The Toy Box: A Flock Of Seagulls

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Retro Spins: A Flock Of Seagulls - Dream Come True

With the departure of their guitarist, Paul Reynolds during their tour in 1984, A Flock Of Seagulls were at a crossroads. Deciding to move forward as a trio brought came with big changes, and perhaps too large to feasibly carry on.

Brothers Mike and Ali Score wanted to relocate from the UK to America, and agreeable to it at first, Frank Maudsley came with them. Moving to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania started off positive, with a series of sold-out shows. However, deep down, Maudsley wasn't happy. He was in a strange place, with not friends or family, and wanted to go home. Packing his things, he returned to the UK.

During this time, rifts between the Score brothers began to surface, resulting in constant fighting. Though on opposite sides of the world, Maudsley would do his best to keep things going, pushing the band to communicate.

When they finally returned to the studio, Mike initially envisioned his next album as a solo effort. However, the label convinced him that it would go further as a Seagulls release. Despite this, the contributions from the other members were minimal. Ali would only play on three songs, and Maudsley four. They would all last work together on the music videos for Who's That Girl (She's Got It), and Heartbeat Like a Drum, and then disbanded.

Critically, Dream Come True was a massive failure, not charting anywhere, and producing no successful singles. It was labeled uninspired, depressing, and ineffective, with boring lyrics with no substance. In short, people hated it.

So, if that doesn't set expectations incredibly low, I don't know what will.

Much like my previous listening sessions through their discography, I have to scratch my head and ask, "What album was the critics listening to?" Things start off incredibly well with Better & Better, and Heartbeat Like A Drum. Candidly, if the latter doesn't get you tapping your toes, there's something wrong with you.

Playing through the first half of the album, I found nothing to complain about. Each track was full of high energy, and great instrumentation. Things actually don't slow down until the final track of side two.

Granted, you're not going to find top forty hits on Dream Cone True, and I'm okay with that. Good music is good music, regardless of what the masses think. Personally, I find this one to be an overlooked gem. Frankly, it's priced as such too.

A lot of times my knee jerk reactions to obtain a specific artist's discography blows up in my face, and I find myself down an expensive rabbit hole that doesn't pay off. While A Flock Of Seagulls can be pricy for some of their albums, overall, this was a good purchase. Ultimately, I walk away a new fan of their work, something that really surprised me, as I wasn't expecting that at all. Not bad for a band who's biggest hit single I used to not like.

Mike would form a new band in 1994 and release a new album under the banner A Flock Of Seagulls in 1995. Unfortunately, it fared no better than the last, being labeled, "dull, tedious and embarrassing to listen to."

After another three years, Mike would form yet another band, this time sticking to touring, with the exception of the one-off recording of Madonna's This Used To Be My Playground for her tribute album. All and all, the singer seemed content. So much so, that when he was asked to take part in a reunion for VH1's Band's Reunited in 2003, he stated he had a good band already. Regardless, he relented, and all four original members came back together for a one-off show. This was followed by a reunion tour in 2004.

In 2018, all four members would return to the studio for the first time since 1984, and release Ascension, which was met with fairly positive reviews. Since then, they've stuck it out, releasing two more albums to date, String Theory (2021), and Some Dreams (2024).

So, there you go. Dreams come true. A happy ending for A Flock Of Seagulls! With that, we close out 2025 on a high note...well, Retro Spin wise, anyway.

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Retro Spins: A Flock Of Seagulls - The Story Of A Young Heart

Fans are fickle. Sometimes, they don't like it when an artist changes their musical direction, experiments with new sounds, or in general, doesn't continuously make the same music over and over again. As such, it can have quite the backlash when an artist does just that.

For their third album, lead singer Mike Score wanted to create a concept album, surrounding the themes of suicide and heartbreak. It was a subject matter close to him, having just lost a friend to self-deletion.

Despite all their efforts, 1984's The Story Of A Young Heart would be a commercial failure. Though, it did spawn two top forty hits, The More You Live, The More You Know, and Never Again (The Dance).

I don't know. The subject matter may be deeper, if you pay close enough attention to the lyrics. Otherwise, to me, it just sounds like another album from A Flock Of Seagulls.

Personally, I dug European (I Wish I Was), Remember David, Over My Head, Heart Of Steel, The End, and Suicide Day. The two singles aren't too bad either. Overall, it's a pretty solid album. I think the critics may have missed something with this one.

If I hadn't done so already with my Retro Spin of Listen (1983), I would have definitely gone back at this point to revisit their debut album. A Flock Of Seagulls have definitely made me a fan of their music at this point.

When the band set out on tour in support of the album, guitarist Paul Reynolds went down a dark path, becoming addicted to drugs. This would impact him heavily, resulting in him needing to leave the band mid-tour. Without a guitarist, the tour was cut short, leaving the remaining members to struggle with what to do. While they would decide to regroup as a remaining trio, A Flock Of Seagulls wouldn't ever achieve the success they once had.

I want to stop there, lest I spoil anything about their final release of the era, 1986's Dream Come True. We'll pick up there tomorrow, even though I'm quite eager to jump in now.

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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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Retro Spins: A Flock Of Seagulls - A Flock Of Seagulls

One of the first new wave bands of the 80's, and credited from defining dance music as it would evolve into, A Flock Of Seagulls became a mainstay on radio stations in 1982 with their hit, "I Ran (So Far Away). While it wouldn't be their only hit, it would be their most popular, as well as, the only one to crack the top ten.

While I wish I could sit here and tell you how influential the band was to me growing up in the 80's, or how their music defined what I listened to from the era, the sad truth of the matter is that I didn't even really like the song until 2007. Though I knew of the song, I Ran (So Far Away) in the 80's, I really never listened to it. It wasn't until, Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks the 80's, that I heard it from start to finish. I remember being really surprised at the guitar work on the track. It was pretty solid.

No, I didn't rush out and buy the album that day. Far from it. It wouldn't be another thirteen years until I would bother with that. And this was only because it made it to my low priority category of 80's albums to collect.

After hearing the 1982 self titled debut album from the band, I can honestly say, I Ran (So Far Away), was really the only stand out track. So much so, that I couldn't even tell you how any of the other songs go. I've already forgotten them all.

As an 80's staple, it's a good album to have among my collection, but it is by no means a must own or a determent should it have been omitted.

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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.