SADE Debut Album

Original released on LP Portrait FR 39581

(US 1984, July 16)

Former model Sade made an immediate and huge impact with her 1984 debut album, "Diamond Life". Her sound and approach were deliberately icy, her delivery and voice aloof, deadpan, and cold, and yet she became an instant sensation through such songs as "Smooth Operator" and "Your Love Is King," where the slick production and quasi-jazz backing seemed to register with audiences thinking they were hearing a jazz vocalist. (Ron Wynn in AllMusic)

ELBA RAMALHO: Do Jeito Que A Gente Gosta

Edição original em LP Barclay 823.030-1

(BRASIL, Junho 1984)

WATERS: "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking"

Original released on LP Harvest SHVL 2401051

(UK 1984, April 30)

When dissected carefully, "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" becomes a fascinating conceptual voyage into the workings of the human psyche. As an abstract peering into the intricate functions of the subconscious, Waters' first solo album involves numerous dream sequences that both figuratively and symbolically unravel his struggle with marriage, fidelity, commitment, and age at the height of a midlife crisis. While the songs (titled by the times in which Waters experiences each dream) seem to lack in musical fluidity at certain points, they make up for it with ingenious symbolism and his brilliant use of stream of consciousness within a subconscious realm. Outside from the deep but sometimes patchy narrative framework, the music slightly lacks in rhythm or hooks, except for the title track that includes some attractive guitar playing via Eric Clapton. David Sanborn's saxophone is another attribute, adding some life to "Go Fishing" and "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking." But it's truly the imagery and the visual design of the album that is front and center, since the importance lies in what Waters is trying to get across to the audience, decorated somewhat casually by his singing and the music. With Pink Floyd, the marriage of Waters' concepts and ideas with the talented musicianship of the rest of the band presented a complete masterpiece in both thought and music, while his solo efforts lean more toward the conceptual aspects of his work. With this in mind, "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" continues to showcase Waters' unprecedented knack of addressing his darkest thoughts and conceptions in a most extraordinary fashion. (Mike DeGagne in AllMusic)

"Song To The Siren" By THIS MORTAL COIL

SRV: "Couldn't Stand the Weather"

Original released on LP Epic FE 39304

(US 1984, May 15)

Stevie Ray Vaughan's second album, "Couldn't Stand the Weather", pretty much did everything a second album should do: it confirmed that the acclaimed debut was no fluke, while matching, if not bettering, the sales of its predecessor, thereby cementing Vaughan's status as a giant of modern blues. So why does it feel like a letdown? Perhaps because it simply offers more of the same, all the while relying heavily on covers. Of the eight songs, half are covers, while two of his four originals are instrumentals - not necessarily a bad thing, but it gives the impression that Vaughan threw the album together in a rush, even if he didn't. Nevertheless, "Couldn't Stand the Weather" feels a bit like a holding pattern, since there's no elaboration on Double Trouble's core sound and no great strides forward, whether it's in Vaughan's songwriting or musicianship. Still, as holding patterns go, it's a pretty enjoyable one, since Vaughan and Double Trouble play spiritedly throughout the record. With its swaggering, stuttering riff, the title track ranks as one of Vaughan's classics, and thanks to a nuanced vocal, he makes W.C. Clark's "Cold Shot" his own. The instrumentals - the breakneck Lonnie Mack-styled "Scuttle Buttin'" and "Stang's Swang," another effective demonstration of Vaughan's jazz inclinations - work well, even if the original shuffle "Honey Bee" fails to make much of an impression and the cover of "Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)" is too reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix's original. So, there aren't many weaknesses on the record, aside from the suspicion that Vaughan didn't really push himself as hard as he could have, and the feeling that if he had, he would have come up with something a bit stronger. (Stephen Erlewine in AllMusic)

DAVID GILMOUR: "About Face"

Original released on LP Harvest SHSP 2400791

(UK 1984, March 5)

David Gilmour released his second solo venture in 1984, following the apparent dissolution of Pink Floyd. He had released a record on his own in 1978, but "About Face" is much more accessible. Gilmour has a stellar band backing him, including Jeff Porcaro (drums), Pino Palladino (bass), and Anne Dudley (synthesizer). The songs on "About Face" show a pop sensibility that Pink Floyd rarely was concerned with achieving. Although the album didn't attract the attention of a Floyd release, several cuts did manage to get airplay. "Until We Sleep" is rife with shimmering synthesizers and cavernous drums, and "Blue Light" was a minor pop hit, with Gilmour's trademark delay-drenched guitar giving way to a driving, horn-laced rocker. Pete Townshend wrote two of the tracks: "Love on the Air" and the propulsive "All Lovers Are Deranged." Of course, there's more than enough of Gilmour's fluid guitar playing to satisfy, including the gorgeous "Murder," a gentle acoustic track that explodes with some fiery organ by Steve Winwood and concludes with a fierce coda. "About Face" is well-honed rock album that is riveting from beginning to end. (Tom Demalon in AllMusic)

LEONARD COHEN: "Various Positions"

Original released on LP Passport PB 6045

(CANADA, December 1984)

Nobody is going to make the mistake in calling "Various Positions" Leonard Cohen's best album, but there is enough on here to recommend to the casual Lenny fan, despite some shaky production work. "Dance Me to the End of Love" is the sound of French Canada. It has a romantic European aura, and it's a little bit cheesy. Most of the album has to do with old Cohen standbys like heartache and loneliness. But, despite the universal themes, Cohen expresses with a sharper and deeper slant than maybe anybody has since the phonograph was invented. "Heart With No Companion" breaks no new ground in subject matter, but few can say "I feel your pain" like Cohen can: «And I sing this for the captain / Whose ship has not been built / For the mother in confusion / Her cradle still unfilled.» The "Hunter's Lullaby" is another example. A sad tale of a runaway father, could easily sound maudlin in the hands of other artists, but Cohen can keep the emotional intensity without resorting to cliche heart-tugging. Instead, of making the father out to be a negligent ogre, he writes of a man whose soul has to be on the move. Having been covered by everyone this side of Heaven itself, "Hallelujah" has been heard by all of us, maybe too many times. However, it's hard to tire of imagery as beautiful as a woman bathing on a rooftop under moonlight: «Your faith was strong but you needed proof / You saw her bathing on the roof / Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you / Hallelujah.» There is a touch of filler in "Various Positions" (but not much) that keeps it from playing together as a cohesive whole, but Cohen's filler is better than most artists Greatest Hits. Fans will enjoy this album - multiple listens reveals more and more hidden nuggets of beauty (in RateYourMusic)