Intelligently orchestrated, with an edge.
berghreinn | Reykjavik, Iceland | 02/24/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Gentle sounding as it is this albums is also catchy as hell. Reminds me of the Echo and the Bunnymen (soft and gentle, but always interesting), Prefab Sprout (that voice!!), Style Council (elegant and sober), Heaven 17 ("temptation") and New Order (the electronic edge). Yet it was released in the early nineties. Probably sounded very anachronistic at the time and thus flopped commecially. It does go into baggy occasionally, and does so very convincingly, but is more memorable for the moog loops and the lush orchestration. Full of ideas, flirts with tacky sound and gets away with it - in much the same way Pulp did many years later. The album is constantly challenging and tuneful. Worth buying immediately if you are interesting in the bands above. Better than most of the baggy albums of the early nineties. And a rather obscure one too."
O0O0o_-~^GORGEOUSNESS^~-_o0O0o
Nifi Seti | Berlin, Germany | 03/23/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this as an adolescent while still in love w/ the Mondays, but it's only more than 10 years after that i understand the context: as the previous critic put it, it goes occasionally into baggy, but "Quality Street" is the album Roxy Music would've loved 2 have released - if only they had been THAT clever! No cheesy music here: this is glam-rock/80s synthpop/Madchester all rolled into one technicolour dreamboat: songs r merry-go-rounds of bubbly pop and swooning swaying romance that u can actually dance around 2! Perfect for that night out w/ the boys who wanna be girls who wanna have fun.
Had it been released in 2003 - what w/ the current love of the 80s - they would've been heralded as the new ABC - only more talented! :o)
Still can't understand why it remained so obscure.
(BTW: ignore the last 2 tracks. The original album was fine w/out them and so r u.)"
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1