Gotta love a band who took their name from inspiration by Queen!
Both Nick Van Eede, and Kevin MacMichael were working with separate bands when they first met. Despite Van Eede asking MacMichael if he wanted to form a group together, the latter opted to keep touring with Fast Forward. Meanwhile, The Drivers, which Van Eede was with, broke up.
In 1985, the two's path would cross again when MacMichael survived a tour bus accident, resulting in him relocating to London. The two worked on demos together before Colin Farley and Martin "Frosty" Beedle would join the lineup.
Cutting Crew took their band name from a quote by Queen. The legacy band was asked why they were not touring during an interview, to which the response was, "We're a cutting crew." As to which member of the band said it, that I can't find.
Upon signing with Siren Records, an offshoot label of Virgin, they would record and release their debut in the USA, while subsequently flying to Australia to record music videos. Their first single, (I Just) Died In Your Arms shot up the charts, giving the relatively unknown band their first number one hit right out of the starting gate. However, follow-up singles, I've Been In Love Before, and One For The Mocking Bird didn't fare as well, with the latter not even charting.
Playing through Broadcast, I can definitely feel all the energy of 80's goodness. It kicks off with Any Colour, a solid pop rock track, and one sets the stage for good things to follow.
Indeed they do with One For The Mocking-Bird, and I've Been In Love Before. I'm not usually one for ballads, but Been In Love is delivered solidly, making it a nice addition to the slower end of my shuffle. I say all of this like I've never heard these songs before, when I have...many times.
With that said, with the exception of (I Just) Died In Your Arms, everything else ahead of me was all new territory. Sadly, the two songs leading up to that hit didn't really impress. Frankly, if it weren't for Died In Your Arms, the remainder of the album would have been a flat dud.
I enjoyed four of the ten songs on Cutting Crew's debut, and I won't say that's a terrible ratio. However, I will admit that based on the ones I liked, I expected better from the rest. Maybe that's my fault. Maybe I expected to much. It doesn't necessarily leave me interested in hearing their 1989 follow-up, The Scattering, but I suppose I will. Maybe it will be amazing. Only one way to find out.
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS August 9, 1980 |
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| THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS August 9, 1986 |
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