite. The US single was produced by Arthur Baker (who was a dominant hitmaker at the time) and cribs from both the Thompson Twins and The Supremes. Of the remaining tracks, "Flag of Convenience" and "Burning Bridges" were the best of the lot; most of the others are indistinguishable from a million other 80's pop bands.

Fisher became a hit songwriter in his own right and struck the charts again ("Love Changes Everything") as half of Climie Fisher before his death in 1999, while Byrne carries on with the Naked Eyes name (Fumbling with the Covers).

First of all, the intro to David Bowie's "Lets Dance" doesn't sound very similar to the intro in "Promises, Promises." Second, both songs were released in 1983, so the chance of "Promises, Promises" copying "Let's Dance" is small. Naked Eyes is the most unique and underrated musical group of the 1980's. This cd starts out with their most popular hit "Always Something There To Remind Me," with it's stong synth. Other notable hits on the album are "Promises, Promises," and "No Flowers Please." This CD keeps it coming all the way through from the beginning to the end. All in all a great cd to add to your collection.

Naked Eyes is a common case of some '80s artists that broke up or lasted one or two albums, yet put out some quality stuff. Most people know the catchy Promises Promises and Always Something There To Remind Me. I also remember What In The Name Of Love. The group gave us Simon Climie and Rob Fisher who went on to write some more pop hits for artists in the '90s and even now. Climie and Fisher's songwriting are their strongest on this one. And the other songs are just as good. I wish this group/duo was bigger than it was in 1983/1984 when they were a breakthrough act. I hope they consider a reunion tour of sorts, maybe at some small nightclubs or venues, because they were that good. Maybe go on the popular VH1 show Bands Reunited too to get more press and attention.

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE SONG" ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME " WHICH IS EVEN A REMAKE, MOST PEOPLE DON'T ACTUALLY KNOW THIS DUO YET IF YOU LISTEN TO SOME OF THERE SONGS ITS REALLY YOUR MONEY'S WORHT TO BUY THERE ALBUM. MOST OF THERE SONGS FIND THERE WAY THRU MOBILE MIXERS BUT TRY TO LISTEN TO THE SONG " WHEN THE LIGHTS GO ON" WHICH IS NOT EVEN INCLUDED HERE THEN YOU COULD SAY THAT THIS DUO COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SUCCESFUL. TOO BAD FISHER IS NOW GONE AND THERE WON'T BE ANY MORE NAKED EYES ALBUM. I RECOMMEND TO EVERYONE OUT THERE CHECK OUT THEIR FIRST ALBUM ENTITLED NAKED EYES AND YOU HEAR WHAT I MEAN

Of the countless synth-rock acts that permeated those wonderful eighties, I've always had a particular affinity for Naked Eyes. This duo as noted by fellow reviewers only released two albums, their career halted by Rob Fisher's untimely demise.
Naked Eyes possessed a keen sense of melodic structure, imaginative voicings of their synth and the knack for infectious hooks. The 15 tracks on this compilation vary in excellence, but serve as a tasty sampling of the musical climate at that time.
ALWAYS SOMETHING THERE TO REMIND ME - I still visualize the MTV video of the wedding featuring the trademark chimes. Their re-tooling of the Bacharach/David classic brought them immediate recognition.
EMOTION IN MOTION has good instrumentation.
VOICES IN MY HEAD - Great dance song with infectious hook.
LOW LIFE - dance-friendly with creative chord changes.
FLAG OF CONVENIENCE - nice change of pace but not one of the best tracks.
EYES OF A CHILD - nice vocal arrangement.
IN THE NAME OF LOVE - love that WHAT!!! of the chorus--one of my favorite NE tunes.
PROMISES PROMISES - the clever hook and the marvelous musical support make this one of my favorite 80's tunes.
NO FLOWERS PLEASE - great "toy piano" and strong vocals give this bouncy tune high points.
The remaining tunes are serviceable although not as memorable.
Although their fame was short-lived, Naked Eyes made a lasting impression in my eighties repertoire.

It's so sad that this song isn't on this comp, it would be perfect if not for that. I would skip always something there to remind me for when the lights go out!