Here’s a request from one of the finest, stylized rock&pop / lite AOR albums coming out from England during the ’80s: CUTTING CREW 1986’s “Broadcast“, in its Cherry Red / Cherry Pop release.
This not so easy to find remastered reissue feature some alternate mixes for the US market plus 4 bonus tracks, such as the great 12” Mix of the band’s hit ‘(I Just) Died In Your Arms’ and its B-side ‘For the Longest Time’, for the first time on CD.
Originally, Cutting Crew founder Nick Van Eede was the vocalist of interesting UK band The Drives. In the early Eighties, they took off for Canada to a new life and a promising deal.
On tour, Van Eede meets Kevin Scott MacMichael. A few AOR collectors knows that MacMichael was the original guitarist of FAST FORWARD, the very good Canadian cult AOR act.
By 1984, The Drives disbanded and MacMichael left FAST FORWARD, then Kevin and Nick began writing songs and working on demos in Toronto. Bass player Colin Farley joined the project, and introduced drummer Martin Beedle to the leaders.
Cutting Crew line up was completed, and soon after, at the end of 1985, signed to a UK major label.
The debut album ‘Broadcast’ appeared in Europe in 1986, then due its success released in America 8 months after (1987) with different artwork and four tracks re-mixed for the US tastes.
It was the first album to be released in the US by Virgin Records’ new American imprint, Virgin Records America. All the re-mixed tracks were successful singles.
Sure, you should’ve listened to Cutting Crew’s hit “(I Just) Died In Your Arms” (the first U.S. #1 hit for their label) at least once but… what about the rest of the album?
“Broadcast” spanned 4 well known singles, but the whole album is a really good piece, and remains unheard by the majority.
Unlike ‘one hit wonder’ bands from the era Cutting Crew was a superb team, based on Van Eede’s velvety voice and MacMichael’s great guitar licks, but also on their skillful songwriting abilities.
I can’t find a weak song on “Broadcast [Cherry Red remastered +4], all are terrific.
Production / Mix is first class – handled by gurus Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero – with ‘that’ classy second half of the ’80s glossy, pristine style.
his remastering of “Broadcast [Cherry Red remastered +4] is superb. There is no compression or limiting and the dynamics are fully intact. This reissue is worth buying for the bonus songs alone, but this remaster is stupendous to enjoy the album as a whole.
I recommend to listen to this CD in ‘album mode’, this meaning from start to finish. It’s a great ’80s piece.
Don’t miss this one.
HIGHLY Recommended
01 – Any Colour (USA Mix)
02 – One For The Mockingbird (USA Mix)
03 – I’ve Been In Love Before
04 – Life In A Dangerous Time
05 – Fear Of Falling
06 – (I Just) Died In Your Arms (USA Mix)
07 – Don’t Look Back
08 – Sahara
09 – It Shouldn’t Take Too Long
10 – The Broadcast
BONUS TRACKS:
11 – (I Just) Died In Your Arms (12” Mix)
12 – I’ve Been In Love Before (Live in London)
13 – The Broadcast – Any Colour (Live in USA)
14 – For The Longest Time (B-Side)
Nick Van Eede: Vocals, Rhythm Guitar, Additional Keys
Kevin MacMichael: Guitars, Roland, Emulator, Bkg. Vocals
Colin Farley: Bass, Piano, Bkg. Vocals
Martin Beedle: Drums & Percussion, Bkg. Vocals
with:
Pete Adams – Sequencer (2, 9)
Gary Barnacle – Sax (7, 8)
Pete Birch – Background vocals (6)
David Le Boult – Keys (3)
Jimmy Maelen – Percussion (3)
Chris Townsend – Bass (4)
Peter-John Vetesse – Keyboards
Peter Woodroffe – Fairlight (9, 10)