Retro Spins: A Flock Of Seagulls - Listen

I started making my way through A Flock Of Seagulls albums in 2023, with my Retro Spin Post of their self-titled debut. However, things quickly took a back seat. Frankly, the only other album I had from them at the time was Listen, and I had no interest or plans to obtain their final two 80's albums. Oh, how things change.

If you ever wondered where the crazy hair for band leader, Mike Score, came from, that would be from his background of being a hairdresser. He bought a Korg MS-10 synthesizer in 1979, and invited friend Frank Maudsley, and brother Ali Scott to form a band. Willie Woo joined shortly thereafter, bringing Mark Edmondson to replace brother Ali - There first of many falling outs throughout their career. Shortly after, both Edmondson and Woo left, making way for Ali to return, along with new member, Paul Reynolds. The brothers, Maudsley, and Reynolds would become the classic lineup of A Flock Of Seagulls.

But, what about that crazy name? Where could they have possibly gotten that from? Well, they got it while taking in a concert of The Stranglers. While performing, Toiler on the Sea, singer Hugh Cornwell shouted out, "a flock of seagulls!" Mike Score recalls being in the front row at the concert and feeling like Cornwell was looking right at him when he shouted it. Score took it as a sign. Score would go on to say that with the name change it made the group more popular. Perhaps because it sounded so strange that people wanted to come see what they were all about.

The band went to work playing live shows around the area, and eventually got notice by Jive Records, who signed them in 1981. After releasing a couple singles, with each outperforming the last, they recorded the EP, Modern Love Is Automatic, which was released in the USA. It featured the hit singles, Telecommunications, and I Ran (So Far Away), the latter becoming their breakthrough. The music video would become one of the earliest for MTV, who ran it in consistent rotation, bringing the band even greater success in the process.

Back to the studio they went to focus on, and release a full album, their 1982 self-titled debut. It too would feature the track, I Ran (So Far Away), and also Space Age Love Song. Though the hits wouldn't end there, as it also packed in the previous hits, Telecommunications, and Modern Love Is Automatic, as well as their last single, D.N.A., the latter winning a Grammy Award in 1983 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Mind you, there were more songs on the album that just those.

A Flock Of Seagulls, the album, certified in numerous countries, reaching gold in the USA, and New Zealand, platinum in Canada, and silver in the UK. I Ran and Space Age would also hit the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number nine and thirty, respectively.

In 1982, the band released their sophomore album, Listen, and with it finally came success in their home country with the single, Wishing (I Had A Photograph Of You). The song was inspired by an actual romance which singer Score had with a fan while touring the US. When the relationship ended, he wished he had a photograph of her to remind him of how she looked. To date, it appears he never has found her again.

Listen stays well rooted in its synth pop genre, delivering solid tracks, all enveloped by harmonic keyboards, solid guitars, and a great mix of varying drumbeats.

The album starts out with the aforementioned hit, which I think if pressed, I'd say is my favorite from the band. It's followed by the unique, but still enjoyable, Nightmares.

While part of my brain expected things to eventually turn full generic, and fall into the territory of bland and forgettable, tracks like Transfer Affection, and What Am I Supposed To Do put up strong arguments to the contrary. It made me consider going back to their debut album to see what I had perhaps missed the first time around. I'll be the first to admit that over the years of doing Retro Spins, I've been rather harsh on albums as a result of untuned ears. Whereas previously I would measure songs against the hits, my appreciation has expanded that I can get enveloped in all aspects of an album - if of course it's good.

Overall, this was a solid listening session. While I initially would have thought it would have been perfect, a wall contender even, things tapered off towards the end and did ultimately lose a little bit of interest. 

However, what I also did was go back and listen to their debut again, just to see if I had missed out on anything the first time around. I'm glad I did this because I did end up finding a few more goodies.

Though all things were on the up and up for A Flock Of Seagulls, as they say, what goes up... A change in direction, drug abuse, and the loss of a member would see all their efforts start to crash fast. But, we'll get into that tomorrow.

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