The Toy Box

Retro Spins: Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Architecture & Morality

Good morning all. Before we start, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge the day, praising Jesus for his resurrection. If you don't belong to a church, but are looking for a good message for the day, I recommend Tony Evan's sermon, "HERE". Happy Easter to all, and I hope regardless of whether or not you follow Christ that you have a good day.

It's time to dive into another one of those artists that I've obtained all their 80's albums, but to date have not heard any of. Much like my venture into Hall & Oates, I'm starting with the album that Google states is considered the best. So here we go, 1981's Architecture & Morality, from Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark.

The duo group was formed in 1978 by Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals), along with Martin Cooper (keyboards, saxophone) and Stuart Kershaw (drums). As a whole, OMD are considered pioneers of the electronic music scene, and key to the emergence of synth-pop.

They released their debut self-titled album in 1980, and followed this up almost immediately with Organization, before the year ended. While both would ultimately go on to reach gold status in the UK, and the latter in France as well, the group didn't fare well anywhere else. This trend of continued popularity in the UK would continue throughout the decade, with the group not really making an impact worldwide until 1986 with the release of If You Leave, which was featured on the Pretty In Pink soundtrack.

However, before we reach that era, we first stop off in 1981 for the Retro Spin titled album. As I played through the album, the electronic sound was definitely the forefront of each track. Each song weaved in various sound waves that either led into, or took over each one as it started or ended. As a whole, it didn't necessarily blow me away. Albeit, it also didn't leave me hating it.

I suppose I should pause for a moment and say that when I started picking up their 80's discography, it wasn't necessarily out of a high priority want. Rather, it was more so curiosity. Specifically, the curiosity of why the group kept coming up in searches of influential bands of the era. While I can certainly understand their contribution after hearing Architecture & Morality, it doesn't necessarily make me a fan. That unto itself is a little disappointing, and mainly because their albums aren't necessarily on the cheaper end, and frankly, there were a lot of them, which contributed to the increased cost.

When it was all said and done, I ended up adding only one track to my shuffle list. However, even in doing that, it wasn't that the song, Joan Of Arc necessarily blew my mind. Rather, it was one of those moments where I simply said, "It's okay, and I own it, so I'll put it on the list."

So, with that said, this one is kind of disappointing, and compounded all the more by the sheer volume of additional albums I have from the duo. Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark is definitely going to get shelved for a while on my end before I circle back to them.

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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
April 20, 1985

Retro Spins: Metallica - ...And Justice For All

It seems odd to bring in a new bass player, and then turn down their part for their debut on your 1988 album. However, that's exactly what James Hetfield opted to do to new member, Jason Newstead when ...And Justice For All was released.

Hetfield would later state the reason for the decision was because Newsted tended to double his rhythm guitar parts, so it was hard to tell where his (Hetfield's) guitar started and his (Newsted's) bass left off. Also, the tone on Justice was very scooped – all lows and highs, with very little midrange. Hearing the bass restored in raw cuts off the deluxe version seems to split the fan base, with some saying the decision was right, and others stating the bass should have been included. I suppose that ultimately comes down to each listener.

For those of you familiar with the tragic story, Newsted joining the band was of necessity following the death of original bassist Cliff Burton in 1986. From a retrospective aspect, it would be interesting to know just what Metallica would sound like today had this tragedy not occurred.

...And Justice For All transports me back to a simpler time in life. One where my introduction and subsequent over saturation of it comes from a brother who frequently plays the cassette over his stereo. One where it was followed, typically, by some form of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, or Def Leppard, all of which filled my younger ears, and ultimately helped craft my tastes for good music.

Though I sat through all one hour and six minutes of the album for today's Retro Spin, the truth of the matter is that I didn't necessarily have to. I know it front to back. It hits that nostalgic sweet spot deep in my soul, and reminds me of how much the 80's rocked, in every sense of the word.

While there are several footnotes in the album which make it a noteworthy entry in the Metallica discography, I would say the most recognizable would be the song One. Though none of the tracks were necessarily played on radios, most likely due to their non commercial sound and length, One benefited from steady rotation on MTV. It's video, at the time, was edgy, and dark. A tone that helped pave the way for the band's mainstream success.

I won't call ...And Justice For All a perfect album. Though it's solid, one particular track stands out as my absolute least favorite, and that would be, The Frayed End Of Sanity. On the opposite spectrum, if I had to choose my favorite, frankly, you wouldn't find it on the album. Instead, it would be the B side to One, The Prince. However, if you tied my hands, and told me I had to choose one from the album, I would probably pick, Dyer's Eve. However, this would be closely followed by To Live Is To Die, One, or Blackened - Depending on my mood for the day.

Unfortunately, Metallica took a sharp left for their follow up, and subsequent future albums, and that was where I quickly lost interest. I suppose with the commercial success of ...And Justice For All that they needed to find a foothold in the world of commercial music, and I don't blame them for that. It just wasn't for me. To me, hearing Metallica on the radio made as much sense as hearing Marilyn Manson.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 19, 1980

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 19, 1986

Retro Spins: Hall & Oates - Big Bang Boom

It's a very rare moment here at The Toy Box for a Retro Spin. One, that has never has never happened before. I'm immediately diving into another Hall and Oates album, the artist I just posted about yesterday. I don't typically listen to the same artist right away. In fact, it's typically a new calendar year before a Retro Spin artist will repeat. However, my listening session of H20 was so enjoyable, that I decided I needed to immediately gravitate into the band's 1984 follow up, Big Bang Boom.

While H20 was touted as the band's best work from the 80's, Big Bang Boom is particularly of interest to me because it features my all time favorite song from the due, Out Of Touch. This track gets an added boost of goodness from the lead in intro, Dance On Your Knees, and sets the whole album up as something to expect perfection from. But does that actually happen?

After the two aforementioned tracks, we jump into the all too familiar Method Of Modern Love. However, it's following this song that we enter all unknown territory. Fortunately, this starts out strong with Bank On Your Love, and it didn't stop there.

Tunes kept getting added to my shuffle list, such as, Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid, and Going Thru The Motion. Then, much like H20, the Oates penned and sung song hits, and it quickly becomes one of my favorites. I don't know why he was so reserved on signing and writing solely for the albums. Cold And It's Dark is a solid entry, and showcases Oates talent to the max. I guess what I'm saying is that I have become a Hall and Oates fan. I really like their music, and not just the songs that the radio told me I should.

Big Bang Boom rounds out with All American Girl, and Possession Obsession, both of which got added to my shuffle. For those of you keeping track, that's a solid 100% of tunes from the album that got added to my rotation. Front to back, this is a great album, something I never expected would happen.

What I need to do now, is resist the urge to jump into a third Hall and Oates album. While I'm on a high with them, I want to make sure that doesn't come crashing down from fatigue. I think I'll leave it there for now, and come back to them later. For now, definitely a fan of the duo.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 18, 1981

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 18, 1987

Retro Spins: Hall & Oates - H2O

I think I'm more shocked than anything that to date I have never done a Retro Spin on a Hall & Oates album. This is all the more peculiar because I own every release they put out during the 80's. It's definitely long past overdue to play some catch up here. With so many to choose from, I opted to select H20 for the sole reason that it's ranked their most popular from the decade.

Because of the sheer depths of the duo's history, which far exceeds the 80's, both prior and beyond, it would be a massive undertaking to dive into their formation and legacy. I'd probably also offend many of their fans (if they read this), because my knowledge is only base level. Skin deep, if you will. I am by no means an expert on this one, being only familiar with what the radio told me I was supposed to like. As such, today, we'll focus strictly on the album in question, H20.

The album was released on October 4, 1982. Its overall success was pushed by singles, Maneater, One On One, and Family Man. The latter, was actually written, and originally recorded by Mike Oldfield for his Five Miles Out album, released earlier that same year. This one may be one of the few times that a remake was better than the original.

H20 slaps you hard in the face with opening track, Maneater, but then oddly shifts tone to a very synthpop sound, which doesn't necessarily fit with the aforementioned song. It's kind of weird to the ears, and made it feel like Hall and Oates may have built the remainder of the album around what they knew were hits. Basically, fill it in with throw away songs. This is something I've seen from a lot of artists who release more albums than they should. People who immediately come to mind are Prince, and Elton John, where you have to wade through the mediocrity to get to the good stuff.

My thoughts on this subsided a bit when Art Of Heartbreak kicked in, and was followed by One On One. This momentum continued into Open All Night, and Family Man, which subdued my concerns, and settled me in for a good listening session.

Oddly enough, my favorite song from the whole album may be the John Oates penned and sung, Italian Girls. Also at this point, I was finding myself adding track after track to my shuffle list. All of the above noted were followed by Guessing Game, and Delayed Reaction.

Overall, this was a great album to sit down and hear. It was also one of those special moments, which led me to want to jump into more of their music. That will be easy, as because I said, I already own all their 80's albums.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 17, 1982

Retro Spins: André Cymone - A.C.

Picture Minneapolis, Minnesota during the late sixties / early seventies. You've got six siblings living in your home, in addition to your father and mother, and soon you're joined by a seventh member. This time, in the form of a young Prince, who has left his home after continuing troubles with his father. Soon after, you form a band with your sister, and a young Morris Day. You then go on to join a band with one of Prince and one of his former cousins, Pepe Willie. Prince then goes on to release his first solo album, and recruit you as a bassist for his touring band.

While the story could have ended there, Cymone would find himself in constant tensions with Prince, and ultimately leave the band pre Revolution years, in 1981. Rather than focus on joining another band, he would instead opt to work on his own solo albums. This would lead to his 1982 debut, Livin' in the New Wave, and its follow up, 1983's, Survivin' in the 80's. The latter would land at number 185 of the Billboard 200, and additionally, he would have several singles chart on the R&B and Dance Charts.

With their relationship reconciled since his departure, Prince would gift the singer with the track, The Dance Electric, which would become the starting track on his 1985 album, A.C. The song would become his biggest hit, reaching number 8 on the R&B Charts. Additionally, A.C. would reach 121 on the Billboard 200,

Tracking this album down on CD is not an easy feat. While all three of his albums from the 80's have been remastered, and released as extended editions, A.C. is far more scarce than the other two. While I could find his first two albums brand new for under fifteen dollars, I had to track down A.C. through a Switzerland seller, and pay through the nose for it - 38.80 CHF, which equates to $42.45 USD.

Popping it in for today's Retro Spins, I got the track I invested in the CD for right off the bat. What's odd is that with how it starts, music wise, it doesn't really fit as a starting point. It just sounds odd in the spot its in. There's no build up to the album.

The remaining tracks, including Cymone himself, sound very much like Prince from the 80's. While this provides an appealing sound to the ears, in terms of familiarity, there are no other hits here. Instead, this feels more like Prince's B sides, or rejected vault tracks. They're not bad, they're just not exciting.

I ended up also adding the closing song, Neon Pussycat to my shuffle list. However, I'd be lying if I said it was an awesome tune. Herein lies a big problem with my shuffle list. It's inundated with a lot of subpar tracks that are decent at the time, but then I ultimately skip over them when they come along the playlist. That's pretty much what will happen to this one.

Cymone would step to the background shortly thereafter, and instead focus on producing and writing with other acts, such as Jody Watley, Evelyn "Champagne" King, Pebbles, Jermaine Stewart, The Girls, Pretty Poison and Adam Ant. However, by 1987, he stepped away even further to focus on raising his children. Though he would pop up every now and then to collaborate with other artists, it wouldn't be until 2014 that he would release another solo project. Though he would release two more albums following that in 2016, and 2017, he has relatively stayed behind the scenes since.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 16, 1983

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 16, 1988

Retro Spins: Ra-Fel - Raff

Raffaele Riefoli, or Ra-Fel, or even Raf, or Raff, is a popular Italian artist. So popular, that his albums since 1989 have consistently cracked the top ten charts in Italy, all the way through his latest in 2015.

My knowledge stems from his 1984 self title debut, specifically for his hit, Self Control, which Larua Branigan would ~~steal~~...er...borrow that same year, and release across the USA. Unfortunately, for Raf, this meant that he didn't get the due credit he deserved. Instead, Branigan's version would eat up the US, Canadian, and European charts. For those who heard of Raf outside of Italy, it would easily be presumed (incorrectly), that he was covering the popular song, rather than the original creator.

Truthfully, while Branigan's version does have its charm, and is among one of my favorites of hers, Raf's has become the far superior for me between the two. Coincidentally, it is also the rarer of the two albums to find on CD. This, of course, would be because the digital version from Raf was limited to countries outside the USA. I ultimately had to get mine off of Discogs, paying through the ol' snoz-ola to get it from Italy.

At the end of the day, I'm totally glad I did.

Overall, it's a solid album, with a fair amount of good tracks which I added to my shuffle list. These tunes included, Change Your Mind, Black and Blue, I Don't Want To Lose You, Madeleine O., and of course, Self Control. This was also one of those rare Retro Spin occasions, where hearing it made me start looking at other 80's albums from the singer. Sadly, I don't know how feasibly this would be in the long run, as much like his debut, these are rare on CD, and quite pricey. My days, in general, of buying expensive albums are kind of over (for now). Still, I'll keep my eye out and see what happens in the future.

As I mentioned above, Raf continues to have a successful music career in Italy, and remains active. So, who knows, maybe his CD's will get re-released, making them a bit more accessible and affordable.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 15, 1989

Scandalous Honey (Prince)

Prince
Scandalous Honey
1989

Musician. Actor. Bee keeper?

Back in 1988, Prince took on the task of creating the soundtrack for the up and coming Batman film from Tim Burton. To get an understanding of the movie, he would make visits to the set, and it would be here that he would meet actress Kim Basinger.

Prince being Prince, soon began a relationship with the actress, leading to her joining him in the studio for vocals on the song, Scandalous. It was during this session that a story would unfold about the two being left alone for the evening, just as Prince was opening a jar of honey. When the engineer returned the next day, he found honey all over the mixing board. I'm sure your imaginations can fill in the rest. If not, you can find more on that story "HERE".

The alleged encounter led to one of the most bizarre promotional tie-ins. To promote the release of the single, which Prince named The Scandalous Sex Suite, Prince created a jar of honey, which had a simplistic label on it which read, "Prince The Scandalous Sex Suite Featuring Kim Basinger".

While it's not commonly found these days, considering honey doesn't expire if stored properly, it supposedly could be just as fresh today as it was back in 1989. However, you're not usually going to find one cheap. I've only seen two, and while the first sold for $25 in 2010, the one I found in 2025 was priced at $300!

If you're a big Prince fan, and looking for unique, or frankly, weird merchandise from him, this one would definitely fit that bill.

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Retro Spins: Black - Comedy

Do you know how hard it is to track down an album when you type in the search bar, "Black Comedy"?

Comedy is the 1988 follow up to Black's (Colin Vearncombe) to his debut, Wonderful Life. Much like his first, his second album didn't fare well in the USA. Instead, it was more popular in places such as Australia, and Germany. However, even then, it wouldn't chart as well as his debut.

The album starts with a re-recording of his prior hit, Wonderful Life, which honestly doesn't resonate as well as the original version. However, the remaining tracks, while not "hit" material, all have a certain charm to them. It's this feeling from his prior recordings which ultimately led me to tracking Comedy down.

Overall, it's just a well crafted body of work, which feels finely polished, and meticulously thought out. Standout tracks for me included, Reunion, Hey, I Was Right You Were Wrong!, All We Need Is The Money, and The Big One. While that certainly wasn't as big an impact for me compared to 1987's Wonderful Life, that's still pretty solid.

I will also preface that while the above were the stand outs for me, as a whole, I didn't hear anything I didn't necessarily like. Well, maybe with exception of the re-recorded Wonderful Life track. I'll definitely take the original over that one.

While Black continued his career throughout the 90's and 2000's, he never seemed to crack the USA charts. Further, his albums would become less and less popular abroad with each consecutive one. Tragically Colin passed away in in January 2016, after being involved in a serious car accident.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 14, 1984

Retro Spins: Buster Poindexter - Buster Goes Berserk

Mentioning him in yesterday's Retro Spin reminded me that I still needed to get to Buster Poindexter's 1989 album, Buster Goes Berserk. With it back at the top of my mind, and on the heels of how much I liked yesterday's listening session, It felt appropriately to jump into it today.

It starts out feeling like a party, as the sounds of a happy crowd start to build before the mustic kicks in. I suppose the tone is appropriate considering the aptly titled opening track, All Night Party. It's reminiscent of Poindexter's prior hit, Hot Hot Hot, but not as catchy.

From there, the tone shifts to a rendition of Ray Charles 1961 hit single, Hit The Road Jack. Poindexter doesn't give it the rendering it deservers, and it ultimately feels far inferior to the original, as covers often do.

However, the party bus soon comes back around. Though segued by the occasional ballad, this doesn't negatively impact things. In fact, that's really the best way I can describe this album. It feels like Buster pulled up to your house in a party bus, and shouted for you to get on board.

I dare say that when it was all said and done that I actually enjoyed Buster Goes Berserk far more than his first album. Something that certainly doesn't happen often, this is one I could sit down and listen to again. It may be one of the few that deserve to be on vinyl. The rarest of the rare album that I would listen to from start to finish without skipping one track. I may even have to step out of my norms, and check out some of his stuff from the 90's. I would have never expected to be a Buster Poindexter fan.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 13, 1985

Retro Spins: Bruce Willis - The Return Of Bruno

Continuing my tour of duty through actors and acresses who released studio albums, I landed on Bruce Willis...Or Bruno...Or whatever he wants to be called.

You've been starring in the hit television series, Moonlighting, since 1985, which will run for another four years. You just came off of a major film succcess, starring side by side with Kim Bassinger in Blind Date. Your biggest film, Die Hard, is still a year away. What do you do in the interim?

Well, in Bruce Willis's case, you form a band, and release your debut album, The Return of Bruno.

As it takes off with its opening track, I immediately pick up on a Minneapolis sound, reminiscent of Prince's latter years. Funk, soul, rhythm and blues. It resonates well.

Though I wouldn't have expected Bruce Willis and the Billboard charts to go hand in hand, turn out, he fared pretty well. Three tracks from the album actually charted, with Respect Yourself peaking the highest at number five. His cover of Under The Boardwalk would only manage to make it to number fifty-nine, and Young Blood fared the worst at sixty-eight. Admittedly, of the three, its my least favorite. However, there are also several others which I enjoyed quite a bit. In fact, I ended up adding eight of the ten tracks to my shuffle list. If nothing else, it psyches me up to hear Willis's follow-up, If It Don't Kill You, It Just Makes You Stronger (1989).

I would have never exepected to call myself a blues fan, but I dare say, I'm heading that way. It reminds me of my listening session of Buster Poindexter's self titled album. That one too took me by surprise, and I'm seeing a pattern here. Maybe I need to dig a bit more into the genre.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 12, 1980

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 12, 1986

Retro Spins: Scott Baio - Scott Baio

Oh my...

I got on this kick where I started thinking to myself, "Self, what actors and actresses have albums?" The answer was many. Being from the dawn of the CD age, many of these weren't released on a digital physical media. However, there was still a fair selection to chose from.

One such gem I tracked down and picked up was Scott Baio's self titled debut from 1982. Of course, many will remember him for loving Joanie, while others for his era of being in charge. While he may have made for a good actor, let's just cut to the chase. A singer, he is not.

Listening to this album was painful. Baio couldn't carry a tune if he had a ten gallon bucket. His vopice strains for high notes, and drastically goes off key everywhere else. The tracks themselves are generic in every sense. Basic love pop songs, cobbled together for the sole purpose of young teenage girls giggling with glee as they sit in a day dream while listening to it. Further, the album has a very out dated 70's sound, despite being released in the heart of the new wave era.

For being only thirty six minutes, it felt like an eternity By track seven, I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to shut it down. There was no way I was making it through the last three songs without jumping off a building.

About the only standout aspect to the record is the cover, which is practically a mirror image for the forthcoming Thriller by Michael Jackson. Beyond that, I've got nothing really positive to say about this one. I didn't expect it to be good, and well, it delivered in the aspect in spades. Ufortunately, I also picked up Baio's follow up album, The Boy Are Out Tonight (1983). I'm feeling nautious just thinking about having to listen to it (eventually).

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 11, 1981

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 11, 1987

Retro Spins: Aerosmith - Pump

By 1979, Aeorsmith was waning in popularity, and dying off in a sea of more popular acts. By the time the 1980's rolled around, I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who thought the group could make a comeback. So frustrated with each other, Joe Perry had left in 79', while Brad Whitford would depart in 1981. However, their departure also served to be a blessing in disguise for Steven Tyler who was heavily into hard drugs by this point. With the help of new member, Rick Dufay, and Producer Jack Douglas, Tyler was able to kick his habits, getting back on his feet.

Clean, and reinvigorated, Perry and Whitford would rejoin Aerosmith in 1984, and with all the original members back in place, release 1985's Done With Mirrors. Despite it being considered a fan favorite, Aerosmith themselves have stated their dislike for the record. Overall its release didn't push the band back into the spotlight either. But, something was on the horizon. Something which would usher in a comeback like never before seen, and it wouldn't even be Aerosmith themselves who would lead the charge,

Go ahead and push play. You know you want to.

Enter three young men from Hollis, New York, Joseph "Run" Simmons, Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, better known as Run-D.M.C. Infusing Aerosmith's 1975 classic, Walk This Way with their style of rock and roll rap, not only propelled the young rappers into mainstream fame, but revived the classic rock group on the brink of death, introducing them to a whole new generation of fans. In truth, this was mine and my brother's introduction to Aerosmith, with my sibling getting so hooked that he would soon give me a decade more of schooling by way of playing all their albums over and over and over daily.

Riding this new wave of success, Aerosmtih returned to the studio to release the highly successful Permanent Vacation (1987). However, the band would quickly return to the studio in 1988 to begin their final album from the decade, 1989's Pump.

Let's just cut to the chase. If you haven't heard it, you're missing out. In a period of relatively new hard rockers hitting the scene, Bon Jovi, Poison, Mötley Crüe, Guns 'N Roses, and all the others, Aerosmtih stepped forward and showed all those kids how it was done. How the classic lineups are classics for a reason. They're seasoned. They've been through the ringer, the ups and downs, and they're back bigger than ever.

Pump remains Aerosmith's second biggest and best selling album to date, and there's good reason for that. It's solid from front to back. An album worthy of being played on vinyl because there's frankly no songs that should be skipped. Bottom line, you need this album in your music collection. Even if you don't have a music collection. It's as important to the 80's as Michael Jackson's Thriller, Def Leppard's Hysteria, Prince's Purple Rain, and all those other iconic albums you can think of. In fact, buy all those too!

Hot on the heals of its September release, the band embarked on a major world tour, which ran from October 18, 1989 to October 15, 1990. In total, the show encompassed nine legs, and featured one hundred sixty four shows. This tour also gave birth to the band's private Citation II airline which they named Aeroforce One.

The band would take a four year break before releasing their biggest album to date, Get A Grip (1993), and from their, only continued to boom in popularity, poised to take over yet another decade. However, from there, things seemed to slow down a bit. Not necessarily in hits, but the group's desire to release albums. The 90's saw one final release, 1997's Nine Lives, and between 2001 and 2012, they've only released three new studio albums.

Sadly, there appears to be no new music on the horizon. Joe Perry has stated many times that his focal point is on touring. That he's happier playing live for the fans. He also stated that as a whole, Aerosmith has so much music that they aren't able to play it all, so it doesn't make sense to record new material. I guess that makes sense.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 10, 1982

Retro Spins: The Belle Stars - The Belle Stars

When the all girl group, The Bodysnatchers, broke up in 1981, five of the eight members formed The Belle Stars with new member Leslie Shone, Jennie Matthias and Gerald Woodroffe. The band worked hard to become well known around London, and were soon signed by Stiff Records. However, despite their popularity live, their initial singles failed to garner much attention.

Needing new direction, the group switched to releasing a series of covers, which included The Dixie Cups Iko Iko, and Shirley Ellis's The Clapping Song. However, it would be their following single, Sign Of The Times, which would finally give them the breakthrough they were looking for. The song would reach number three in Europe, and the video would see heavy rotation on MTV.

Leading up to this period, the girls would also gain and lose members, with the classic line up ultimately consisting of Jennie McKeown, Sarah-Jane Owen, Stella Barker, Clare Hirst, Miranda Joyce, Lesley Shone, and Judy Parsons. It would be this lineup that would go to work on releasing their debut self titled album, featuring many of the singles above, as well as additional covers and new material. While the album would reach number fifteen in the UK, it would stall on the US Billboard charts at one hundred ninety-one. Their success was brief.

Finding their debut album on CD isn't impossible. However, you won't find it under the self titled name. Instead, turn your attention to Belle-issima! Sweet Memories . . . Though it looks like a compilation album at first glance, it's actually far more. This two disc set is broken up into three sections. The first being the singles. The second being their debut album. The third being the twelve inch singles.

Though on the surface it may seem like a comprehensive release of everything the band ever did, it's not. It doesn't include any of the tracks from the group's shelved follow-up album, nor any of the singles from it which were released. More on this below.

Focusing in on just the twelve tracks which encompass the girls debut album, there's good stuff to be found here. Personal standouts for me were Sign Of The Times, Ci Ya Ya, The Clapping Song, and Iko Iko. However, with that said, the album isn't bad. It just has stronger tracks than others. It has a strong new wave / synth pop sound, and that hits right on my sweet spot of the 80's. If anything, it's kind of a shame that this was all there was from the band.

Despite continuing to struggle, the girls pressed on, touring throughout 1984. However, and unfortunately, this continued disappointment took its toll, leading to Matthis quitting. She was followed by several other members, leaving just three of the members in place, Owen, Joyce, and Shone. Though the group was poised to continue as a trio, financial woes at Stiff Records led to the label being sold to Island Records, and then liquidated through Trevor Horn's ZZT.

Under Horn's supervision, the three remaining members recorded a follow up album. However, when the first single, which featured three new tracks, failed to make any impact, the record was shelved, and the band broke up. Fast forward to 1989, where The Belle Star's cover of Iko Iko would appear on the soundtrack to Rain Main, putting it on the charts where it reached number 14 on the Billboard 100. While Matthis would tour to promote the song, the remaining members wouldn't join her, nor would The Belle Stars ever reunite.

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THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 9, 1983

THIS WEEK ON THE CHARTS
April 9, 1988