Customer Reviews

Riddle

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those of you looking for the song "Wouldn't It Be Good", it can be found on the CD "Human Racing", NOT on this one. Nevertheless, this is still a very good album, with a couple of highlights being "The Riddle" and "Don Quixote". Having seen Nik Kershaw 'live', I was quite surpised by the draw he had on young, screaming, teens, especially in light of the fact that his songs are more complex in arrangement and in performance than one might first suspect. Very original and some of the better 80's music produced.

just thinking about "Wouldn't It Be Good". I haven't heard this album in, say, 10-15 years now, and I can still remember virtually every word of every song. Along with "Good", "The Riddle" is one of the best songs of the 80s. This album still haunts me, so I am breaking down and buying it again (on CD this time!).

I've read the reviews of "The Riddle", and I cannot say anything different from the rest of the reviews...truly an excellent piece of work! Unfortuantely, I do not see what I think is his greatest album listed here, which is "Radio Musicola". I have been a huge fan of Nik's ever since "Human Racing" first came to the USA, but I still regularly listen to "Radio Musicola", even though it is over 13 years old. I am delighted to hear that he is coming out with new work as my devotion as a fan has proven expensive - I can only find his albums while travelling internationally...but he's worth it! Very happy to see there's other fans out there!

this cd still rules, fantastic tracks featured such as Easy(listen to Mark King's guest bass!),Know How, City of angels are unparallelled. You must have this one! Also try finding Radio musicoila and The Works cds, you'll say thanks to me!!!

The 80's is back. Only some of Nik's songs are available on new cd collections so this is a "must have". This album is full of lovely songs. I suddenly felt an urge to start sowing shoulder pads into my blouses again...

I'm giving this 5 stars for one song alone: "The Riddle". The lyrics contains more memorable imagery and phrases than a hundred other "pop" songs (but they do not contain "Babylon 5" or "Manor Baron" unless you mishear it!) The tune itself is insanely catchy. The odd lyrics, according to accounts, were written in a hurry during an early draft as mere filler, and were never replaced. Kershaw has admitted that they were wholly meaningless. The rest of the songs aren't bad (especially "Wild Horses", "Roses", and "Don Quixote"), but I am not sure I would have purchased the CD on the strength of these other songs if "The Riddle" were not present.

Nik Kershaw is one of the most brilliant pop craftsman of the 80's. Unfortunately, he was written off too early as a teen-pop-also-ran just as he released his most cohesive work: The Riddle. Every song shows depth and sparkle and is produced to perfection. "Wild Horses" is a masterpiece and is my favorite NK composition, hands down. Being a keyboard player, I love to listen to the beautiful Fairlight work contrasted with Nik's penetrating guitar playing. This recording was never released in the US on CD, but the price of an import is well worth it. And if you can find his next two releases, "Radio Musicola" and "The Works" (not to be confused with a hits collection), consider yourself blessed. Pop perfection!

Nik Kershaw's second album (after Human Racing) is probably his best known. Featuring the singles, The Riddle, Wide Boy and Don Quixote this album built on his debut's success.

For any fan of *good* eighties music this album is a must - many of the other tracks on it probably should've been singles also, such as "You Might" and "Wild Horses".

Many celebrated 80s musicians featured on this album also, with Level 42's Mark King guest bassing on "Easy".

Watch out in September 1998 - Nik has a new album coming out called "15 minutes".

Tracklist
1 Don Quixote 4:56
2 Know How 4:51
3 You Might 3:16
4 Wild Horses 3:59
5 Easy 4:12
6 The Riddle 3:53
7 City Of Angels 3:55
8 Roses 3:57
9 Wide Boy 3:25
10 Save The Whale 6:00

nik kershaw had a hell of a time in the mid 80's, scoring two top 5 albums in a single year but never quite managing to deliver a no. 1 single. the riddle is easily the best of his (to date) four studio albums, combining dancability, a flair for clever lyricism and a dissarming poignancy, sadly lost on the majority of the record buying public. high points include the touching Wild Horses, the cryptic Riddle and the downright mocking City of Angels. this is an album as relevant today as 15 years ago.