Remembrance Days / Different Kind of Weather

Dream Academy | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 27, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collectables
• ASIN: B000A6CKYI
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,085 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Indian Summer

2. The Lesson of Love

3. Humdrum

4. Power to Believe

5. Hampstead Girl

6. Here

7. In the Hands of Love

8. Ballad in 4/4

9. Doubleminded

10. Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Love

2. Mercy Killing

3. Lucy September

4. Gaby Says

5. Waterloo

6. Twelve-Eight Angel

7. St. Valentine's Day

8. It'll Never Happen Again

9. Forest Fire

10. Lowlands

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You can dream again., September 27, 2005

By 

Tim Brough "author and music buff" (Springfield, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Remembrance Days / Different Kind of Weather (Audio CD)

How sweet - the two lesser known Dream Academy albums at a budget price.

Given that most radio oriented material (i.e., hits) rely on beats, hooks and heavy dynamic probably doomed the Dream Academy to one hit wonder status after the global success of "Life In A Northern Town." That song relied deeply on atmospherics and carried onto radio on the strength of its "Hey ma ma ma" hook. At best, the most Dream Academy could hope for was to replicate that first single and hope the warm memories of their debut could help them build their success to the next level.

With "Remembrance Days," you can certainly say they tried. "Indian Summer," the melancholy diary of a May - September romance gallantly tries to recreate the mood of that first hit, but comes up short. The blame partially rests on producers Richard Daschut, Lindsay Buckingham and Hugh Padgham, who seemed intent on transforming much of Dream Academy's baroque pop more into the slicker sheen of Thompson Twins or Phil Collins. (Think "In The Air Tonight" while listening to "Humdrum.") That's not to say that "Remembrance Days" is any less an album than the debut. In fact, the best song here, "The Power To Believe" was featured in the John Hughes movie "Planes Trains and Automobiles," a song like "In Exile" shows increased musical sophistication from the debut, and "In The Hands Of Love" could have been a hit ala Thompson Twins' "Doctor Doctor." It's the album's sole cover song that is "Remembrance Days'" weakest moment, The Korgis' ballad "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime."

All in all, a marvelous moody piece of work. Worth seeking out if Renaissance music from the mid 80's is your cup of tea. 4 stars.

After the commercial indifference dealt to the Dream Academy's second album, the trio took a three year break between albums to regroup. When they reformed, it was with David Gilmour again in tow, but with this more pop than paisley effort. "A Different Kind of Weather" found the band scrambling to catch up with sounds that they were never a part of in the first place. Sugary confections like "Lucy September" held more echoes of Duran Duran/Thompson Twins than Pink Floyd and Paul Simon, and much of the baroque magic that made the first two albums so unique had disappeared.

It's obvious that The Dream Academy still had aspirations to the atmospheric pleasantries of their original sound, best captured, oddly enough, on "A Different Kind Of Weather's" two cover songs. The orchestrated version of Tim Buckley's "It'll Never Happen Again" sounds like a natural outgrowth of Laird-Clowes' melancholy, and the Hindu chants that infuse John Lennon's "Love" made that song a "shoulda-been" hit from the period when Enigma was introducing the world to "Sadeness." But despite the ambition, it was also clear that the band had run out of ideas. The sad carnival sounds that close out "Not For Second Prize" provided a symbolic coda to not only "A Different Kind Of Weather," but to The Dream Academy's lifespan as well. 3 1/2 stars.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Remembrance Days" - one of the 10 greatest CDs of the 1980s, July 31, 2010

By 

Mogulmeister "mogulmeister" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Remembrance Days / Different Kind of Weather (Audio CD)

"Remembrance Days" is easily one of the 10 best CDs of the entire 1980s. The fact that it has been reissued with "Different Kind of Weather," a weak 3rd and final release from the band, is still cause to celebrate, because "Remembrance Days" is so extraordinarily good that it makes the 2nd CD irrelevant. I fundamentally disagree with Dream Academy reviewers who see The Dream Academy's self-titled debut as their masterpiece, and "Remembrance Days" as a lesser effort. I would put it the other way around. Their debut CD is a solid 4-star effort and has many high points but is very inconsistent. "Remembrance Days," however, is in another stratosphere altogether, a high-quality outing from beginning to end with little to criticize and much to praise.

I remember that back in 1987 when it came out, there was an undercurrent of disrespect for "Remembrance Days" because of the involvement of Hugh Padgham and Patrick Leonard, producers respectively of Genesis and Madonna, who were far too "uncool" for many fans of the band. Padgham made the "mistake" of giving "Remembrance Days" far superior sound quality than the self-titled CD, and Patrick Leonard made the "mistake" of collaborating on a few wonderful songs, not the least of which was "The Lessons of Love." But from beginning to end, this is The Dream Academy's effort, and "Remembrance Days" is great music, not merely good music. It has it all, and it holds up exceptionally well. The band outdid themselves, creating beautiful songs, extraordinary harmonies, and a wonderful vibe. It's a shame they put out one very weak CD after this and then broke up, but even for a brief career, they achieved greatness. I can't pick one "best" song on "Remembrance Days" because so many are so good, but certainly standouts include "Indian Summer", "The Lessons of Love," "Power To Believe," "Hampstead Girl," "In The Hands of Love," and "In Exile". And I could probably throw a few more songs on that list but at that point I'd just be listing the CD's contents. OK, maybe I could have done without "Doubleminded." That's about the only negative thing I can say about this disc.