Search - Naked Eyes :: Promises Promises: Very Best of

The truth...

Pjb Music | CA, USA | 12/14/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Pete Byrne from Naked Eyes. The album has been deleted by EMI. It was a mistake on their part. I spent six months putting this compilation together, because the original "best of" was compiled by EMI and wasn't very good. Unfortunately, someone at EMI deleted the wrong album. I am currently negotiating to release the Naked Eyes albums in their original (with demos and rarities) forms. Those along with "Everything" will cover all our recorded output. Until then, I can only apologise for the exorbitant price of this CD. I receive nothing from any sales of this.



pjbmusic.com"

More than just a one-hit wonder band...

John Corbett | Summerland, California United States | 06/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most people remember Naked Eyes's 1983 cover of "Always Something There To Remind Me", but assume that was the only song worth hearing by the group. Mention "Promises, Promises", and you're bound to get a response like, "They did THAT one, too?" The fact is Naked Eyes is probably the most underappreciated group of the 1980s. They came closer than any other band to perfecting the hooks, melodies, and production values of early 1980s synth-pop. Those people who like their music unplugged might as well stop here -- Naked Eyes is all about incredibly intricate and highly listenable keyboard pop.The synthesizers are the most distinctive aspect of their music. They shimmer in multiple layers, with subtle backgrounds backing often surprisingly catchy and memorable keyboard riffs, giving an incredibly effective atmosphere of mystique and energy at the same time. The drum machines are purely 1980s vintage, but while some may claim that this dates the material, I would venture that it only enhances the modern, technological feel of the music. Drum machines of the early '80s had not yet become the loud, obnoxious instruments that overwhelmed the rest of the music like their late '80s counterparts. Added to all of this were Pete Byrne's British-accented vocals, which were melodic and passionate without being sappy.Aside from "Always Something There To Remind Me" and "Promises, Promises, other standout cuts on this greatest-hits collection include "When The Lights Go Out," "Emotion In Motion," "Flying Solo," "No Flowers Please"... heck, the whole album is great to listen to. The 20 tracks include all but one track from the 1983 album Naked Eyes ("Could Be" is on the 1991 compilation), with the remainder being from the 1984 follow-up Fuel For The Fire. After that album, Naked Eyes broke up, with keyboardist Rob Fisher moving on to success with Climie Fisher and its hit "Love Changes (Everything)" in the late 1980s. In the late 1990s, Byrne and Fisher got back together to record as Naked Eyes again, but Fisher died in 1999 before a new album could be completed. Byrne says the album will be finished eventually, and later this year a Naked Eyes rarities album is supposedly on the way."

THE EYES HAD IT

Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 06/16/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"NAKED EYES was one of those groups from the eighties that got lost in the shuffle. There were so many similar groups out there during this time, but few had the melodic charm of this duo. Aside from their colossal hits, "Always Something There to Remind Me" (A superlative cover of the old Bacharach-David tune); and the infectious "Promises, Promises," they didn't receive a lot of airplay or coverage. The two guys, though, are very talented and the majority of their songs possess imagination, energy and a sharp sense of melody. Underneath all the disco or techno trappings of "Promies, Promises" listen to the string arrangement in the back. It's a very beautiful accompaniment to this cleverly written song. "What in the Name of Love" is another example of arranging craftmanship; at times it sounds like a chorus of voices singing, but it's mainly the wizardry of the two guys. In going back and listening to songs from the eighties, you realize how much they were taken for granted. Labeled as techno pop, many people overlooked the true craftmanship of the artists. I think NAKED EYES is one of the best examples of just how good some of the eighties pop really was!"