Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Astley's Talent Is The Real Thing, December 13, 1999
Back in 1988 when Rick Astley first came onto the music scene, I thought he would have his hit and then just fade away. True, the Stock Aitken and Waterman songs sound identical, but Rick's vocal and guitar work help to break some of the monotony. I have had this album since it was released and if you only listen to the S.A.W. hits, then you would not think this is a good effort at all.Pass on those and listen to his originals like "Slipping Away," "No More Looking For Love," and "You Move Me," those three are just awesome! To end it all, he really gives a beautiful rendition of the standard "When I Fall In Love" that squashes the later version put out by Celine Dion. He does it a-la Nat King Cole style that pushes this record to the 4 star limit. Not quite 5 because of the cheesy S.A.W. production. Rick deserves a hand for his TALENT. Enough said.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Definitive Rick of Yesterday, April 18, 2000
Rick Astley stormed onto the pop scene in 1987 with Whenever You Need Somebody. Even 13 years later, "Never Gonna Give You Up" and "Together Forever" are light rock radio station standards. However, if all you know are those two songs from this release, you are missing out on some fantastic music.You probably are familiar with "Never Gonna Give You Up" - it's a pre-requisite if you're actually looking up Rick Astley here - so I won't analyze it. The title track "Whenever You Need Somebody" is just as up beat, fast paced and catchy and could have easily been another hit. If you loved NGGYU and TF, you will go crazy for this song. Next is "Together Forever" - again needing no analysis. "It Would Take a Strong Strong Man" was also released as a single, but it didn't quite have the success of the other two. That's a shame, because the song is incredibly strong and shows Rick's depth and sensitive side. "The Love Has Gone" is a groovin' song with an r&b feel that continues the momentum that has been building the entire album. "Don't Say Goodbye" goes back to the fun pop style so typical of this Stock Aitken Waterman production. While fun, "Slipping Away," to me, is the weakest song on the album. It lacks depth and direction; it doesn't know if it wants to be a pop song or an r&b song. Fabulous hooks and backup singing make "No More Looking for Love" another pop favorite that could have been a hit. Another good yet slightly below par song is "You Move Me." The song has fabulous orchestration, and the refrain is good, but the actual story of the song is a bit, well, strange (his boss at work firing him because he's infatuated?). The last song, "When I Fall In Love," I will leave to the listener to decide. This was the first time I'd heard the song, and Rick basically taught me this song (I've sung it twice on cruise ships, thanks to Rick's "training"). But this is a standard, and people don't like artists messing with standards. At least IMHO, Rick does Nat King Cole justice. This release easily deserves a 5 star rating, and it places among my top 20 releases of all time. There are always arguments that the content is a bit trite and hackneyed and that the Stock Aitken Waterman orchestration is over produced. But the bottom line is that this is a fun, catchy, classic album. I hadn't listened to this release for years. But as soon as I popped it in for this review, I remembered every lyric and nuance, singing happily along. What pulls it all together, as has been echoed by fellow reviewers, is Rick's talented voice that works so well with the material. This release defined Rick Astley at the beginning of his career and solidified his position as an 80s pop icon. So if you never bought a Rick Astley album, but you love listening to "Never Gonna Give You Up" and "Together Forever" on your favorite light rock station, Whenever You Need Somebody is a must buy for your listening enjoyment that will be worth every penny.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good starting point for Rick Astley, April 11, 2003
Rick Astley was yet another client of the 1980's Stock-Aitken-Waterman bubblegum pop hit machine like Kylie Minogue and Bananarama. His debut, Whenever You Need Somebody, yielded three hit singles including "Never Gonna Give You Up" and its equally infectious twin "Together Forever." But despite their sound, Astley was a talented vocalist from the start. Imagine Tear For Fears's Roland Orzabal lightening up but losing the falsetto-that's Rick Astley.That S-A-W disco sound meshed with the strings-synthesizer really enhanced Astley in his #1 hit single "Never Gonna Give You Up." It sounds like a real utopian promise for girls: "Never gonna give you up/never gonna tell a lie/never gonna break your heart and desert you." Ditto "Together Forever", which despite sounding so much like the previous song, deserves special mention of its own. Anyone wanting an upbeat wedding song should play this: "Together forever and never to pass/Together forever with two/And don't you know I would move heaven and earth/to be together forever with you." Awwwwww, isn't that sweet? The engaging title track is a cousin of Bananarama's "I Heard A Rumour," though without the splashy oomph of the trio. The third single, "It Would Take A Strong Strong Man" veers into 70's soul like Aaron Neville or Barry White. How does he feel about this woman? Take the words of the title, then add "to ever let you go." If the couple wed to "Together Forever" ended up on the skids, they could play "The Love Has Gone" in the divorce lawyer's office. Despite the usual backbeat, Rick displays a slightly subdued tone and small wonder. He also displays a unique pinched sound at a lower register. "Don't Say Goodbye" returns to that lively burst of sound and it does offer some source of hope that the previous song doesn't: "Time has made us strangers, maybe we can't go on/but if love can take the changes/don't say goodbye girl." "Slipping Away" continues the pace and has some brass in it. "No More Looking For Love" has some soulful backing vocalists and Rick's lower register. "You Move Me" is a disheartening song about a man who loses his dead-end job and wonders what went wrong, but at least he has his girl. The album ends with the Nat King Cole standard "When I Fall in Love," proving that he does ballads well. For further proof, there's "Cry For Help" from his Free album. A good start from Astley, whose last gasp of greatness would be his contribution to Elton John's Lion King song, but hey, if Kylie Minogue can make a comeback, why can't he?
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