Customer Reviews

(Who's Afraid of?) The Art of Noise

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yeah, "Moments in Love" is a brilliant, evocative, smooth, and eminently romantic tune, and this is the album that's got it. But don't expect anything else even remotely close to this song. The rest of this recording is beat and bass, politics and issues, and electronic manipulation/experimentation. We've got a re-mix of their signature "Beat Box" as well as the video-powered hit "Close (To The Edit)." The Art Of Noise came about as a bridge between the electronic music heroes/dinosaurs (Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre) and the electronica-techno-synth stars of today (Moby, Chemical Brothers, Enigma), and largely remains there. It's generally fun music, most of it undeniably danceable, and the closer you listen, the more pointedly editorial and political it becomes. But don't expect a syrupy collection of powerful synth romantic odes.

In the early 1980s, Trevor Horn was one of the most successful and bankable producers of his day. Years before he teamed up with Seal, Horn also produced albums from ABC, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and this debut from the Art of Noise. "(Who's Afraid Of) The Art of Noise" is a strange yet engaging collection of dance beats, synth bleeps, and heart-stoppingly lovely arrangements. There's the hip hop swagger of their signature "Beat Box," the infectious groove of "Close (to the Edit)," and the ominous ring of "A Time for Fear (Who's Afraid)." There are also some downright strange tracks such as the title cut and "Momento," which really are collages of random noises, odd samples, and sounds. But the track that earns this album its 4 stars is the ten-minute excursion "Moments in Love," which is one of the most seductive and beautiful instrumentals ever. Proving that this album was no fluke, member Anne Dudley moved on to be an acclaimed composer, known for her work in films such as "The Crying Game." This quirky yet fun debut is recommended with my stamp of approval.

My mother purchased this album (LP format) for me in 1984. I played it so much that I literally wore out the label, the album cover and some parts of the vinyl itself. Luckily I was able to get another copy and my only disappointment was that the label design was not of the style that was on the vinyl when the album was initially released (Island Records had gone to a new graphic design). This was the beginning of my fascination with England (I had seen the music video for "Beat Box" before getting the album and was amazed!) At the risk of sounding just like the other reviewers "Moments In Love" has to be one of the greatest slow songs ever made. I would be keen to use the song at my wedding! The awesome thing about the album is the group's ability to take ordinary sounds and generate really good musical compositions. My other favorite is "Who's Afraid (Of The Art Of Noise)". It is so much fun to listen and dance to! The same goes for "Realization".

Get the album. You'll love it!

They may have had some sort of concept going here, but if you miss it (like I apparently did), no matter - the album is still very good. The politically tinged "A Time for Fear" starts things off on a most unexpected (but strong) note. "Beat Box" and "Moments in Love" are indisputed classics, although some might wish they weren't quite so long here. "Close (to the Edit)" is even better than either of those. I'd recommend the "daft" album, which gives you everything here (including a longer version of "Snapshot") and then some.

In the '80's all the record producers were playing with their new technology and going for big, big, big drum sounds. The Art of Noise went a step further and created impossibly huge, industrial-grade beats that came like bombs out of the speakers. Kind of like Godzilla at the disco. The tune "A Time for Fear", first song on the first side (and so the listener's introduction to the album) is a real heavy marching-rhythm pounding with lots of scraping and screeching sampled noises. It always seemed funny to me and the Art of Noise seemed to be doing it all with a bit of a wink, so extreme as to be a kind of send-up of the popular taste of the time. All the sampling, loops, etc. were part of a time-honored tradition of "musique concrete" dating from the '50's, which even the Beatles used on "Sgt. Pepper", so Art of Noise wasn't too radical in their use of that: their real innovation was the fusing of musique concrete with extreme industrial beats while still keeping it all user-friendly enough to make it on the radio.

I never could figure out why "Moments in Love" was on this album except to provide some relief from the assault of the first half of the disc. I never could take it seriously since the tone set by the first half of the disc was kind of jokey, and "Moments in Love" has an oh-so-mellow-and-sweet melody punctuated by synthesized orchestral blasts and samples of guys muttering...it seems less than sensuous in my opinion, but then I can't argue with the reviewers here who find it great for an intimate evening. You can't argue with success!

I agree with the reviewers here, though--if you like "Moments In Love" you'll probably not like the rest of the disc--and vice versa. But I think it's a fun album, and a bit of electronica history. The sample of the girl shouting "Hey!" on "Close to the Edit" was in turn sampled by Prodigy on "Fire Starter", so I guess that makes Art of Noise a part of the tradition.

This was the second Art of Noise cd I bought. Unlike most reviewers so far, I had never even heard of "Moments in Love" prior to purchasing this album. ALL the songs are meaningful, and create a "mood". The first time I listened to the whole album, I was dissapointed by the whole last half. Once I listened to it more, I got the same feeling one gets when they are attempting to interpret a painting, or any work of art for that matter. The more I litstened, the deeper I delved, and the more I realized that The Art of Noise are musical geniuses. Give it a chance, and you will see that this noise is really art.

You can't help but feel the rhythm in this wonderful work of Art. Ever since I heard "Close to the Edit" for the first time I have been a loyal fan of the Art of Noise. Every cut on this CD is a trip to another world. You put on a set of headphones and you can't help but groove to the beat. If your music collection contains any new wave, techno, or synth; then this is a must buy for you. The title "Moments in Love" is a nice relaxing intermission in between the bouncing rhythms of the other songs. There's only one other group that has moved me the way these guys do: The Chemical Brothers -- Dig your own hole. Every time I hear the Art of Noise now, I get a rush.

The early 1980s was dominated by synthetic and sampling technology. Brands like New England Digital's Synclavier, the Fairlight and Ensoniq could be found in many hi-tech recording studios. Crisp, thudding electronic drum sounds appeared on so many of the single of the time.

This album received a lot of critical attention on its 1984 release. A production genius -- Trevor Horn -- was on the march, and this LP was expected to give more insight into his methods. Up to this point, he had done some staggering work for Yes with '90125', Frankie Goes to Hollywood ('... Pleasuredome') and, I think, Grace Jones. Compressed orchestral samples -- as in Yes's 'Owner of a Lonely Heart' single -- were his trademark.

The Art of Noise was his backing band / production staff / co-composers -- call them what you will -- and this was their first showcase. Every sample is polished until it shines and sparkles. In the UK, 'Close (to the edit)' was the single that drew the record-buying public to the album, and 'Moments in Love' provided the justification for buying it. But the rest, although a couple of years ahead of its time, now sounds dated. The album provided a great demonstration of one possible musical future -- a future centred on sampling technology.

'Moments in Love' is a classic track that deserves all the praise heaped upon it by other reviewers here. Much credit is due to Anne Dudley, who went on to write material such as the soundtrack for 'The Full Monty'.

"Who's Afraid of The Art of Noise?" is an album of halves. The even-numbered songs are the classics and the odd-numbered songs are the filler. The filler has a purpose however. The filler songs set up the classics, giving the listener a feeling of anticipation when the filler songs end. Whether this strategy was done on purpose or by happenstance is up for debate, but I am going with the former. Having said that though, the filler is listenable, which is important to mention since this is one of the most praised electronic albums of not just the 80's, but of all time. Still, anyway you slice it, filler is filler. The three classics distinguish from each other in revelatory ways. "Beatbox" is the most confident song on the album; each drum, each synthesizer note, and each vocal flow seamlessly together, creating eight and a half minutes of technical and visionary mastery, ending with a piano crescendo that will leave you baffled yet pleasantly surprised. "Beatbox" is probably the very definition of "art of noise"; it is art and it is noise and the musicians make it sound like heaven. The next classic, "Close to the Edit", is the most popular song on the album because of the award-winning video for it (watch it on YouTube, it's a masterwork of originality). "Close to the Edit" is the best-structured of the three classics. While not as loose and fun as "Beatbox", it is still hypnotic from beginning to end. Every single "Hey!" on "Close to the Edit" serves the song and adds a certain childlike appeal that electronic music can bring. "Moments in Love" is a universally beloved romantic soundscape that has proven to be the most influential song on the album. Traces of "Moments in Love" can be found in Massive Attack and much of trip-hop. The production by Trevor Horn is not as glossy as Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Welcome to the Pleasuredome but it is more inventive and purposeful since you hear every sound the way it should be; if the drums should dominate you hear the synthesizer in the background and vice versa. The album is not perfect but it holds up to anything Depeche Mode, New Order, Information Society, or The Pet Shop Boys did during that period. The Art of Noise became pioneers with this album by delivering their dose of freshness and originality seldom heard in music. Techno with a brain. A-

I first heard Moments in Love on my favorite jazz radio station. The DJ told me it was difficult to find but I was pleased to find it here. At first I was a bit disappointed because it is a different version than what I heard on the radio. After playing the whole album several times, I am very pleased with it. The other songs on the album sort of remind me of Lion Rock. I will definitly check out more Art of Noise in the future.