Search - Vince Clarke, Robert Marlow :: Family Fantastic

I Can't Believe It's Not Yazoo!!

mattercat | Ventura, CA USA | 09/05/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

""The Peter Pan Effect" is the actual name of the album, with Vince Clarke producing. Robert Marlow is a flash in the pan artist who was lucky enough to hook up with Vince Clarke right around the time of Yazoo. I am still fuzzy as to how much Vince had to do with the sound of the album; "The Peter Pan Effect" was released on Vince's own record label but Vince was prohibited from performing on the album due to him still being under contract with Mute at the time. He did produce it, however, and the arrangements were brought to life by Eric Radcliffe, who was also partially responsible for Yaz's sound. ("Upstairs at ERIC'S" sound familiar to anyone?)
Anyhoo, the single from the album is "The Face of Dorian Gray" which is a cute, perky, bubbly synth-fest. The entire album has the same feel to it, with most of the differences between the songs lying in the alteration of tempo. About half the album is enjoyable and the other half not; some songs are boring and some are even rediculous. A good listen to overall, however, especially if you enjoy the two Yaz albums. The sound on "The Peter Pan Effect" is virtually the same as on Yaz's releases, especially "You And Me Both." With its innovative and captivating (albeit mostly simplistic) synth arrangements, this album is a must-have for any die-hard Vince Clarke fan. It pieces in the part of the puzzle missing between Yaz and Erasure..."