Flash and the Pan
Early Morning Wake Up Call - Epic 1984
Tracks: 1. Early Morning Wake Up Call / 2. Communication Breakdown / 3. Barking at the Moon / 4. Downtown Too Long / 5. Opera Singers / 6. Midnight Man / 7. On the Road / 8. Look at That Woman Go / 9. Fat Night / 10. Believe in Yourself / 11. Early Morning Wake Up Call - instr.*
Comments:
After in 1982 having been around the band format, Flash and the Pan were in 1984 back as a duo. Vanda and Young were no longer committed as providers of songs for other artists such as John Paul Young or Cheetah, and could thus concentrate on writing songs for their own studio project, which had proved unexpectedly highly successful.
A marked difference between "Early Morning Wake Up Call" and “Headlines” is the distinctive use of computer drums, which for some may feel slightly irritating. The songwriting is as always top notch, and the album offers both hits and experiments.
The biggest hit was the very catchy "Midnight Man" with its characteristic table tennis beat. Also the title track and "Communication Breakdown" were minor hits around Europe. It was in this period when it was very popular to release extended dance mixes and all three singles can be found in such versions. An instrumental version of the title track was released in Holland, and this version is to be found here as a bonus track. An interesting detail about this number is that it exists in a version with a slightly softer beat than the somewhat hard and monotonous beat of the album version. This version can be found on the compilation "Ayla" released on Repertoire in 2005.
More personal favorites are the melodic and laid back "On the Road" and the great "Barking at the Moon". Athe slightly funky "Fat Night" should also be brought forward, and again as always you never that a number was included just to fill out the album.
Great remastered sound
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