![]() ![]() If they released a new album today, I'd turn off my Atari, turn up the collar of my Polo shirt, put on my skinny piano-key necktie and go buy it. They were fun, great to sing-a-long with and quintesentially New Wave. You have to admit it, how many of us went out and bought shirts that buttoned up the side after seeing these guys?ĪFOS had 3 albums from 1982 to 1986 and charted many singles including "Space Age Love Song", "Wishing", "Nightmares", "The More You Live" as well as Grammy winning "D.N.A." But what no one will ever forget is lead singer Mike Score's swooping, seagull looking, over-hairsprayed blonde hair do-do. I vividly remember the song "I Ran" as this goofy, totally low-budget video with two really ugly space girls who tried to look cool. In fact, it's a lot of fun being able to listen to these songs together on one album in this way.Īs you will see in the accompanying video, at least no one will be talking about their hair this time around.Sure there was first this little band called the Beatles who had lots of Gold records (1M+ sold) and won several Grammy Awards but who was the next band from Liverpool to acheive this level of success? If you said 'A Flock of Seagulls', you're a winner! This album is a very entertaining listen throughout. A Flock of Seagulls (also known as Flock of Seagulls) are an English New Wave band originally formed in Liverpool by brothers Michael MikeScore (keyboards. The arrangements bring the original minimalist keyboard lines into full flower (I will forever have the image of Mike Score and his single digit jabs at the keyboard burned into my brain) without ever coming off as too much or sounding hokey. I don't know who scored the orchestral tracks for this album but he or she got them just right. Do they add to the song, detract from the song or do nothing for the song? Often it's the last two. ![]() When Yes attempted a tour utilizing an entire symphony orchestra to replace Rick Wakeman they quickly realized it wasn't going to work and had to draft in a session whiz to play Wakeman's parts, relegating the orchestra to background noise. The orchestral arrangements often become impediments to the songs rather than enhancements. Re-recording songs with an orchestra is not a new idea but it's an idea that rarely works. Usually, I am the first to dismiss projects where bands re-record their hits because they've run out of ideas or (sadly) they're forced to because it's they only way they can make a buck off the songs due the the horrible contracts they signed when they were starting out.Ī Flock of Seagulls, however, have gone out of their way to make things interesting by enlisting the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to add a deep new dimension to these excellent songs. Paul Reynolds (born 4 August 1962) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the new wave band A Flock of Seagulls. Ascension features brand new recordings of the best songs culled from their first three albums, A Flock of Seagulls (1982), Listen (1983) and The Story of a Young Heart (1984) along with one new song "Ascension". ![]() In 2003 the original band, consisting of Mike Score, his brother Ali, Paul Reynolds and Frank Maudsley reunited for the VH1 series Bands In Town and played a small series of shows the following year.įlash forward to 2018 and the four original members have reconvened once again, this time to record a new album together for the first time since 1983. Lead singer and keyboardist Mike Score, who by this time had emigrated to the US, kept the band's name alive by performing countless gigs with session musicians as support. Even the press release regarding their current reunion project focuses a little too much on the legacy of their hair styles, something Duran Duran partly overcame by having a bass player who played as good as he looked.īy 1986's A Dream Come True, New Wave hairstyles gave way to faux Metal hair styles, teased from the Sunset Strip salons, and A Flock of Seagulls musical flight had ended. Songs like "I Ran", "Space Age Love Song" and "Wishing (I Had a Photograph of You" remain radio staples to this day.ĭespite this, all everybody ever talked about was their hair. They made smart, catchy music that found massive airplay despite coming from (gasp!) concept albums. RATINGS: A = must own B = buy it C= average D = yawn F = pukeĪ Flock of Seagulls With the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra – AscensionĪ Flock Of Seagulls have always been an interesting footnote in the annals of New Wave pop. ![]()
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