By this time, Howard had started to wind down. His popularity was flagging, and his writing on this album was less than impressive. Mind you, it's still a great album, it just doesn't carry the clout that his earlier releases did. He'd gotten rid of the huge hairdo, which is a plus. But the album showcases something specific about him, he's maturing. No longer is he concerned with writing songs for teeny-boppers, and he's writing songs his own age. The singles are good, the album tracks aren't bad, but the album as a whole is solid. It is a solid piece of work that really reflects a lot of time and effort to make it as best as he could. A true artist.
We didn't hear from HJ again until 89 with Everlasting Love off the Cross That Line album, another HJ essential.
If we strip out all of the unnecessary crap from the 80s and only kept the artists and albums that expressed the true heart and soul of humanity, I'm sure that Howard Jones would be among that crowd. It's a small crowd, and guys like HJ don't come along that often. Take the time and appreciate this man who is in tune with his soul. You may learn something....
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ReplyDeleteI never understood why Howard Jones went MOR so early in his career. Perhaps he was running out of ideas at the time, moving towards the radio gold of No One Is To Blame. I read an interesting article about his early days and how Humans Lib was co written by this guy William Bryant, which explains why that album is so different than anything else he ever did. Don't bother looking him up on discogs, the listing is wrong. His website is hunttheself.com and it details an alternate story to how Howard Jones got his start in music.
ReplyDeleteMy only thought on that is maybe he was comparing himself to groups like Wang Chung and Duran2 who were moving out of the New Wave thing, and also that he was trying to establish himself like Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins... Just a thought.
DeleteThere's a great Wiki on Bill Bryant. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Bryant_(lyricist)
DeleteI love HJ and saw him live last year in a small venue (Hard Rock Velvet Lounge Sessions). He put on an insanely energetic show, kind of unexpectedly, playing a lot of his new songs, which are just as great!
ReplyDeleteLook Mama is still his best song!
Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteIt's refreshing to read some love for Cross That Line.
ReplyDeleteThere's bits of what we used to call side 1 that I could take or leave however side 2 is gold.