Writing on the Wall (Bucks Fizz album)

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Writing on the Wall
File:Writing on the wall - Bucks Fizz.jpg
Studio album by Bucks Fizz
Released 24 November 1986
Recorded 1984 - 86
Genre Pop
Length 43:40 (Vinyl)
64:11 (Cassette)
56:31 (CD)
Label Polydor
Producer
Bucks Fizz chronology
I Hear Talk
(1984)I Hear Talk1984		 Writing on the Wall
(1986)		 The Story So Far
(1988)
Singles from Writing on the Wall
  1. "You and Your Heart so Blue"
    Released: June 1985
  2. "Magical"
    Released: September 1985
  3. "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)"
    Released: May 1986
  4. "Love the One You're With"
    Released: August 1986
  5. "Keep Each Other Warm"
    Released: November 1986

The Story So Far1988
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Smash Hits (8/10) [1]
Number One Magazine 4/5 stars [2]
Q Magazine 3/5 stars [3]
Daily Mirror 3/5 stars [4]

Writing on the Wall is an album by British pop group Bucks Fizz.[5] It was released in 1986 and featured the comeback top ten single "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)". It was the first album to feature member Shelley Preston and their only album released on Polydor Records. Despite the album being initially unsuccessful in the charts, it went on to be re-released twice - first in 2004 and again in 2012, both times with different track listings. It remains the group's final studio album.

Overview

Writing on the Wall was a significant album in the Bucks Fizz catalogue for many reasons. Apart from being their final studio album, it was also the only one to feature newly recruited member Shelley Preston, who had replaced Jay Aston a year before.[6] It was also their first album on a different record label — Polydor — after their 5-year contract with RCA had finished. Despite this, the album contained three of its ten songs from the RCA days. These being the first two singles, "You and Your Heart so Blue" and "Magical", along with a remix of "I Hear Talk", which was featured on their 1984 album of the same name, but included here as it had since become a big hit in the clubs in both the UK and US.[7]

The biggest selling point of the album was the top ten comeback hit "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)", released in May 1986. The song become their first big hit in some time and received some of their biggest critical acclaim.[8] The group elected to release a cover version as the follow-up — a reworking of Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With". The song stalled outside the top 40 and the next single, "Keep Each Other Warm", also failed to sell well.[9][10]

The album, released in November 1986, could not sustain the comeback success of the "New Beginning" single and, despite positive reviews, didn't make a great impression on the charts. Because of this, a planned early 1987 single release of "Love in a World Gone Mad" was shelved. On original release, the album was issued on Vinyl, Cassette and Compact disc all with slightly varied tracklistings. The Cassette version boasted a whole side of extended remixes (cramming nine of the vinyl's ten songs on side one), while the Compact disc version contained a new song "Give a Little Love" in favour of the "I Hear Talk" extended mix.

The album was re-issued on CD in 2004 with a very different tracklisting, featuring 1986-only tracks. Between 2004 and 2008, alternate versions of the tracks "New Beginning", "You and Your Heart So Blue", "Magical", "Keep Each Other Warm", "Love the One You're With" and "Love in a World Gone Mad" have been released on various Bucks Fizz compilations.

The album was re-released yet again on CD in April 2012. This time as an "Ultimate edition" 2-CD set. The first CD follows closely to the 2004 tracklisting, but with remastered sound (the 2004 edition had received fan criticism at the low bass sound), while the second CD featured the third volume of The Lost Masters albums.[11]

"Love in a World Gone Mad" was covered by ABBA singer Agnetha Fältskog on her 1987 album I Stand Alone.

Reception and reviews

Writing on the Wall received some of the group's best reviews. Smash Hits awarded the album an 8 out of 10 rating and singled out tracks "New Beginning", "You and your Heart so Blue" and "I Hear Talk" as being particularly strong. Reviewer Tom Hibbert said that "[their music] is awesomely brilliantly conceived pop music performed with relish", while the songs "are thoroughly ravishing, proper popular music".[1] Number One magazine was impressed by the adult rock sound of many of the tracks, but feared that the album wouldn't stand up to repeated listenings. Nevertheless, they gave the album a 4 out of 5 rating, commenting that "Writing On the Wall sees the Fizzers moving ever further away from their light pop of old, [giving] a fair impression of American AOR rockers – in the most melodic way possible of course".[2] The newly established Q Magazine rated the album 3 out of 5 and favoured the tracks "Keep Each Other Warm" and "The Company You Keep".[3] On the re-issue in 2004, The Daily Mirror stated that though the album may not be cutting-edge, it had class,[4] while Music Week labelled the album "a gem".[12] Reviewing the 2012 re-release, Music News.com said the album saw the group lose their identity in a largely negative review. The album was rated two stars out of five but did compliment the group's performance, stating "The band themselves are in pretty good form and the performances are solid but subtleties are clobbered by the production".[13]

In their year-end polls, Number One magazine rated Bucks Fizz as the thirteenth best act of 1986, and placed the single, "New Beginning", fifteenth in the best songs of the year. "New Beginning" became a much played song on radio during 1986 and elicited many positive comments from DJs, while the song remains a firm fan favourite — repeatedly being placed as their best ever song.[14]

Track listing

1986 vinyl

Side One
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)"   Mike Myers / Tony Gibber Myers / Andy Hill 4:08
2. "You and Your Heart so Blue"   Hill / Pete Sinfield Hill 3:59
3. "Soul Motion"   Hill / Sinfield Hill / Trevor Vallis 4:03
4. "Magical"   Meat Loaf / John Parr Hill 4:07
5. "Keep Each Other Warm (Long version)"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 5.38
Side Two
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Love the One You're With"   Stephen Stills Hill 3:23
2. "Love in a World Gone Mad"   Billy Livesey / Sinfield David Motion 3:57
3. "Don't Turn Back"   Ian Bairnson / Bobby Gee Bairnson / Gee 4:16
4. "The Company You Keep"   Mike Burns / Steve Glen / Gee Gee 4:08
5. "I Hear Talk (Extended Mix)"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 6:58

1986 Cassette

Side One
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)"   Myers / Gibber Myers / Hill 4:08
2. "You and Your Heart so Blue"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 3:59
3. "Soul Motion"   Hill / Sinfield Hill / Vallis 4:03
4. "Keep Each Other Warm"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 4:12
5. "Magical"   Meat Loaf / Parr Hill 4:07
6. "Love in a World Gone Mad"   Livesey / Sinfield Motion 3:57
7. "Don't Turn Back"   Bairnson / Gee Bairnson / Gee 4:16
8. "The Company You Keep"   Burns / Glen / Gee Gee 4:08
9. "Love the One You're With"   Stills Hill 3:23
Side Two
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "New Beginning (Extended version)"   Myers / Gibber Myers / Hill 7:31
2. "I Hear Talk (Extended version)"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 6:58
3. "Keep Each Other Warm (Long version)"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 5:38
4. "Love the One You're With (Extended version)"   Stills Hill 7:51

1986 Compact disc

Side One
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)"   Myers / Gibber Myers / Hill 4:08
2. "You and Your Heart so Blue"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 3:59
3. "Soul Motion"   Hill / Sinfield Hill / Vallis 4:03
4. "Love the One You're With"   Stills Hill 3:23
5. "Keep Each Other Warm (Long version)"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 5:38
6. "Magical"   Meat Loaf / Parr Hill 4:07
7. "Love in a World Gone Mad"   Livesey / Sinfield Motion 3:57
8. "Don't Turn Back"   Bairnson / Gee Bairnson / Gee 4:16
9. "The Company You Keep"   Burns / Glen / Gee Gee 4:08
10. "Give a Little Love"   Diane Warren / Albert Hammond Hill 3:30
11. "Love the One You're With (Extended version)"   Stills Hill 7:51
12. "New Beginning (Extended version)"   Myers / Gibber Myers / Hill 7:31

2004 Compact disc

Side One
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra) (Original version)"   Myers / Gibber Myers / Hill 4:40
2. "Soul Motion"   Hill / Sinfield Hill / Vallis 4:03
3. "Love the One You're With (Dance edit)"   Stills Hill 5:05
4. "Keep Each Other Warm (7" edit)"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 4:10
5. "Love in a World Gone Mad (1986 New version)"   Livesey / Sinfield Motion 3:48
6. "Don't Turn Back"   Bairnson / Gee Bairnson / Gee 4:16
7. "The Company You Keep"   Burns / Glen / Gee Gee 4:08
8. "Give a Little Love"   Warren / Hammond Hill 3:30
9. "In Your Eyes"   Hill / Warren Bacall Hill 4:18
10. "Too Hard"   Bairnson / Gee Gee 3:55
11. "I Need Your Love"   Gee Gee 4:37
12. "New Beginning (Ian Levine Club mix)"   Myers / Gibber Myers / Hill / Ian Levine 9:27
13. "I Hear Talk (1986 remix)"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 6:58
14. "Love in a World Gone Mad (1986 extended mix)"   Livesey / Sinfield Motion 6:44
15. "New Beginning (Ian Levine Dub mix)"   Myers / Gibber Myers / Hill / Levine 8:20

2012 "Ultimate edition"

Side One
No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra) (Full length version)"   Myers / Gibber Myers / Hill 4:40
2. "Love the One You're With (7" version)"   Stills Hill 3:26
3. "Don't Turn Back"   Bairnson / Gee Bairnson / Gee 4:53
4. "Keep Each Other Warm (Long version)"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 5:38
5. "Love in a World Gone Mad (1986 7" version)"   Livesey / Sinfield Motion 3:48
6. "The Company You Keep"   Burns / Glen / Gee Gee 4:08
7. "Soul Motion"   Hill / Sinfield Hill / Vallis 4:03
8. "Give a Little Love (Unedited version)"   Warren / Hammond Hill 4:38
9. "In Your Eyes"   Hill / Bacall Hill 4:18
10. "I Need Your Love"   Gee Gee 4:37
11. "Too Hard"   Bairnson / Gee Gee 3:55
12. "Love the One You're With (Extended version)"   Stills Hill 7:52
13. "I Hear Talk (1986 extended version)"   Hill / Sinfield Hill 6:58
14. "Love in a World Gone Mad (Extended version)"   Livesey / Sinfield Motion 6:44
15. "New Beginning (Extended version)"   Myers / Gibber Myers / Hill 7:33

Personnel

Vocals

  • Bobby G - lead vocals on "You and Your Heart so Blue", "Soul Motion", "Magical", "Keep Each Other Warm", "Love the One You're With", "Don't Turn Back", "I Hear Talk", "Too Hard", "I Need Your Love", Harmonica on "The Company You Keep"
  • Cheryl Baker - lead vocals on "Give a Little Love", "Love in a World Gone Mad" and "In Your Eyes"
  • Mike Nolan - lead vocals on "The Company You Keep"
  • Shelley Preston - shared lead vocal on "Love in a World Gone Mad (1986 version)" and "In Your Eyes"

Musicians

Production

  • Andy Hill - Producer on "New Beginning", "You and Your Heart so Blue", "Soul Motion", "Magical", "Keep Each Other Warm", "Love the One You're With", "I Hear Talk"
  • Bobby G - Producer on "Don't Turn Back", "The Company You Keep"
  • David Motion - Producer on "Love in a World Gone Mad"
  • Mike Myers - Producer on "New Beginning"
  • Trevor Vallis - Producer on "Soul Motion", Engineer
  • Brian Tench - Engineer
  • Trigger - Engineer
  • Peter Woodroffe - Engineer, Fairlight programmer
  • Michael Hoppen - Photography
  • Green Ink - Design
  • Alwyn Clayden - Art direction

Chart performance

Release date Single title UK Chart position"[15]
December 1984 "I Hear Talk" (single version) 34
June 1985 "You and Your Heart so Blue" 43
September 1985 "Magical" 57
May 1986 "New Beginning (Mamba Seyra)" 8
August 1986 "Love the One You're With" 47
November 1986 "Keep Each Other Warm" 45
Release date Album title UK Chart position[15]
November 1986 Writing on the Wall 89
November 2004 Writing on the Wall (CD re-issue) -
April 2012 Writing on the Wall (CD re-issue) -

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Tom Hibbert. Smash Hits album reviews, November 1986
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Karen Swayne. Number One Magazine album reviews, November 1986
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Q Magazine album reviews, November 1986
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  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
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