CD Odyssey Disc 1561: Howard Jones

I’m in the middle of a weekend that has included gathering with friends and a rousing game of Ultimate that was in no way ruined by a little rain. Now I’m going to write a music review and then spend a quiet evening playing boardgames with my favourite person. Life is good.

Disc 1561 is…. Dream Into Action

Artist: Howard Jones

Year of Release: 1985

What’s up with the Cover? I have a vintage bathrobe that looks a lot like Howard’s jacket but unlike his, mine does not summon the spirits of the Neon Five.

Jones’ thoughtful expression shows that he’s come to realize that invoking the powers of the Five while initially gratifying, has become a curse, as they bring his dreams to life by siphoning off the energy of those closest to him.

Some people would say I’m reading an awful lot into this album cover, but some people have a lot of growing up to do.

How I Came To Know It: I knew a few of these songs as a teenager, but I didn’t like any of them. Sheila is a fan, however, and asked me to find this album for her on my CD shopping journeys, and so here it is.

How It Stacks Up: We have two Howard Jones albums, this one and 1984’s “Human’s Lib” (reviewed back at Disc 892). Of the two, I put “Dream Into Action” in at #2.

Ratings: 3 stars

I did not like Howard Jones back in 1985. The music felt artificial and directionless to me, with a metallic-sounding eighties production that was hard to swallow. However, many decades have passed since I was a lad, and having the opportunity revisit his work as an adult has been a pleasant surprise.

Those elements of Jones’ sound that I didn’t like when this was first released haven’t gone anywhere but I now see how for the most part they fit well with the overall vibe he is creating. Case in point the opening track, “Things Can Only Get Better”. This thing is thumping around with keyboard, drum machine and all manner of dubious additions, but it all works well together. I also find it mystifying how the teenage me couldn’t get behind the infectious “whoa-whoa-whoa” that serves as the intro to the chorus. If you don’t want to ‘whoa whoa whoa’ along with Jones in those moments something is seriously wrong with you.

The record’s best song (also a hit) is “No One is to Blame” which showcases something else I never noticed in the day: Howard Jones’ vocals. He sings with a light and easy power that infuses that that hollow production with emotional resonance. Here he reminded me favourably of Blue Rodeo’s Jim Cuddy.

Both those songs were hits (the record had several) but I didn’t love all the commercially successful songs. “Look Mama” has an “aimless orchestra” feel to it where it all the various sounds had me imagining a big band where everyone was playing a different tune. “Life in One Day” has that scourge of so much mid-eighties music, the steel drum. Like the saxophone, a little steel drum goes a long way, and “Life in One Day” features a lot of steel drum. The song also has a Disney musical quality to it that felt a bit too “destined for Broadway” for my liking.

Elsewhere on the record we are treated to the frantic syncopation of “Automaton” and the overwrought “Elegy”. The former seems feckless and insincere. The latter’s mix of synth and sincerity lands in the No Man’s Land between early Enya and eighties Queen, while failing capture the magic of either.

The CD release of the album features two bonus tracks. First up is the weird pseudo-rap of “Bounce Right Back” that feels about as authentic as instant coffee.

Much better is “Like to Get To Know You Well” which was released originally the year prior as a single (and radio hit). This song has aged beautifully and while it is synth forward, there is no denying the energy of this tune, that had me wanting to eighties-dance around the room (I may have briefly succumbed to the temptation).

Overall, “Dream Into Action” is a mixed bag. It features some tracks that are true classics of eighties New Wave, but these are mixed in with overly clever songs that fall down under the weight of directionless production. On balance, I still enjoyed the experience, and must politely disagree with my overly critical teen self.

Best tracks: Things Can Only Get Better, No One is to Blame, Like to Get to Know You Well

CD Odyssey Disc 892: Howard Jones

I never file albums into the main collection until I’ve given them a good three listens, and consequently one section of my CD shelf is entirely populated with new music. Imagine my excitement when I rolled that section! As luck would have it, though, one of only two albums that Sheila has recently purchased got rolled. It could have been a lot worse though; her other album was Duran Duran.

Disc 892 is….Human’s Lib

Artist: Howard Jones

Year of Release: 1984

What’s up with the Cover? Howard is on the left, and the rest of these portraits are of people with some sort of malediction or facial deformity. The poor woman in the middle appears to have one and a half faces, and the man to her left appears to be caught in a windstorm so severe it is blowing his nose sideways.

How I Came To Know It: While I grew up with the hits “What is Love?” and “New Song” (and in my foolish youth, hated them) I didn’t really know anything about Howard Jones. This is Sheila’s album, and she only recently bought it in a fit of nostalgia.

How It Stacks Up:  We only have this one Howard Jones album. Sheila advises she will at some point purchase the follow up “Dream Into Action” but that “Human’s Lib” is the better record. Let’s take her word for it.

Fun fact, though: while Jones hasn’t had a charting hit since 1992, he’s made 12 albums including one released in 2015. Somewhere out there is a fan that has stuck with Howard Jones the whole way. I raise a glass to that fan in celebration.

Ratings: 3 stars

Eighties pop music seemed obsessed with sounding like “the future” and the result is a lot of bad records. It is a minor miracle that “Human’s Lib” is able to overcome all of these shortcomings and end up being a decent (if not overwhelming) bit of Brit Pop.

The album is the worst mix of what the eighties have to offer. Saxophone solos, drum machines, banging and clanging are everywhere. While Jones’ voice is OK, it isn’t strong enough to overcome the production and arrangement on many of these songs.

The album has two identifiable hits, both of which are good. The first is “What Is Love?” which is probably the song that people associated most strongly with Howard Jones. I’m certain it was a key reason I hated him as a 14 year old metal-head.

I was wrong, though. Despite the painful drum machine, “What Is Love?” has one of the most identifiable and enjoyable hooks in pop music; two if you count Jones’ singing the chorus alongside the synth-organ riff. It is a little disappointing that the song is a bloated 6:32 in length. That extra two and a half minutes adds nothing to the experience except impatience.

After “What Is Love?” the record takes a bit of a nosedive, with aimless pop melodies buried in computer sounds that sound like they were engineered on a Commodore 64 (and probably were). “Pearl in The Shell” is almost good, except for all the electronica flourishes that make it feel like it is being played by that Poindexter character from “Revenge of the Nerds.” If you got that last reference then congratulations: like me, you’re old enough to remember “Human’s Lib” the year it was released.

“New Song” is another organ-driven pop ditty, which is a strange combination of painfully dated and enjoyably retro. The song is completely drenched in proto-techno and I should hate it, but damn it if it didn’t work for me after all these years. This song is due for a comeback and some Soulless Record Exec should re-release it on radio and make a bundle.

Near the end of the record we are gifted with the alpha and omega of the album. The title track is a great combination of creepy Gothic piano and New Wave edge. It is followed by “China Dance” which sounds like a junior high school band concert about what China might be like, as imagined by people who had never been there.

Thematically the record has a strong focus around not judging others and loving yourself. You can’t always understand what the hell Howard is singing, but when you can that’s the gist of it.

The lyrics aren’t great, and the message feels a bit dated but remember in 1984 not judging people was a pretty foreign concept. I’d like to think it was just me living in the hinterland of B.C., but go throw on any John Hughes’ movie from the eighties and you’ll quickly note the carefree prejudice and homophobia that permeated even our revered pop culture icons only thirty years ago.

So while Howard Jones may seem dated, he was pretty topical for the time and frankly, until we are all taken as we are without a second thought, his message will never go out of style.

I struggled with the rating on this record. Objectively it is a two. Because of the production values I can’t see myself ever playing this album, despite it having some good tracks. I’m still going to give it a three though, because I’m a sucker for a little love and understanding in my art.

Best tracks:  What is Love?, Hide and Seek, New Song, Human’s Lib