Search - Sad Cafe :: Misplaced Ideals / Facades

Manchester's Sad Cafe' back in the limelight

03/07/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"They never really hit the big time, even in England. Everyday Hurts was a minor hit from the lads from Manchester, but even that was fleeting. Nice to see this re-issue of several of their better tracks. The album is actually a compilation of Fanx Ta-ra, Misplaced Ideals and Facades. The lyrics feel a little stilted these days ("looked out of the window what did I see? I saw the devil he was looking at me....") but it does take fans back to those heady days of the Manchester Apollo with its memorable power outages. Shame they didn't include live tracks in this set but we can always hope for the re-issue of the live album. Colin Bodell"

Not Your Average White Bread

dev1 | Baltimore | 07/01/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Groups such as Foreigner, Journey and Boston dominated the charts during the end of the nineteen-seventies. There was hardly any room left for these melodic and lush rockers from Manchester, England - Sad Cafe. But, unlike the formula sound of the previous mentioned bands, Sad Cafe's material is more immediate, relies on the blues, and has a heavy edge - intensely heavy. The band also features a knock-out horn section. This 2fer includes the band's most acclaimed work with A&M: Misplaced Ideas from 1978, and Facades from 1979. Lead singer Paul Young has a tough street-thug voice and does a dead-on Mick Jagger (not that it's a sin).Misplaced Ideals is the harder sounding, more energetic and blue of the two CDs. It has everything possible going for it: thundering guitar lines (Restless), a killer horn section (Here Come The Clowns), luscious vocal harmonies (Run Home Girl), and a demented Keith Moon drummer (Tony Cresswell). He decimates `Black Rose' and `On With The Show.' The arrangements are intense and dramatic. `I Believe Love Will Survive' opens with a tender melodic piano, sweet harmony vocals, then builds to a grand crescendo of pounding drums and screaming lead guitar. The finale (On With The Show) has a repeated scorching guitar reprise that'll peel wallpaper. Compared to Misplaced Ideas; Foreigner, Journey and Boston are about as fierce as the Carpenters.Facades isn't on par with Misplaced Ideals - the sound is softer, and the blues are replaced by white bread funk (Guys, what were you thinking?). Still, Facades is a reliable CD with infectious melodies (Angel), soaring vocal harmonies (Everyday), and hooks with hooks (check the break after the lonesome synthesizer introduction on `Nothing To Lose'). Facades has a couple of Average White Bread (I mean Band) throwaways (Strange Little Girl & Get Me Outta' Here). So much for perfection. Get this rocking Sad Cafe 2fer before it's relegated to "sensational out-of-print CD" heaven."

Should have been a 2 albums on 1 cd

S M | 10/18/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Both albums, Facades and Misplaced Ideals could have fit on 1 cd.



Shame because MI is one of the best recordings around. Can easily compare to the best Boz Scaggs and the bands dev1 mentioned ever put out.



Facades is lacklustre by comparison.



It gets a 10 for MI, but a 4 for Facades, thus a 3



By the way, why does Amazon include a 'NO' in 'was this review helpful to you?'. People are only human and don't like opinions that differ from themselves. With some who are less mature, this the 'NO' makes it too easy express such displeasure.



Are they trying to discourage negative reviews, hence not purchase the CD. Such reviews only help a person in not being dissatisfied a product that received positive reviews











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