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Elly Roberts reviews
Sony/BMG
- April 2008
- Rating: 8/10
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20 years on, Stock-Aitken-Waterman man gets a dusting down.
He may well have been a product of the S-A-W hit factory in the ’80s, butRick Astley had an amazing voice.
With that rich deep voice added to disco beats he became a pop sensation withhis smooth Yuppie image synonymous with Maggie Thatchers generation. Lookingdistinctly like a slick city trader (who can forget the mac, or denim shirtand jeans, oh and the naff shades?), he sucked us onto the dance floor withfeelgood hits like Never Gonna Give You Up (1987) and Together Forever(1988), both party favourites still.
Now 42, Astleys rise to fame began as a drummer with Soul band FBI. Spottedby Pete Waterman he was taken under his wing and groomed for chart successeventually releasing Never Gonna Give You Up which spent five weeks asa chart-topper becoming the years highest selling single. It was the first of13 world-wide Top 30 singles.
Success happened in the States too in 1988 with Never Gonna Give You Uptopping the singles chart, followed by Together Forever in June of thatyear, again topping the chart. In 1989 he was nominated for a Grammy (Best New Artist of the Year), losing out to Tracy Chapman.
In a strange move, he released a tasteful cover of Nat King Coles When I Fall I Love,which surprisingly made No.2, showing he had the skill to expand his repertoire.
By the end of the decade Astley had parted with the hit factory which began theslump in popularity. His last Top 10 hit was the fabulous love ballad Cry For Helpin 1991. Move Right Out (1991) was a commercial disaster, sounding likea Hue and Cry jazz-pop.
Follow-up Never Knew Love was also a big commercial failure, peaking at70. By 1993 it was all over. Hopelessly, appropriately, was a hopelesslast shot. In 2005 he released a covers album of Soul standards, Portrait.On it was Don McLeans Vincent, done up-tempo. It was terrible.
Despite some less impressive later work, Astleys total world sales have sincereached a phenomenal 39.9 million, inclusive of singles, albums and compilations.
This Ultimate Collection has all the UK chart entries.
File under: Get ready to be Rick Rolled, all over again.
For a full track listing, check out the Amazon link above.
Weblink:rickastley.co.uk
Elly Roberts passed away in 2011, but he was a man who was so passionate about all types of music and loved meeting his musical heroes, such as Mick Hucknall at a book signing at the Trafford Centre, Manchester in 2007.
A former teacher and also a music journalist, DJ and radio presenter on local community station Calon FM, plus appearances on BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio 2, Elly started doing reviews for DVDfever.co.uk in 2004 and he did the majority of the CD and concerts reviews on the website.
I know also that he loved getting away for the summer to Spain and I hope that wherever he is now he is enjoying the hot sunshine and, as one of his friends has said on his Facebook page, that he is interviewing his musical heroes.