Customer Reviews

White Feathers

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Upon hearing Kajagoogoo's biggest hit, "Too Shy," a person could easily dismiss them as another trendy 80's band in the fashion of peers like Duran Duran, ABC, and A Flock of Seagulls. You would be wrong, though, because the group may have been outrageous--for those times--in the looks department and had the overratedly cute frontman Limahl who I never particularly felt attracted to, they had good pop sensibilities in their new wave song structures and also displayed a knack for leaning toward contemporary jazz. Say what you will, Nick Beggs is a very good bass player, Limahl's relaxed and often quirky vocals bear a faint resemblance to Boz Scaggs, and Stuart Neale's keyboards really bring home the jazzy aspect of the group. Jez Strode is a competent drummer and Steve Askew has some great, funky riffs that gell with and enhance the other players. Simply put, Kajagoogoo was an underrated band who showed promise on White Feathers, and most Americans didn't stay around long enough to pick up their sophomore album, Islands, which is unbelievably great.

While WF is not my favorite Kajagoogoo album, it boasts great tracks aplenty and, if they sound a bit like Duran Duran, it's only because the album was produced by D2 keyboardist Nick Rhodes and their favorite producer Colin Thurston.

Best songs include "Too Shy" (but of course), but mostly because I love Stuart Neale's keyboards and Steve Askew's rhhthm guitar more than anything.
--"White Feathers" with its synth drum track and some really good guitar riffs.
--"Lies and Promises" is silly fun, and my niece always used to get the lyrics wrong ("Are your lies as good as your brother says?" LOL).
--"Kajagoogoo (Instrumental)" which is good, funky new wave/jazz and blues.
--"Ooh To Be Ah" is a great song about fashion and very dated sounding, but I love it for that very reason.
--"Ergonomics" has a great chorus: "All across the land it's made for the hand."
--"Hang on Now" is by far the best song on WF. It is a beautiful song brimming with sophistication and AC savvy. This song should have been a bigger Stateside hit than it ended up being.

I think that "Magical Man," "Frayo" (which I've never liked) and most of the bonus tracks outside of the extended versions of the original album tracks are throwaways, but "Take Another View" in all its pure new wave quirkiness has won me over after about 6 to 10 plays. This is a great cd version of the album some of us bought back in 1983, but it's too bad more people didn't give the band a chance after they dumped Limahl. The followup is 20 times better! However, if you're simply revisiting your past, this is a good buy, and I recommend it highly.

great cd. It's very unfortunate it was their first and last really quality album, in my opinion. Their last two albums, which feature Nick Beggs( bassist) on vocals, instead of Limahl, really stray from the really cool synthpop sound they have in "White Feathers". if you like the song "Too Shy" this is definitely the cd you should get, instead of the greatest hits. Not that the other songs are bad, they're just not the Kajagoogoo they are in "White Feathers". Every song is very unique and interesting and very good. One of my favorite albums.:)

Yet another 80's band gone into oblivion and one you probably won't brag about listening to. But beneath all the funny hairdos, electronic drums, synthesizers and the slick studio sound (Colin Thurston and Duran Duran keyboard player Nick Rhodes produced), this band actually consists of gifted musicians. Especially the bass player Nick Beggs, whose fat'n'funky slap sound can be heard all over 'Ooh To Be Ah', 'Frayo' and the instrumental 'Kajagoogoo'. It's pure kitsch but very listenable, and you'll have to admit that these guys knew how to craft many a hummable tune. Who doesn't remember 'Too Shy', their catchy No.1 breakthrough? Too bad that the fans turned their backs on this band on their subsequent and more mature releases. Definitely still worth a listen.

The classic pop hit "Too Shy" is a great song: It boasts a foreboding intro, a throbbing bass line at the start and a quirky synthesizer before Limahl's androgynous "Hey girl!" wail kicks in. And of course, the repetative and breathy chorus makes the song. Amazingly, all the other songs on this obscure but outstanding album have the same intriguing musical elements.

Interestingly, the title track song, "White Feathers," might be better than "Too Shy," as is the case with other tunes on this record. On "White Feathers," Limahl nostalgically sings about the friends from his past, and belts out the noble, drunken, somehow romantic line, "One more shot and then down I go my lady, down I go just maybe." For such a young band at the time, Kajagoogoo put forth a weighty vibe when necessary.

Kajagoogoo, a new wave pop band to the tenth degree, were weird but good. The lads had a real sense of style and cool hooks all over. If you enjoy pristine pop music, your ears will perk up to every tune on this album. Some might condemn Kajagoogoo for its ultra-tight 1980s sound, stilted electric drums and the keyboardist's nonstop synth work. But you've got to hear this album for what it is; not all rock music is raging guitars, loud percussion and a screaming lead singer -- and this is coming from someone who loves hard rock music.

As for the songs, "Magician Man" contains a childlike curiosity for the profession it speaks of, with a chorus that features two separate lines oft repeated -- a trick this band was good at. The song "Kajagoogoo" (yes, the band named a song after itself) is a buoyant, high-energy affair as the band members spell out K-A-J-A-G-O-O-G-O-O like excited male cheerleaders at an '80s pep rally. "Ooh To Be Ah" is a spectacular song about the glamorously rich and famous living the cosmopolitan life all over the world, a song that should have been released as a single in America, since it had the potential to perhaps elevate this band past its mere one-hit-wonder status. Indeed, "Ooh To Be Ah" was a big hit in England, deservedly so, after the gigantic "Too Shy."

The jilted love song with the heavy bass, "Hang On Now," WAS released in the U.S. as this band's second single, only to flop miserably. Rounding out "White Feathers" is "This Car is Fast" and "Ergonomics," two tunes that qualify as the ultimate sing-along anthems on this pop masterpiece, as if there weren't enough. Though silly in message and tone, they're fun songs nonetheless. The last song, "Frayo," may be Kajagoogoo's most artistically accomplished effort. With clever and challenging lyrics about civil rights in Denmark, plus formidably hollow keyboard work in the middle of the song, it's truly a standout.

Once again, if you like the song "Too Shy," and you don't mind synthesizers working in place of guitars, you won't regret purchasing this CD.

Those who have a Kajagoogoo/Limahl greatest hits collection (and there are many variations out there) may have been disappointed by the other "singles" beyond the two classic synthpop gems "Too Shy" and "never ending story" and not bothered to explore the bands full length albums further. In terms of White Feathers, the band's only album with Limahl as vocalist, the other singles that show up on compilations, "ooh to be ah" and "hang on now", are the weakest tracks on this brilliant synthdance album. Their downtempo, more jazzy arrangements do not represent the sounds you'll find on this CD--classic early new wave synth sounds in the style of Men Without Hats, Our Daughter's Wedding, and early Depeche. "White Feathers", "Lies and Promises", "Magician Man", "Ergonomics", "This Car is Fast", and "Frayo" are uptempo dance gems, and the bonus track "Interview Rooms" has the Duran Duran influence other reviewers spoke of.

The direction the band took after Limahl's departure was quite different and the follow-up albums just do not have that early 80s 'synth sound' like this classic. This is definitely THE Kajagoogoo CD to have in your collection if you only own one.

While the bonus tracks are great to have, I just want to point out that while there is an instrumental version of Too Shy here AND what is labeled as "The Midnight Mix", this midnight is not the version I am familiar with--it is PREDOMINANTLY instrumental as well. Vocals don't kick in until there is barely a minute and a half left on the mix. For the full vocal midnight mix, you'll have to get your hands on a copy of the CD "Kajagoogoo & Limahl: The Singles."

Was it a pop-group? Maybe. But, worthy of listening. Very talented musician-Nick Beggs(Bass) leaded it. Nice composition, very fresh. I think they were very promising but, I agree, people turned their backs too early. I like their more matured 2nd album, too. As well as U.K., I recommend them.

I originally received Kajagoogoo's debut album "White Feathers" back in the early eighties, as a promo copy along with the 12" dance mix of "Too Shy". The major hit off the album was the infectuous already mentioned "Too Shy" soon followed by "Ooh To Be Ah" and "Hang On Now". The album features outstanding vocals by a young unknown singer named Limahl who sported a typically 80's shag new wave haircut utilizing various fancy tinting techniques. The video for "Too Shy" played on regular rotation on MTV gave Kajagoogoo the exposure they needed in the United States. While not an overwhelming success when compared to Duran Duran, The Thompson Twins, Tears For Fears, Simple Minds, etc. they did leave their mark on the 80's new wave music scene with this excellent release. The songs, basically heavily synthesized pop were catchy, and in my opinion, the best songs on "White Feathers" are "Too Shy", "Ooh To Be Ah", "Hang On Now", "Lies And Promises", "White Feathers", and "Magician Man". This expanded version of "White Feathers" includes the rare and extremely hard to find 12" dance mixes of "Too Shy" (also included is the instrumental version), "Ooh To Be Ah", and "Hang On Now". The other extra tracks "Take Another View", "Interview Rooms", "Animal Instincts" and "Introduction" are average to below average cuts not really adding much to this otherwise excellent re-issue. If you enjoyed listening to Duran Duran, Tears For Fears", "Naked Eyes", "The Human League", "A Flock Of Seagulls" and numerous other electro pop groups then you'll enjoy "White Feathers".

"Ha Ha", "Liar.", "Jerk", "Sarcastic, talent-less nobody", "Something wrong with your ears buddy ?"
Expertly evading clammy fingers grabbing at my throat, and dodging the latest Coldplay and REM efforts being lashed at my head, I once again issue an extreme and unlikely proclamation: The doggedly uplifting 'White Feathers' by Kajagoogoo is a really good album.

Some would doubtless have me certified. Other's would certainly like me stopped at the very least, but the curse of Not-Being-Able-To-Resist-Throwing-Down-The-Gauntlet (or chucking the dummy out of the pram (!)) strikes again and again. 'Stopping' only to champion yet again some eternal underdog music, give encouragement and credence to the coolly un-hip, and in the case of 'White Feathers', really stick my big fat head on the block.

It's good in a smooth white-soul pop sense and calculated to a big bad hairdo degree.
A chocolate biscuit-less Hall and Oates.

But beyond the teeny-bop creaming and screaming there is a seriousness to Kajagoogoo that defies criticism. The sleeve and booklet scream Factory-style integrity and the songs themselves prove the point. Quiet pop nihilism entrenched deep in orthodox 80's arrangements, and even though Limahl and his green felt booties stomped big style all over concomitant adversarial rock acts like Comsat Angels and Danse Society, not many saw the joyful concrete reality as opposed to depressing flighty nothingness.

No more.
The 'rock' public will never be able to see it, nor would they want to - so in this instance it's wise I shut up - but all the righteous scorn and yelping indignation in the world doesn't stop 'White Feathers' being splendid.

We all know "Too Shy", a one-hit wonder in North America, South Africa, and other territories. It was made the first track here to push the single. "Ooh to Be Aah" and "Frayo" don't make much sense to me. To many, neither did the name, but the girls (at least in the UK) were all for it.
The album was mostly produced by Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes and recently deceased Duran producer Colin Thurston. Accredited producer Tim Palmer produced the track with the band name.
The band were dismissed as teenybopper throwaways in the media, and Limahl was later shown the door, which some saw as career suicide. It was more because he supposedly didn't get on with the others after a while. He was discovered through Melody Maker's classified section, where many careers began.
The other day, I picked up the LP after my old copy disappeared.

I have had a compilation from Kajagoogoo for a long time and decided to get this debut album--White Feathers--to hear the songs that I had not heard. My favorite songs on the compilation came from White Feathers. White Feathers was released in 1983. Originally containing ten tracks, this 2004 reissue adds an additional eight bonus cuts. This bonus material is interesting--my favorite bonus cuts are "Too Shy (Instrumental Mix)" and "Hang on Now (Extended Version)." When it comes to the original ten compositions, my preferences are "Too Shy," "Kajagoogoo (Instrumental)," "Ooh to Be Ah," and "Hang on Now." I consider "Too Shy" to be a classic--the chorus is infectious. "Kajagoogoo (Instrumental)" is a cool-sounding, lively piece that I do not remember hearing until I procured White Feathers. "Ooh to Be Ah" is an odd-sounding song, but I still enjoy it; it sports an unforgettable keyboard line and novel, engaging backing vocals. I also consider "Hang on Now" to be a classic song. This pretty tune features smooth, expressive singing from Limahl, a winning refrain, and attractive keyboard work. I also want to mention that the sound quality of this album is nice. In addition, the CD booklet is noteworthy; an informative essay, song lyrics, and photos of the band are included. A group photo of the band is displayed on the back of the CD jewel case, too. I recommend White Feathers.