A diamond in the rough! That's what we've found today!
Colin Vearncombe, or Black, as he was known on his albums, emerged in the UK as part of the punk scene. This is ironic, because his 1987 debut, Wonderful Life, is anything but that.
Since this is the album I personally grabbed for today's post, let's just dive right in. It starts with the title track, the tune I wanted for my collection, and sets the tone for a wonderful album, no pun intended. This jazzy pop album not only delivers blow after blow with great instrumentation, but this is all brought to a peak with Vearncombe's haunting vocals. They remind me of Chris Isaak in a way.
Song after song kept pounding me with fantastic music. I was grabbed hook, line, and sinker, and off on a wonderful forty-five minute journey.
Though the title track remains my favorite, there were heavy contenders that tried their best, and almost succeeded in dethroning it. I don't use this word often when it comes to albums, but Wonderful Life, in its entirety is perfect! Not one track is terrible among the ten of them. I actually ended up grabbing every single one for my shuffle list.
This also made me immediately track down Black's follow up album, 1988's Comedy. Which in and of itself was difficult to find. Let's just say when you do a search for Black Comedy CD, you get a lot of results.
Black has also released five additional albums between 1991 and 2015, plus an additional four under his birth name. If his second album is as good as his first, this may very well be something I look into. That unto itself is a bold statement of how much I liked Wonderful Life, because I don't make it a habit to step over the 1990 line.
Sadly, Vearncombe was killed in a 2016 car crash. But, his legacy lives on as people enjoy his great music, and others, like me, discover it.
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Disclaimer: They Toy Box does not endorse or contribute to piracy. Retro Spins posts are intended for educational and entertainment purposes only. None of the music discussed here is available for sale, downloading or distribution.
THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
January 29, 1983
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