Listen [Original recording remastered]

Flock Of Seagulls | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 12, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Superfecta
• ASIN: B0002ZDW80
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #301,308 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Wishing

2. Nightmares

3. Transfer Affection

4. What Am I Supposed To Do

5. Electrics

6. The Traveller

7. 2:30

8. Over The Border

9. The Fall

10. (It's Not Me) Talking

11. Committed (Extended Version)

12. Quicksand

13. I Ran (Live)

Editorial Reviews

The Grammy-Award winning band's 1983 album finally makes its compact disc debut in the United States. A Billboard Top 20 album, Listen features four hit singles: "Wishing (I Had a Photograph of You)", "Nightmares", "Transfer Affection", and "(It's Not Me) Talking". Three bonus tracks have been added, including the 80s alternative radio classic, "Committed". All songs are newly digitally remastered and the booklet contains complete lyrics for the first time. Furthermore, journalist Stephen "Spaz" Schnee has compiled new liner notes based on a 2004 interview with Mike and Ali Score.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Yes, incomplete... although blissful this was re-released!, November 13, 2004

By 

<Anvil.Chorus> "Socio-Techno-Observo" (the Konza Plains) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Listen (Audio CD)

I am in agreement about the missing tracks "Last Flight of..." and "Rosemantag". Those were two hellaciously alternative songs, given the time of its original release. I will miss them.

I have waited many years to hear this CD again. I originally had the cassette when first released, but after taking that damn cassette everywhere I went for many years, it faded with the scenery. I have looked for the CD version on ebay and every so often one can find one going for $80 out of some remote village half way around the globe. Now that it is rereleased and two very important tracks were omitted I will still wait for that day I can get the original CD on ebay for $50.

The song Committed was a treat for me since I only had a sound snippet memorized in my head from the one time I had heard the song back in 83. Thanks for the memories.

Anyway, get this CD. It, in my humble opinion, is a work of art. The songs are strong and good. THe Production is very much unique for the time, the reverb fills up your speakers and gives an unmistakeable sense of place while you 'listen'. I wish they would have graced the bottom end of the sound spectrum a bit on the remaster, but then it wouldn't true to how Mike Howlett produced it. I guess I can just use my stereo's EQ.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dreamy and Hypnotic; Outstanding New Wave Rock, April 17, 2005

By 

Bookman66 "Book" (Pittsburgh Area, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Listen (Audio CD)

Dreamy and Hypnotic; Outstanding New Wave Rock

All right, I'll admit, maybe this band from Liverpool, England, took themselves just a little too seriously in 1983, what with the silly hairstyles and odd fashion sense. Maybe they let the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental in 1982 go to their hair-do's. And maybe my 4-Star rating might be just a bit inflated, being that I've been an undying fan of AFOS since their first record, which is still today one of my all-time favorite albums. But cast all that aside, and you'll find that this is a darn good album, difficult as that may be for the casual listener to believe. While "Listen" departs from the harder-edged sound of the debut LP, it does find its own groove within a somewhat softer and more techno-fied atmosphere. Don't get me wrong; a few songs still rock pretty good, highlighting the work by amazing lead guitarist Paul Reynolds. But for the most part, the in-your-face guitar licks of the first album are relegated to the middle-ground, or background completely, while the drums and keyboards are pushed forward (could it be that the Score brothers; singer and keyboardist Mike, and drummer Ali, wanted their handiwork to overshadow that of Reynolds and bassist Frank Maudsley? Who knows.). In general, the formula works, in the context of the album as a whole. "Wishing" is brilliant, except for the annoying "buzz" sound heard on every single drum beat of the song (too bad that wasn't eliminated for the remastered release). "Nightmares" reminds one of how it felt to be eight years old and alone in the dark. "Transfer Affection" is a lovely ballad, found also on the Flock's "Best Of" CDs. "What Am I Supposed To Do?" is a fast-tempo tune, but does evoke sadness from the listener, as the song is about a painful breakup. "Electrics", "The Traveler", "Over The Border" and "It's Not Me Talking" are all New Wave-Rock oriented, while "2:30" seems to be really not much of anything; just synth effects that open with what sounds like an earthquake. Only "The Fall" causes me to hit the skip button. It's not all that bad, just a bit too slow and a bit too monotonous, even for the `Gulls. Two of the three bonus tracks are worth the price of the disc alone. The grunge-like "Quicksand" could have been a rock-radio favorite, had the group used it as a single instead of a b-side. It still stands up as one of the Flock's very best rock songs. And the live version of "I Ran" (the b-side of "It's Not Me Talking", at least in the U.S.) manages to capture the raw energy of the original studio recording. For some reason, there are two songs from the original CD and cassette releases that are missing from this reissue; "Rosenmontag" and "The Last Flight of Yuri Gagarin." Both were weird techno-flavored instrumentals, which tells me that AFOS, along with other British synth-rock bands and artists (like Gary Numan), were musical visionaries rather than One Hit Wonders. So if you're reading this you must be thinking about buying the CD. Do it, and also what the title suggests.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of the brooding synth-pop, October 25, 2004

By 

SRFireside "ZOOM!" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Listen (Audio CD)

This is by far the best AFOS album ever. It hits the epitome of the band's talent and puts them inside a genre of music that at the time had no name. This was a dark and brooding album that oozes angst and that ominous gothic sound while at the same time being very new wave. It's not until years later this kind of sound gets more exposed when industrial music hits the airwaves. A Flock of Seagulls were one of the first.

WISHING and TRANSFER AFFECTION are obvously the reasons why most of you would get this album since they are the two most notable hits.

OVER THE BORDER is my favorite in this album and those of you who like electronic music would probably get into it if you got into Gary Numan's Cars. Granted these are two totally different songs, but they both give me the same goose bumps.

THE FALL and NIGHTMARES are definitely for the post modern crowd. Very brooding. Very well done.

The rest of the songs are an interesting mix of new wave style music pushing a little more on the fringes than pop. Still a lot of good tracks here. If you're a fan of 80's industrial or post modern techno-synth music then this one's for you.