Customer Reviews

Go West

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Before turning more toward pop-soul pursuits in 1992's comeback, "Indian Summer," Go West was a great rock band with a soul feel. Peter Cox's vocals are still unique in popular music, and there's some superb instrumentation, too, courtesy of Richard Drummie and the session players.

"We Close Our Eyes" was the hit, but "Don't Look Down," "S.O.S.," and "Haunted" are the hardest-rocking tracks. Go West also manages to turn in fine versions of 1980s standard song-types: "Goodbye Girl" is the fallen-out-of-love ballad, "Don't Look Down," the let's-not-question-love rocker.

But it's the instrumentation -- and Cox's soulful voice counts as an instrument here -- that makes the songs. Alan Murphy turns in great guitar solos, and check out the sax riff from Mel Collins near the end of "Eye to Eye." Go West would return to the featured sax solo on "Indian Summer," with Kirk Whalum taking over duties (the beginning of "Still in Love" is a classic).

The album as a whole has a quirky sensibility, from the hard-to-decipher lyrics to the small sketches on the liner that seem to mirror the songs. Who really has any clue what Cox is singing about on "Missing Persons"? What the heck is happening to Cox and Drummie in the cover photos? What does it all mean anyway? Who cares, just buy the album. It's the most consistently superb of Go West's regular albums, and Cox's voice alone makes it worth the trip.

I remember the British duo Go West from their videos on MTV in the mid-80's. I remember watching the clip for "We Close Our Eyes," which featured lead singer Peter Cox swinging a sledgehammer as he sang (at least, I think it was a sledgehammer), with these weird animated figures dancing behind him, while Cox's partner Richard Drummie popped in every so often with a guitar. Although they only made three albums, and seemed to have disbanded for good after 1992, Go West definitely had some catchy tunes. Their self-titled debut from 1985 is a great album of first-rate 80's pop. Great finger-snapping numbers throughout, including such Go West classics as "We Close Our Eyes," "Don't Look Down" and "Call Me," and other uptempo winners like "S.O.S." and "Goodbye Girl." Peter Cox's voice is excellent, and the album's production is energetic (love those keyboards, too!). If you love 80's pop, then Go West is definitely a group for you to check out. Go, Go West!

If you're a-wantin' more Go West after getting their greatest hits compilation, this should be your next stop. The music is powerfully done, and Peter Cox sings with that new wave Motown flair. The lyrics are occasionally muddled - after almost fifteen years, I still don't know what the heck some of these songs are about - but the good performances keep you from noticing. Godo stuff.

The debut of the british pop duo(with no similarities to Wham!) Peter Cox & Richard Drummie which lit the UK on fire and soon after the USA with their powerful anthem 'We Close Our Eyes' which still bears a modern feel when compared to some current music. The album boasts numerous top ten smashes. 'Call Me', 'GoodBye Girl' are a few others but what really got my attention were some of the tracks that were never released. 'S.O.S.' is energizing with it's guitar laden mystical feel and 'Haunted' boasts one of the best quitar solos I've ever heard to this day. 'Missing Persons' is an eerie track with a unique flair of percussion and effects coupled with soulful overtones. 'Innocence' is also one of the album's more hard edged rock tracks with layers of acoustic and bass. The vocals of Peter Cox didn't go unnoticed as shortly after the album's release they were approached to record a track for the film 'Rocky 4' and 'We Close Our Eyes' was featured on the 'Demons' soundtrack. One thing worth mentioning is the band's attention to writing bass parts as an integral part opposed to just filler. If you like this album you'll also want to check out the remix album 'Bangs & Crashes'

Clocking in at almost 38 minutes, this self-titled debut album from Go West was released in 1985. The material is in a pop musical direction. Nine tracks are contained. The songwriting is tight, the musicianship is solid, and the sound quality is gratifying. Peter Cox does a nice job with the singing. My favorite songs are "Call Me," "Goodbye Girl," and "Missing Persons." "Call Me" is a gem that exhibits smooth, engaging keyboard work--especially on the intro--and a first-rate chorus. The pretty ballad "Goodbye Girl" features an attractive refrain, while the relaxed "Missing Persons" provides nice, breezy-sounding guitar playing. The CD booklet includes the song lyrics, a black-and-white photo of the band, and nine black-and-white drawings. This is a recommendable piece of work.

If you want the best of Go West, then get this CD. Every song on it is a pop masterpiece. Everything they released after this is bland in comparison.

I don't know who pegged this genre onto this band, but it's a fairly fitting one (made more so when they covered "Tracks of My Tears" several years later). New wave keyboards outweigh the guitars, and the melodies and the hooks outpace the lyrics. The results can be rather iffy if the lyrics are too obtuse for their own good ("Picture a stranger/footsteps in gaberdine" from "SOS", which also has intrusive keyboard lines), but more often than not the pieces all come together into enjoyable bite-size pop songs. "Goodbye Girl" is a pleasant ballad, and "We Close Our Eyes", "Call Me" and "Innocence" make for fun listening. This album sounds better if you don't dissect it too much - good for driving, cleaning house, or doing your finances.

This is a great cd. Every song on this cd is wonderful!! I loved Go West back in the day, and I rediscovered them again recently listening to my satellite radio 80's station.

Track Listings
1. We Close Our Eyes
2. Don't Look Down
3. Call Me
4. Eye to Eye
5. Haunted
6. S.O.S.
7. Goodbye Girl
8. Innocence
9. Missing Persons

Cox' earnest effort and the quality of his voice is what makes this an 80s classic. His vocal range is illustrated in songs like "Don't Look Down", "Call Me" and "Eye To Eye".

But I'm not much of a fan of the instrumentation; it's somewhat weak and predictable with its wah-wah guitars and simplistic percussion. Peter Cox' dynamic voice is the main attaction, but even he falters by singing songs with such corny lyrics (I had to say that, even though I love this album).

But I still give this album 5 stars. Why? Because Peter Cox sings the heck out of every song.