Search - Kajagoogoo :: Islands

Kajagoogoo at Their Absolute Best.

Reviews No More | 05/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When this album was released Stateside two decades ago, it was titled Extra Play and the "googoo" part of the band's name was dropped as well as vocalist Limahl. Nick Beggs took over on lead vocals and the band quickly adopted a more mature contemporary jazz sound. This album has very little in common with the new wave-isms of White Feathers, but the pop and jazz are prevalent enough from that album to leave little doubt as to who you're listening to.



Don't kid yourself for one moment; Kajagoogoo was and is more talented than they were given credit for, and if this album doesn't win you over, nothing about them will. Nick's Christian lyrics pop up more than once in songs like the brass embellished "Lion's Mouth" and the funky meditation of "The Power to Forgive."



The album is apparently one huge jam session that turned into something really great for them on a creative level as they all collaborated together on every track, and Nick has written some of his finest songs yet. My personal favorites:

--"Melting the Ice Away," a lovely song that boasts great basslines and the lovely vocal addition of Miss Annie McCaig.

--The funky angst of "Turn Your Back on Me."

--"On a Plane," which has one of the most clever jazz fusion structures I've had the pleasure to hear in a pop song and also features great saxes and flute by Phil Todd and Chris Hunter.

--"The Loop" is a spirited, driving instrumental that works on all cylinders and features a great trumpet solo by Guy Barker.

All the bonus tracks, unlike on White Feathers, are worth listening to, especially "Monochrome," which is truly the only new wave track on the disc, and instrumental "The Garden," which features some great acoustic guitar by Steve Askew and a gorgeous, snakey flute by Phil Todd (?).



I wish more people knew about this Kajagoogoo album and just how exceptionally good it is. Since the tracks can't be sampled here, I suggest going to the band's official website to get a listen. If you like what you hear, hopefully you will order it. A few more plays and you may even become addicted. It's been 21 years, and I still love it now as much as back then."

Cool stuff from the 80's you might have missed.

joycircuit | 11/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album never really caught on in the US, but it is still really good. This is Kajagoogoo after lead singer Limahl left. A nice collection of catchy,well-crafted, new-wave pop songs. Nice that it was re-released on CD after 20 years. Still a great listen."

Just ok...

Nicolas Leobold | New York, NY United States | 04/14/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This album was nowhere near as good as Kajagoogoo's "White Feathers", and I didn't care for the religious overtones of some of the songs. There were also no comparable megahits like White Feather's "Too Shy" on this album, so imo it's not a must-have CD."