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A Flock of Seagulls - Listen Audio CD

A fair review of the A Flock of Seagulls "Listen" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all A Flock of Seagulls reviews here, or go back to the A Flock of Seagulls tabs.

A Flock of Seagulls Band: A Flock of Seagulls
Title: Listen
Rating:
Release Date: 2004-10-12
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Wishing 2: Nightmares 3: Transfer Affection 4: What Am I Supposed To Do 5: Electrics 6: The Traveller 7: 2:30 8: Over The Border 9: The Fall 10: (It's Not Me) Talking 11: Committed (Extended Version) 12: Quicksand 13: I Ran (Live)

suggestion
If your into interesting renditions of songs check out this version of Space Age Love Song.

LOVE THE FLOCK!!!!.
[. . . ].


A True Revelation
That said, and perhaps because of this fact, this album is deep in the circuitry of my blood. In 1983 I was four years old. . . the sound was just in the air. As a teenager, I came to have every early Cure song memorized and loved. So, why it took so long to get around to this, I do not know, but I thank God I did. I highly respect the other reviewers knowledge of the "missing tracks" and would frankly love to hear them, but for now, the majesty of this album as-is will suffice. Last week, I picked up this album in a very used vinyl format. After a loving cleaning, the outright skips were gone though the pops and rumble remained. But the music that was revealed as the record turned gave me eerie and addictive goosebumps. I had to break down and buy this from Amazon MP3. I have a feeling this will be reissued and repackaged for the masses very soon. It needs to be. But for now, I'm happy to have the vinyl and the digital format. In short, this album has to be one of the most underrated albums of the 80's. It is dramatic, but not showy. It is dark and broody, but incredibly catchy and danceable, even fun. The production and background sound effects are stunning. It is inspirational and soaring, serious but joyously cathartic. I'm deeply impressed and thankful for it. Goth, New Wave, Pop, Dance, Alternative, something unnamed and unknown, something poetic and lovely. . . it's all here. Love it.


Several key tracks
All key tracks from this album appear on the various best of's that are out there. A Flock of Seagulls put so many good songs on their first album that when it came time for the second, it was almost impossible for "Listen" to measure up to the standard they'd set.

If you're downloading individual songs, you'll recognize the first two tracks on the album, "Wishing" and "Nightmares" as the singles that got the most airplay. Give a listen to the album closer "It's Not Me Talking" as well.

A Flock of Seagulls always had strong b-sides to their singles, songs that could have passed for a-sides. Pity that one of their best songs from this era, "Committed", wasn't included as a bonus track. This band got a lot of flack for their goofy hairstyles but A Flock of Seagulls delivered where it counted - in the music.

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An underrated New Wave classic
I found a CD of "Listen" including "Rosenmontag" and "The Last Flight of Yuri Gagarin" for $8. I was lucky. 00 at a flea market. This was 1995 and the vendor didn't know what he had and I didn't know I was getting a bargain. I had no idea this CD could fetch ten times that price later on.

"Listen" is my favorite AFOS album. Conny Plank's aura is all over the album, though Mike Howlett did most of the production. I prefer "Listen" to the first one because it's darker with more menacing melodies and synth work. The melody of "Wishing" is still one of my favorites. "Over the Border" is also one of AFOS's best songs for it's menacing synthesizers and angry guitar riff; it demonstrates Flock's aggressive and paranoid side, which went underutilized. This song is preceded by an eerie bit of musique concrete called "2:30. " "Quicksand" and "The Fall" follow in the same vein as "Over the Border. "

Dumb lyrics were always a problem for the band. The lyrics on "What Am I Supposed To Do," "The Traveler," and "Electrics" are the the album's biggest weakness, and I'll leave it at that! WAISD has a terrific Duran Duran-style bass line and the kind of soaring synths and lead guitar we loved so well on "Space Age Love Song," so just ignore the words and have fun! Mike could have also used some more voice lessons. Even Mike Howlett's superb production couldn't hide Mike Score at times straining out of key. He was still straining when I saw him live in 1988 and by the mid-90s, his voice was shot to hell.

If you've got the time and the means to obtain the CD with "Rosenmontag" and "The Last Flight of Yuri Gagarin," do so. These instrumentals represent the Conny Plank-influenced progressive/experimental path I wish the band had taken. They're marvelous. Furthermore, if you've got access to a turntable, the "Nightmares" 12" is worth searching out. The 12" version takes the haunting guitar break about 90 seconds longer AND it has the FULL-LENGTH versions of the aforementioned instrumentals. The "Nightmares" 12" and the Superfecta release of "Listen" might cost less than finding that rare Beehive release of "Listen," which has the same tracks as the Arista cassette release, which is what I bought back in '83.



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'Listen' and remember
F. I was into A. O. S in a big way in the early eighties, seen them on the Listen tour at the old Tiffany's ballroom in Glasgow (a lifetime ago). The group dedicated the song Nightmares to the local DJ Richard Park on Radio Clyde who played the song at the wrong speed (33rpm) on his show earlier in the day.
Good follow up albumn to the excellent A. F. O. S debut albumn. The hit song 'Wishing' being the most remembered. Personaly, not as good as 'Nightmares' or 'Transfer Affection'. I think there was four tracks released as singles at the time. Good albumn to listen to, funky base guitar in a couple of tracks as well. Good albumn for any collection.
Stood the test of time.

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You can see a complete list of all A Flock of Seagulls discography, or go back to the A Flock of Seagulls tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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