Peter Pan Effect

Robert Marlow | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 21, 2000)
• Original Release Date: 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Cleopatra
• ASIN: B00004RI7T
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #451,632 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Calling All Destroyers

2. Torch Team

3. The Face of Dorian Gray

4. Easternize

5. Life in a Film

6. The Kiss

7. That Dangerous Age

8. Claudette

9. Ambition

10. Crying for the Moon

11. I Just Want to Dance

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Synth-Pop Time Capsule, January 15, 2008

By 

Justin Waters "Synth Pop Lover" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Peter Pan Effect (Audio CD)

This is one of those albums that I had to take a chance on because (at the time I originally wrote this review in January 2008) there were no audio samples; I had to base my purchasing decision solely on the reviews of total strangers and pray that they knew what they were talking about.

I am happy to say that the reviewers were right on; what a treasure this album is! And it's a wonderful time capsule as well! These songs were produced between 1982 - 1984, however they were never released until about 1999. The magic is the songs don't sound dated. Vince Clarke produced this album, and he and E.C. Radcliffe did the programming. This album has been compared to sounding like early Depeche Mode and Yaz/Yazoo, and while "Ambition" sounds a bit "Speak & Spell"-ish, I think the whole album is more similar in sound to "The Circus"-era Erasure.

I'm not sure why no record company (Mute??) wouldn't have picked up these songs and ran with them; the 80s would have been THE time to have released these songs. However I'm not sure how these songs would have fared without Vince C.'s touches and studio wizardry because there aren't really any strong individual singles. Don't get me wrong; all of the songs are great, it's just that all of the songs are pretty consistent and nothing really stands out as "the song you must hear."

My favorites are "Calling All Destroyers", "The Face Of Dorian Gray", "Claudette" and "Crying For The Moon", which has a "'Great Balls Of Fire' meets Synth-Pop" feel. Clearly the most fun song on the album. And on a side note, did I just date myself with the Jerry Lee Lewis reference? I'm from the Class of '86, so I'm NOT that old!!

This album is worthy of five out of five stars; it's not too long (a little over 37 minutes), and I believe it stands up well next to "Speak & Spell", "Upstairs At Eric's" and "Wonderland." I gave it four stars, partly because I'm not able to rate it 4 1/2, but also because of my own minor quibbles. The first one I previously mentioned - I can't decide if I am captivated by the songs themselves or simply by Vince C.'s production. Also, Vince C. is a genius for what he does with songs. However, the cartoonish "boing" throughout "Torch Team" is somewhat of a distraction. Bleeps and bloops are fine, but a "boing" kind of pushes the envelope. The same goes for the car horn that beeps in time to the beat in "Crying For The Moon" (which I know only happens once, but I'm trying to make a point here). I know he's all about putting out-of-the-ordinary sounds into songs and making them work, but every so often, they can be slightly out of place.

Anyway, instead of pontificating on who's album this really is - Vince Clarke's or Robert Marlow's, I'll take it for what it is - a tasty slice of early 80s new wave synth-pop which if you like the artists mentioned in this review, has to be a part of your collection. This is definitely not some random throwaway album - this will be a favorite.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent early 80's synth-pop, January 10, 2000

By 

Si Wooldridge (Chippenham, Wiltshire England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Peter Pan Effect (Audio CD)

I have to admit, I'd never heard off Robert Marlow until I heard about him on a Synth-pop list when this album was released. I was quite heavily into Depeche Mode and Yazoo so I was pretty interested in hearing this once I found out that Vince Clarke was involved. Vince and EG Ratcliffe did the programming and you can hear the Vince Clarke influence on the sound, but this is very much Marlows record.

My favourite songs on here are Calling All Destroyers, The Face Of Dorian Gray (the video is also included here) and Claudette - a World War II ballad set in France.

I have no idea why this was never released at the time, I'm just glad I had the opportunity to get it now. I haven't stopped playing it for the last 2 weeks.

Now who on earth is Peter Hewson (mentioned in the liner notes) ?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome lost synth-wave lover's dream...with Vince Clark!, April 15, 2005

By 

Daniel W. Kelly (NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Peter Pan Effect (Audio CD)

This has Vince Clark written all over it--sounds very much like Yazoo or early Depeche. Check it out. It's hot.