This album reminds me of my first girlfriend, my first proper relationship in fact. There’s such a warm rush of nostalgia on hearing it, I could be time-travelling back to the early 90s. Ah, that simple time, before public internet, when mobile phones were the size of a three-door hatchback, and when watching Neighbours in the afternoon was considered a viable choice of entertainment.
This is their second album, undeniably their best and most successful, when the duo of Siobhan Fahey and Marcella Detroit hit their stride. And they strut the fuck out of that stride as glamorous goths singing alternative pop, with a devil-may-care attitude.
Stay was the massive hit single from this album. And Stay it did, at the top of the charts for eight weeks. The song and the equally brilliant video for it became so etched on everyone’s eyeballs that it had the honour of being spoofed by French and Saunders, one of their highlights to this day.
At the time, and in subsequent reviews (that I’ve read recently) it’s always mentioned that both artists were pregnant at the time of making this album, which explains its “moody”, “melodramatic”, “emotional” songs. And some even that Fahey’s vocals “sounds like a man.” FFS. Clearly these reviews were written by men, who perhaps had never been close enough to a pregnant woman, or indeed a woman, to realise that this is just what female artists do when they are creating for themselves, and not for some record company dictated fanbase of either teenage boys or should-know-better 40-somethings.
The music is varied, accomplished and great fun to listen to. Far more than merely a nostalgia trip. Goodbye Cruel World is a great opener and classic early 90s alt-pop. Catwoman seems to be channelling glam rock, and Black Sky and Moonchild are a kind of glam-gothic hybrid. Other than Stay, the highlight for me is its closer: Hello (Turn Your Radio On) not just because it’s a great gothic ballad, but because my girlfriend at the time put it on a mixtape for me (remember them?) so it’s also a clarion call from the heart.
Best Bits: Hello (Turn Your Radio On). It may be the second best track on this album, but it’s a personal favourite.
Genre: ’90s Gothic Alt Pop
Like This, Try This: The original video for Stay and French and Saunders take-off. Spot the difference.
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