Customer Reviews

Electric Blue

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A friend did the inevitable and compared this recording to an Erasure album. It cannot be done. He said: It has nothing without Vince's synths. This may be true.

A few years back, Andy Bell's solo record was going to be the Erasure project "Other People's Songs". Could you imagine the disaster that would have been?

Now, we have a Mr. Bell who is confident with his identity, a man Alive and Aware and that is what's reflected in this album. Living and having a good time. This is the celebration that is experienced after the melancholy of "Nightbird".

The songs and melodies may not be as strong as Erasure tunes. Erasure tunes are generally more sensitive, introspective-love songs with blue skies and birds (a la TAKE ME BACK). With this project, you can see where each other artist's strengths lie - Andy has always been the singer, Vince the pop-hook master. But much like voice masters such as Sylvester, Andy Bell is a singer with soul, and singer with heart, and he is a voice with Life screaming out of his lungs.

Also like Sylvester, this album is supposed to make you dance. It tries, and succeeds. The tones and programming are current with the dance scene of "now" and I expect the remixes to explore different territories. Kudos to Manhattan Clique for programming well when they knew they would be compared to Godfather Vincent.

Andy Bell has always been on that fringe of stupid camp. But, now we look at how influential these artists are now that we are older: The Cure, Erasure, Depeche, Siouxsie, Moz, Talking Heads...you can almost name their new clones: Rename, OUT HUD, The Rapture, The Faint, Tiga. The fact that Jake Shears from Scissor Sisters duets with him is a pure sign of his due respect.

That Andy Bell finally did a solo album is expected and overdue. I'm glad he waited until he was in a good space personally to give a good album with a lot of heart rather than an attempt at trying to keep busy to fight off demons.

Is it fan album? Definitely. Will it burn up the dance floor for the rest of the world? Who knows. But I know of at least a few dozen dance-queens who will be owning the cd and playing it before going out Saturday night.

Standout fave track: Runaway. Great counter melody and mid-tempo dance anthem.

I was reading all the reviews on Andy's superb solo album and all you read is a comparison between Andy and Erasure. This is his experimental and desired album, a dance album that plays softly with Andy's angelical voice. But instead of all the credits of being a good dance album for those who enjoy electronic music, all you can hear in the reviews are ERASURE, VINCE CLARK or both. He is still in the group but other than his style and his voice, IT'S NOT ERASURE. If he intended it to be another Erasure album, it would have been Erasure not Andy Bell.
With enough said on the comparison let's talk a bit about the album. Even though "Crazy" was the album's launch I would have made "Rest of our lives" his debut. Andy toys with his voice each and every tune seeming like all the songs go in a pattern, keeping you wanting more of the album as it goes. Everyone can revive that glorified 80's electric, new wave, pop synth era catchy hints accidentally reminding you of other songs from that time, yet its not the rythm that make this album but,yes, Andy. Anyone will tune in with "I will never fall in love again", and "I thought it was you". His strongest songs "Caught in a spin" and "Love oneself" while his weaker are "Jealous" and " Fantasy". So if you don't enjoy dance electronic music but do enjoy Andy Bell's voice try this album but please closet all your thinking on Erasure because in this album he just wanders off on purpose to show what he is all about: Andy. A voice, a dream and his creation for all to enjoy.

Andy Bell's first solo album sets itself apart from recent Erasure releases by going for uptempo, dance club beats. While this is a welcome departure from "Nightbird" and "Loveboat", Mr. Bell's producers fail to create an original piece of art. 14 tracks of mostly thumping drums and bass becomes slightly tedious by the end of the disc. There are a few slower tracks, but the interesting thing here is that Andy does not seem to offer anything more personal than what we've already heard on Erasure's previous works. It's understandable that Andy may have wanted to just to a straightforward dance record, and in that case, he succeeds to a degree.

Three songs have the potential for cracking the top 40 if promoted properly. "Caught In A Spin" has a nice "Freedom-like" beat with guitar flourishes that set itself apart from the rest of the cd. "Jealous" had great vocals and synths, and might be the most Erasureish track on the disc. "Delicious" has a great stomping dancefloor beat and the vocal trades by Bell and Brucken are excellent. "Love Oneself", "I Thought It Was You" and "See The Lights" would be secondary club hits. I disagree with "Crazy" being the first single, and I actually find it to be one of the weaker tracks on the disc. The best ballad is definitely "The Rest Of Our Lives".

Interestingly, since I've been buying popular music for over 20 years, I enjoyed all the retro-80's synth noises and swaths. I'd swear that one song combined the Pet Shop Boys's "Love Comes Quickly" with Donna Summer's "I Feel Love". There were several other synthetic flourishes that reminded me of other new wave/disco songs of yore. Overall, as a first album, Andy goes a long way in terms of breathing life back into electronic music, though it's not as original or edgy as I would have liked. If anything, we Erasure fans can just borrow tracks from this disc and mix our own compilation of Erasure/Bell music. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone but hardcore Erasure fans will be checking this out as there doesn't seem to be any promotion behind this disc.

First of all: Andy is one of the best pop singers who ever existed! His voice is unique and he sings like a "soul" singer, I mean he sings with real feeling. He perfectly knows how to associate his vocal technique with pure emotion. It's not by chance he loves Motown. Second of all: Ok, he doesn't want to change the way how we see the world with his lyrics like "Morrissey" does, but he's one of the few pop lyricists who talks about love many times without sounding annoying or stupid (and this is also intelligence). Summing up: Andy is talented enough to make a brilliant record without the genious Vince Clarke and this wonderful work called Electric Blue is a proof of this fact. By the way, Manhattan Clique really aren't any "Vince Clarke", but they definitely know how to create amazing infectious beats. I've been considered the best tracks here are the two ones recorded with Claudia Brucken: Love Oneself & Delicious and the one recorded with Jake Shears: the absolutely shaking/delightful I Thought It Was You. All these duets make me consider Andy should record a covers album only with duets. Nevertheless I love equally the hit single Crazy, Jealous, Runaway, I'll Never Fall In Love Again and the half ballad/half dancing Fantasy. It's not a work for being compared with Erasure's ones indeed, specially because it doesn't own the accurate melodic sense from Vince, but I think it's undeniable Andy + Manhattan Clique could make a brilliant "disco/dance music" record!

For lovers of dance and electro this is a great album!
I love Erasure. And this album can easily stand the test with their best work (according to me that would be "Chorus" and "I Say I Say I Say") There is absolutely no weak spot on this album. Every track is awesome. It breathes the atmosphere of some of the best Kylie tracks and it's everything what the latest Madonna could and should have been. The only track i don't like that much is "I Thought It Was You" But that's just personal taste. These songs are true confessions on a dancefloor! It'll be really hard to top this perfect pop cd!

'Electric Blue' by Andy Bell strives to excel, and I was more than pleasantly surprised at Mr. Bell's first solo effort.

ABOUT THE TRACKS:
Other than the 'Intro' which is only a minute or so long, there are 11 songs with strong basslines and chord shifts, 2 are slower ballads (I suppose they are a requisite on any soloist's debut), and out of the 11 'dance' songs (I despise using genre catch phrases), I really love 10 of them.

The first release from the Andy Bell is 'Crazy', and will probably be a regular club track. I did notice that he modified that 'upwards swooping sound' which you hear in the Erasure song 'Chorus' and used that in 'Caught in a Spin'... The track 'Shaking My Soul' is a departure, however, that I think could have been a good B-side.

Despite the endless comparisons to the Erasure canon from other reviewers that begin to annoy, I will reluctantly make a few myself: 'Electric Blue' has a lot of the energy that 'Chorus' had... which I'm glad about, a little of the weirdness of 'Wild!', and the 2 songs with Claudia Bruecken are EXCELLENT (remember her from the original line-up of the band Propaganda who penned the tracks 'P-Machinery', 'Jewel/Duel', not to mention the infamous 'Dr. Mabuse'?). The track 'I Thought It Was You' with Jake Shears from Scissor Sisters which works fantastically... Mr. Shears mostly sings backup in what is like a 'hyped-up Jimmy Sommerville-type' voice, yet not falsetto, and not too eclipsing... it just WORKS in a way I cannot describe (one must hear).

In addition, what I noticed is that the best thing of all (to me) is that, in each song, the different melodic sections are shifted suddenly and distinctly accentuated in an electric-dynamic fashion, keeping the listener's interest. Plus, the title track, 'Electric Blue', stands out in a uniquely thematic way, bringing together musical AND lyrical aspects of the rest of the album; furthermore having some accessible yet simultaneously bizarre lyrics, which are pure fun. My favorite line in that track, which was a big surprise for me to hear is: "When we dance to 'Supernature', hold your hands in space...". I remember seeing Erasure perform 'Supernature' in a high-school auditorium in Germany and the visual set was a creative coup (ok, perhaps I embellish), complete with space outfits and bubble helmets, as well as big alien flowers and lots of glitter... it was a blast.

Now I wouldn't call Electric Blue PHENOMENAL or a MASTERPIECE; and I do understand what the other reviewers have said, yet it is superlative for the dance genre in this time of Britney Spears et al... and if by deductive reasoning most of the songs make you dance involuntarily (and immediately) in your flat or apartment, how much more can you ask?? :) Mr. Bell's voice is full and strong on this release and I certainly hope we will hear more (solo) from him within a short time.

P.S. For those who say that the best parts of 'Electric Blue' sound like Erasure, well, why not have a NEW cake and eat it too? Is there not room? Also, to Mr. Bell's credit, all of Erasure's music was NOT penned by Vince Clarke alone. 'Nuf said.

I really enjoyed this. I don't think the quality of the songs are what you expect from Erasure, but I think this will be the first chance in years to hear Andy's voice in the clubs. Erasure albumns used to have 3 or 4 of these great club friedly tracks, and I have to agree that perhaps it's Vince's lack of interest in Erasure, becuase this albumn proves that Andy can still whip out a couple of fun dance tracks. These songs with the overall engineering of Erasure would be marvelous.

Never having heard Erasure, I arrived at "Electric Blue" without preconception. Speculation by other reviewers about how Bell's announcement that he's HIV-positive affected the slower pace of Erasure's "Nightbird" CD has been contrasted with the upbeat techno dance music on this disc. I have three favorite tracks and a couple near favorites from this set. "Crazy" laces a strong steady dance beat with some powerful Bell vocals, "He never told a lie & if you're sweet tonight, I'll have an alibi cause my desire is running down a city street." "Shaking My Soul" marries a soul groove with a dance beat and produces an addictive blend with Bell's vocals powering the package, "Starting to drive my soul now down to the ground and through the dancefloor." "See the Lights Go Out" is also an addictive mix of techno beat with emotionally powerful lyric making the track seem like a reprise from "Flashdance," "I thought that I was going nowhere until the day you walked into my life with a will to survive." "Jealous" & "Delicious" are also excellent. Bell is joined by Propaganda's Claudia Brucken and Scissor Sister Jake Shears on several tracks. "Electric Blue" provides many stunning moments. Enjoy!

My worst fear was that, without his Erasure partner Vince Clark, Andy Bell's album would be nothing more than Andy's beautiful tenor singing mediocre songs to generic dance beats. Thankfully, that is not the case. "Electric Blue" is, in fact, a dance album, but it's not only well-sung, but also filled with solid songwriting and excellent production. "Electric Blue", along with Madonna's "Confessions on a Dancefloor", might very well be the start of a "future disco" movement. Both CD's combine heartfelt, catchy pop songs with electronic music that is both futuristic and retro. My only criticism of Andy's album is that the two ballads seem tepid compared to the rest of the songs. Perhaps Andy might have been better off following Madonna's lead and sticking with the electrifying beats.

Highlights: "Crazy", "Love Oneself", "Electric Blue"

I happened to have heard "Crazy" on a website, and I didn't think much of it...until now. I have listened to the song various times and I'm hooked. If you buy this album and compare it with Erasure, of course you will be dissapointed. Try to listen it without Erasure in mind and you will find that it wont leave your cd player for a few weeks. Sure, some people despise the electronic sound of today's dance music rendering as cheap, but who really has time to make their own music as good as this? I consider "Electric Blue" to stand out on it's own from anything that Erasure has done and I actually find their ballad-filled recent albums to be somewhat tiring. Not this. All in all, this is a true gem for anyone who collects synth pop, or anything related to Andy Bell and Vince Clarke.