Customer Reviews

Look Sharp! (2009 Remastered Version - Includes Bonus Tracks)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was the first album I ever bought. I felt a bit naughty buying it cos my parents wouldn't let me listen to rock music. How things have changed. I even play myself now. Well anyway. I still own it and still think its an awesome album. Listen to Your Heart is still quite often heard on the radio here and now with its new dance remake. I bought it for The Look. I didn't really like the song when I first heard it. I thought it was a bit naughty but it really grew on me and I became a big fan and have been ever since. This album is like a greatest hits album. I like every song on it.
The Look has that awesome guitar riff that gets you from the beginning that noone has been able to emulate and those awesome lyrics. Its hip from the beginning and you can never tyre of it.
Dressed For Success - funky mixture of Per and Marie. Naughty and hip. Rebellious. Still sounds great.
Sleeping Single - more of a blues souly jazzy number with its sax. mixed with a bit of funk.
Paint - This is one of my favourite songs off the album - "I get a love shock electric from the touch of your hand, I'm getting lost in the rhythms of the modern man". Cool mixture of Per and Marie. Funky rock track.
Dance Away - Unleashes Marie's powerful vocals and soul. Love this line "even the groove has got that bitter taste of a lie".
Could have been a hit for Dirty Dancing.
Cry - This song has really grown on me over the years. It is a really nice ballad. Up there with all the others.
Chances - This was single apparently to my surprise. Has a sweeping element to it. 80s guitar. funky. It gets me singing when I am listening. A surprise element.
Dangerous - Well what can i say. Everyone wants a girl whose a little bit dangerous. Cool Chorus - hip. "I'm not attracted to go go, Viva tonight". Love that harmonica. Not played so much on the radio these days. Sometimes you hear it at retro nights.
Half A Woman, Half A Shadow - funky, sing along track.
View From A hill - Again a funky little number that gets you when you listen.
I Could Never Give You Up - This was never on the cassette when I first bought it and I felt I was missing out on something and sure enough I was. This is a cool song with Per mainly at the helm. "I watch your rainbow rise" Nice imagery. "I'll carry your heart like a bridge"
Shadow of A Doubt - Another sweeping song with epic qualities. milking Marie's awesome voice.
Listen to Your Heart - When you hear that trademark opening piano on the radio you know its coming. Your favourite band being played again. Awesome ballad always has been and always will. Epic and sweeping.

It was great revisiting this album to review it. It brings back a lot of nostalgia from when I was about 12 and first bought it. And all the times that I have heard these songs since. Listening to it and trying to persuade my parents that it was good music and there was nothing bad about it. Getting hassled by my sister and brother for never growing out of Roxette. First Cut is the Deepest. This was the first band and has stuck with me ever since. I have every one of their albums and this still remains right up there with the best of them. I think a lot of Roxette fans would agree that they have taken a lot of flack for staying true to this band. People laugh when you say your favourite band is Roxette. Its always been a bit of a closet thing for me but at every opportunity I have tried to get others interested with some success. It has almost become a mission. An obsessed fan perhaps. But when you listen to these and their other albums you'll understand why! There is a bit for every part of you in Roxette. There is a Roxette song for everything. They have that dynamic duo mix of female and male that makes them appealing to every romantic. And have such versatility - funy, rocky, New Wave, dance, folk, country, soul, jazz, hip hop almost even, blues, metalish at times, 60s, 70s 80s 90s, they are an ecclectic mix of everything and that's what continues to make them interesting. Every song is different - not like toher artists where you buy one album and every song sounds the same on it. I think its the versatility of having a male and female artist who were both solo artists before. Happy listening.

The lack of credit that Roxette gets really annoys me. Even though "Look Sharp!" sold over 8 million copies, they always seemed to be overshadowed by other pop artists like Madonna and Michael Jackson at the time. Now it seems like a lot of people have just forgotten about them in the US. Their last two CD's, "Have A Nice Day" and "Room Service" were amazing, but none of the American labels would even release it here! It's just sad and it p*sses me off. Ok, I'm done complaining.

"Look Sharp!" and all of Roxette's other CD's, have some of the best pop music you'll ever here. Per Gessle's really catchy music and lyrics and Marie Fredriksson's incredible singing ability is just a killer combination. My favorites on this are "The Look," "Dressed For Success," "Cry," "Chances," "Dangerous," and "Listen To Your Heart." The rest of the songs are really good too. Highly recommended!!

I was initially dubious about an album which contained lyrics about people 'hitting like a hammer' & moreover, owing allegiance to ABBA as Sweden's best export, I thought Roxette were a 1-hit wonder. And they say what goes around comes around..... 13 years after purchasing this CD, I still remain an avid fan of Roxette, (whose latest albums are at times better than when they were dominating the world). This album did 'it' for Per & Marie. You know the story of how they were discovered internationally............ This CD boasts 4 timeless hits songs which still sound as fresh today as way back then. The Look, with Marie's powerful NaNaNas, which segues perfectly into Dressed For Success - the opening 3 seconds alone make you hairs stand on end. What a voice Ms Fredrikkson has. The power anthem Listen To Your Heart is perhaps one of soft-rocks canonised songs - it is on practically every Rock Ballad cd compilation out there & you can tell why. Dangerous is the weakest single & perhaps one of the weakest trax on the album. EMI were spoilt for choice here. Cry is a dramatically gorgeous ballad which could have been Number 1, while Dance Away & Sleeping Single have 'hot' written over them. My fave track however is Shadow Of A Doubt. Understated pop, it reveals the dexterity of Marie's vocals & Gessle's mastery as a song-writer. With every song written by the man himself, & with 9 million avid purchasers of the album, the group were on a winner & makes the audience hungry for more from these power rockers. If you don't own this CD, you could do a lot worse with $15.

It still sounds great if not better than it did 10 years ago. It broke ground when it was released at the time because it was "dance music with a kick". The opening guitar lick in "The Look" is classic. This album helped me through some rough times in 1989. I can't believe it's been 10 years already.

"Look Sharp" is overall more upbeat and fun than "Tourism" or "Joyride." The songs "Cry,""Half A Woman, Half a Shadow," and "Listen To Your Heart" are serious ballads sung beautifully by Marie. This album contains my absolute favorite song "Listen To Your Heart." "I Could Never (Give You Up)" is great as well.. I could go on forever about each of these songs! This album caught my ear in elementary school and happened to be my first-ever music purchase. Music will never be the same--this is a classic. I highly recommend "Look Sharp"--every song is unique, and this album is a fun listening experience.

It is worth your money if you like roxette, belive me!!!! It is fantastic!

PER GESSLE IS A MUSIC GENIUS - this must be said. The man's songwriting talent is Tremendous. He might have some problems when it comes to Lyrics, but his ability to create a Memorable Melody that people will Love is Tremendous.
He picks up right from where ABBA's Bjorn and Benny left off.
Amd those Combinations of Rock and Dance/Disco work like Magic for Roxette.

Infectious Melodies and Hooks that Stick in your Head, is what makes Per's Tunes Truly Unforgettable. And vocals of Marie make these songs Explode (sometimes with Per's Vocal Help).

"Look Sharp" was released in 1988, and contains 13 Unforgettable Hits ("13 Thrilling Programmes in one Night"). It's too bad they could not release all of them as Singles. They would All go Straight to the Top. There aren't any Fillers here, and the album is like a time-capsule with some of those 80's Saxophone sounds.

"The Look", "Dangerous" and "Listen to your Heart" are probably the Best known Songs on this Album. But there are many other songs that are Just as Good (if not Better).

The album is So Great, that it's IMPOSSIBLE to Single out any Track in particular. They are all 100% Hits. IMO this Album Leaves any Album by Madonna or Paula Abdul or Prince IN THE DUST, yeah in the Dust (My opinion).

While most Tracks are in Dance/Rock style with lots of Energy, there is One Incredible Love Ballad called "Cry" - it's a Very Beautiful Song.

Songs "Chances" and "Shadow of a Doubt" have soooo Much Passion in them that it hurts. And a Track like "Sleeping Single", "Paint" and "Dance Away" are Dangerously Catchy and Melodic, and you can't help but move to those Guitar Riffs and Synthesizer lines.

Roxette's Latest album was called "Room Service" (2001) and it was just as Great as their other albums. But Unfortunately US Record Companies don't pay any attention to them anymore. I really wish they would.

This is a Great Album, from a Legendary Dance/Rock/Pop Group, the kind that only happen once in a Lifetime.

Thank You

As the decade of the 80's drew to a close one thing was sure, it was a decade defined by its music. Roxette is one of the great bands that would had had greater success if they had appeared earlier in the decade. This album contains all that was great about 80's music: great lyrics, a driving beat and you can dance to it.

Out of my collection of near 500 CD's, this album is one of the few that I will listen start at track 1 and let it play all 54 minutes. There just isn't a bad song on the entire CD.

Sometimes when you hear a great song on the radio that prompts you to buy the CD, you get one great song and 11 or 12 additional bad songs. Roxette's "The Look" was huge radio hit, but unlike other albums the other 12 tracks on the album are just as good as the title track.

Just like track 9 says, "take your chances" and buy a great CD now.

Roxette made a phenomenal first album in Look Sharp! They made smartly produced pop in this effort, which launched hits with The Look, Dangerous, and the dramatic power ballad Listen To Your Heart. The songs have loads of catchy pop hooks and adventurous landscapes very common with '80s music. Listen sounds dramatic in its 5-minute version versus the single version cut for the radio. Marie Fredrikkson looked a little bit like Madonna of her 1986 True Blue album period, but she had a style of her very own. Her male partner had a unique sexiness to his voice to blend with hers. Male-female pop duos were missing for a decade since the Sonny and Cher, Captain and Tenille and Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. era of the '70s. But it took until 1989 for this to come back, and Roxette made a superb debut album. Their album's lyrics can be a little cliched, but there's a warmth within them in this duo. This album's songs are still played today, and Look Sharp is still a pop classic.

This is a great album and was the first huge album by the sensational Swedish duo.
The album cover insert has all the song lyrics on the back and a newspaper called The Daily Roxette on the front. It tells you off Roxette's adventures, travels, beind the scens people is news paper hard news style stories. Also has some 50's style advertisements within using song titles from this album.

This album is still worth owning if you own the Don't Bore Us Get to the Chorus greatest hits album as the songs which appear on both are different versions on each. The other songs on here are pretty good too.

The Look is of course one of the greatest songs of all time. It used to be my favourite song was I was in primary school back in 1989 and I still love it. It's one of the only Roxette songs where Per, (the guy) is the lead singer. Dressed for Success is another sensational song and you'll often here it being played in the background of news reports of catwalks and fashion shows.

Sleeping Single I'm pretty sure wasn't released and is a great song with a good drum beat in the background about a girl waiting for her guy to come back and prepared to sleep by herself until he does.

Paint is an excellent fast 80's sounding song. Not really about paint for home renovators wanting a song about that, except that is about painting your love all over town. A great song. Dance Away a fast 80's dance style song is one that isn't too dated today. The lyrics are well written.

Cry is a slow paced love song similar style to Listen to Your Heart but completely different lyrics and music. Basically a girl asking why she should cry over you (well not you specifically but some guy she likes). Chances is another fast sensational song about a girl wanting a guy to take a chance on her.

Dangerous is of course one of the classics and was a hit single. It's a sensational fast song with a good beat. About a girl a guy is attracted to being dangerous. Per sings the guys voice with Marie singing the girl's response.

Half a Woman, Half a Shadow is about a girl who is sad therefore half a shadow. Another really good song. View from a Hill is another terrific 80's pop sounding song. I Could Never give You Up has a nice Mediterranean piano sound throughout as well as a consistent drum beat.

Shadow of A Doubt has a similar start to Europe's Final Countdown song before the da da diii doo part beings. Shadow of A Doubt becomes more original as the lyrics begin. It's a nice song to have playing in the background. Listen to Your Heart is one of the best love songs of all time.

You should definitely buy this album.