Customer Reviews

You Can't Hide Your Love Forever

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

oh, dear. All these references to Talking Heads and Smiths and Television. The wee devoted children of Orange Juice are sending out a very wrong message to the explorers that come upon our cave. Good vagabonds, hear me: Orange Juice, in a single song, is happier than all the happy moments of those three named bands put together! The Smiths aren't the spawn of Orange Juice, Heavenly is!

For the somewhat initiated: I'm not going to do a whole history thing here, but those who know . . know "Ostrich Churchyard" was recorded by OJ as their first proper full-length. It got shelved when they signed to Polydor, which assigned producer Adam Kidron to work with the shambling band. Thank God. Ostrich Churchyard -- released eventually and coming around again in August as part of the Orange Juice compilation package "The Glasgow School" stinks. Kidron made "You Can't Hide Your Love Forever" into an immediate and blissful joy. The drums have a wonderful sound. The guitars a strummed buzzy crackle unlike ever heard at the time. It was schoolboyish and endearing and exciting and set indie -- this I agree -- spinning. From Heavenly and Tiger Trap and all that onward, this is home. Incidently, "The Glasgow School" will be a must purchase for those who don't have the early OJ singles, because they all will be compiled here and -- from Blue Boy, Simply Thrilled Honey, Poor Old Soul, Breakfast time and on -- they are heartbreakingly good. Get it if you can't find the rare old "The Heathers on Fire." By the way, Edwyn Collins is recovering slowly but surely from massive brain hemorrages. Go to EdwynCollins.com and wish him well on the bulletin boards. When asked if he had a message for his adoring fans, he wrote through his wife "Disaster Area." Upwards and onwards, indeed. L-O-V-E.

Arguably one of the most important debut albums of the 1980s (not that you could tell by it's sales figures) 'You Can't Hide Your Love Forever' merged the spiky guitars of the punk movement with a wide eyed idealism and sense of fun. Influenced by such diverse artists as The Buzzcocks, Al Green and The Byrds, OJ tried to inject soul into the post-punk movement. Including a killer rerecording of first single 'Falling and Laughing' as well as a slightly ill-advised cover of 'L.O.V.E. Love' the album is bristling with fantastic melodies, hooks and the sort of lyrics that Morrissey would later become famous for.In fact, it's hard to imagine why any of these songs couldn't have become hit singles, and, maybe in these more indie friendly times, they could have.If you love pop music, and don't own this album, then there is a huge hole in your record collection.Ignore it at your peril!

Make no mistake, without Orange Juice the very existence of the Smiths would have been in serious jeopardy. Edwyn Collins' fey vocals and the band's earnest jangle were the foundation upon which Morrisey's career was built. As such, it's especially difficult to separate the influence of the band from the actual quality of their recordings. "You Can't Hide Your Love Forever", from its title on down, was a direct challenge to the post-punk nihilism so fashionable in the early 80's underground. At the time the sweet pop of Orange Juice sounded like a revolutionary gesture. 20 years later that gesture has long since lost its significance, but we're gratefully left with the sweet pop. Pleasant listening for anyone who secretly wished the Smiths were a little less about mopey white boy angst and a little more about the funk.

this album sounds like it could have come out yesterday. the lyrics are clever and honest. the music pumps you up in a realistic way (not in a jock jams way). there's something really average about their introductions to each song but, at some point of the song Orange Juice strikes exactly into your lungs and heart. they'll take the breath from your throat without having to use hightech studio effects nor throwaway hookiness. pick this up and play it on repeat.

Preceding the similar sounding Smiths by a couple of years, Orange Juice had no problem in operating deliberately outside the mainstream and creating a highly original sound that took punk's intensity and DIY work ethos and fused it with a romantic lyrical sensibility and some soul for good measure.

Truth that it all only worked out as swimmingly as it did because they had in their ranks a worldclass songwriter called Edwyn Collins(best known for his worldwide solo hit "A Girl Like You") that composed for their debut a handful of classics with the excellence of "Felicity","Satellite City","Consolation Prize","Tender Object" or "Falling and Laughing".

Absolutely worth checking out under any pretenses.

Recorded in less than a week, this album contains wonderful melodies combined with self-effacing lyrics. The spontaneous sound of a new band with a new idea, showing influences of The Byrds, Chic, Velvet Underground.... yet still sounding totally original. This Glasgow band was on the Postcard label, along with Josef K and Aztec Camera. This album remains one of the all-time greatest albums of the 1980s,and is a great moment in the British new wave.

You Can't Hide Your Love Forever is one of the few 80's albums that brings me over all nostalgic. The albums blend of post-punk jangling guitars, tongue in cheek lyrics and genuinely good tunes brings back memories of a more innocent time before the birth of the boy band. Lead singer and songwriter Edwyn Collins croons through the tracks in his own inimitable style and proves throughout that well crafted lyrics can be as important to the feel of a song as the music itself. If you've ever seen the film Gregory's Girl, then this is the Album that Gregory would have been listening to in his bedroom at night.The Sound of young Scotland at it's best. If you haven't heard it...buy it!

Is there anyband left from the late 70's or early 80's that hasn't been re-marketed and re-packaged? None comes to mind, however obscure at the time, they all seem bubble to the surface by these so called aficionados. Sometimes I wish whoever missed out back then, well them too bad, but obviously the web ruined all that. Anyway, this recording their proper 2nd LP is truly remarkable, compared to the Smiths, ehh, I think more Wedding Present & B&S. This is the melodic shambling stuff that is such an enjoyable listen, all tunes great.

Alos seek out their next LP 'Rip it Up' equally brilliant.

Both hard to find I imagine, so pick up the comps'.