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Jason Maloney reviews
V o l u m e # 0 6 Week Commencing: 5th March 1984 Online Date: 17th March 2005
Album of the week was unquestionably Howard Jones‘ eagerly-awaited debut longplayer. It arrived on the back of two Top 3 hits (New Song, What Is Love?) and an acclaimed third single Hide & Seek, which had been tipped to go all the way but ended up just missing the Top 10.
Perhaps potential buyers were waiting for the album which soon followed, as Human’s Lib sold well over 100,000 copies on its first week in the shops to take it straight in at #1 for the chart dated March 17th.
Jones’ only UK chart topper (1985’s Dream Into Action peaked agonisingly at #2), Human’s Lib remains a stunningly realised collection of songs, impeccably and intelligently produced by Rupert Hine. The album spawned one further hit, the #7 hit Pearl In The Shell, and remained on the charts for over a year.
Click here for info on: Howard Jones’ 20th Anniversary Concert on DVD.
Another significant release, the angular and lyrical pop from the pen of Paddy MacAloon was already beginning to make an impression by the time of this debut album.
A single, Don’t Sing, had reached the lower regions of the UK Top 75 but airplay and word-of-mouth created such a buzz that Swoon went on to enter the chart at #19 and a glittering career was truly underway.
Ullo John (Got A New Motor)
Meanwhile, alternative comedian Alexei Sayle, riding the Top 20 with the infuriating/infectious (delete as applicable) ‘Ullo John, Got A New Motor, now aimed to make inroads on the album chart with The Fish People Tapes (Island). He succeeded. Just.
Page Content copyright © Jason Maloney, 2005.
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.