Cupid & Psyche 85 (US Release)

Scritti Politti | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Original Release Date: February 8, 2005
• Release Date: February 8, 2005
• Label: Rhino/Warner Bros.
• Copyright: 2004 Atlantic Recording Corp. Manufactured & Marketed by Warner Strategic Marketing
• Total Length: 1:02:31
• Genres:
• ASIN: B00122D8LI
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,049 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Just Shy of Perfect, August 31, 2005

By 

J. Brady (PAWLEYS ISLAND, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cupid & Psyche 85 (Audio CD)

Mainly because the bulk of this album was programmed with the Fairlight Computer and there are very few "live" instruments, some of these tracks have a slightly dated Eighties sound to them. Having said that, the songwriting overcomes that completely. Especially the lyrics. Thankfully the lyric sheet is inside the cd; it elevates these songs to a much higher level. Written off as "one hit wonders" in the US, Scritti Politti had humble beginings in Leeds, a small town in the UK, where they wrote minimalist tunes with rather bitter and cynical lyrics. A few years later, singer/leader/lyricist Green Gartside abandoned his original bandmates and took Scritti Politti to a much more pop/soul place musically, as well as taking on a more soulful approach to his singing, while managing to maintain much of the bite of his lyrics. A few of the songs that ended up on Cupid and Psyche 85 were released as singles and were big hits in the UK. They ended up on this album, along with a few remixes that were on the cassette. Hypnotize barely dented the US singles charts, but it was Perfect Way that was a hit, on radio and MTV. One of the very few albums I have purchased in all three formats ( LP, Cassette, and now on CD ) this I think is Scritti Politti's best album. The cover is absolutely stunning. (I still have my vinyl copy, embossed raised gold lettering and all.) The rear photo of the piece of raw meat wrapped in gauze with a butterfly sitting on top is a telling metaphor for the music and lyrics inside. The music ranges from reggae to dance to pop to soul. There is one beautiful ballad, A Little Knowledge, which is a duet between Green and the amazing BJ Nelson. Robert Quine, of all people, turns up on one track with a crazy guitar solo which, on the surface, would seem totally out of place. But it works. Just like the perfect balance of computerized sounds against the live drumming and gorgeous vocals. One of the best pop albums in my collection and just shy of absolute perfection. Highly recommended.

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars smooth classic 80s soul from the UK!, July 29, 2003

By 

D. H. Richards "ninthwavestore" (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cupid & Psyche 85 (Audio CD)

Perfect Way, with it's killer piano break, broke Scritti politti in the US. However long before that the band was releasing a series of brilliant singles, which end up collected in a nice neat package that is Cupid and Psyche.
-Wood Beez- catchy, funky, as good as anything Alexander O'Neil was doing, if not better.
- The Word Girl - reggae lite in a time where reggae was considered DOA.
- Hypnotize - the lesser of the singles, but still a great little song.
-Absolute - better than Hyponotize, smooth.

The great thing is that you also get some nifty remixes, including some like The Word Girl that are almost different songs, but still obviously from the same group of folks.

Green and company explore mid 80s US Black music with a keen ear and even sharper sense of style and wit. Essential 80s album.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all-time favorites, October 8, 1999

By 

crossfire905 (Temple City, CA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cupid & Psyche 85 (Audio CD)

Even though my tastes in music vary widely - and "widely" is an understatement - I'm generally not a big fan of the dance-pop genre. However, "Cupid & Psyche '85" instantly became one of my all-time favorite albums the first time I played it about ten years ago.

I had found the cassette in a cutout bin - hardly a dignified place for such a fine collection of tunes. I'll admit that I bought it mainly for the familiar radio tracks "Perfect Way" and "Wood Beez," but almost every track on the album could have been solid a Top 40 hit. (The CD contains all of the tracks found on the cassette, but their order has been rearranged slightly, placing the remixes and alternate versions at the end of the disc.) I have the cassette with four bonus tracks that couldn't fit on the LP version, and of those bonus tracks, only "Flesh And Blood" - which features a female guest singer named Ranking Ann in place of Green - is a track I can personally do without. [I'm just not into deep reggae.] Aside from that, even my least favorite tracks - "The Word Girl" and "A Little Knowledge" - are still good.

Undeniably, Green Gartside does have an unusual voice - a silky near-falsetto more than vaguely reminiscent of Michael Jackson - but it fits perfectly with his keyboard work and the precise accompaniment of band mates David Gamson [drums] and Fred Mahur [guitar and backing vocals]. I can't imagine these songs being sung by anyone else.

I can't understand why radio overlooked "Lover To Fall," which I consider one of the best tracks on the entire album - if this one doesn't get your feet tapping, you'd better see a neurologist. Ditto that for "Small Talk" and "Don't Work That Hard." Make sure you crank up the subwoofers for the remix of "Absolute" - it has a deep, tight bass line that will knock your socks off.

I just received my shiny new CD copy a few weeks ago, and if you like infectious, FUN music, you should order it too. "Cupid and Psyche 85" is, without a doubt, one of the most thoroughly well-crafted albums of the 80's. I would also recommend the 1988 follow-up album "Provision", which is not quite as captivating as "Cupid and Psyche 85" but certainly does have its moments.