Listening to the newly re-released Steve McQueen, an album I've known virtually word-for-word for over 20 years. I loved it the first time I heard it, at Mike's house, probably over a boardgame, or when he was trouncing me at armchair cricket (why a man who understood probability as he did at 16 never ended up making a career as a poker player is beyond me), very shortly after it was released.
Always a great album - I'm going to avoid the perfect pop cliche - wonderful songwriting, gorgeous harmonies, lush production. It's aged very well indeed.
I was reluctant to fork out for this a third time - but the reviews, particularly of the second disc, persuaded me. And the new acoustic versions of 8 of the album's original 11 tracks (a further argument against this being the "perfect" album - it was never universally strong) are certainly worth it. Shorn of Thomas Dolby's production, the songs - particularly Appetite and Bonny - reveal a different beauty (and some lines I never picked up in the original - "save your speeches, flowers are for funerals"). And to hear Faron Young - probably as McAloon originally intended it - with a driving country rhythm, though also something of a Mexican/Spanish guitar line, is a highlight.
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