A little Lene Lovich, a little Grace Jones and a little English New Wave goes a long way.
Too long on this album.
I'm largely unfamiliar with Hazel O'Connor's work (though I know who she is) and I haven't heard her most applauded album, "Breaking Glass" (or seen the film it is taken from) so this "comment" will no doubt lead those who are familiar with her work to say I should have started with another O'Connor album. Maybe so, but this one was sitting on top of the pile.
Background from wikipedia: "Hazel O'Connor (born 16 May 1955, Coventry, England) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of a soldier from Galway who settled in England after World War II to work in a car plant. She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles "Eighth Day", "D-Days" and "Will You". as well as starring in the film Breaking Glass."
And, she became very famous, very quickly, riding on the New Wave craze of the early 1980s. Her face and image were everywhere for a while and she became the image of the female NEnglish ew Wave much like Deborah Harry became the image of the same in the United States. O'Connor acknowledged her hype by calling her backing band "Megahype" and apparently writing songs alluding to the same.
Despite the New Wave trappings Hazel O'Connor comes across more as a female David Bowie or Lou Reed. Or at least a Bowie or Reed in drag which actually isn't that far fetched when you think about their occasional frock up.
There is however on this album a lot of "hedging of bets" … the voice cries New Wave whilst the music is glam, rock and pop with some punkish trappings. Ultimately this is not a true New Wave album but rather a mish mash of styles from the 70s updated to the New Wave
There isn't anything wrong with that normally but here the ideas run out pretty quickly – any ideas and inspiration are used up on the first side. Side 2 is particularly boring. Maybe O'Connor used her ideas up on the first two albums which came out in the preceding two years?
The production is crisp and clear from American Tony Visconti who not surprisingly produced many David Bowie and T Rex albums.
Tracks (best in italics)
- Cover Plus – We're All Grown Up – Hello my name is Hazel O'Connor and I'm channelling David Bowie. It also sounds a little (very little) like Australia's "The Church" of around the same time … though they were ripping off Bowie also. Still, it's a good tune and the best track on the album
- Hanging Around – A cover of The Stranglers tune (one of their few good songs – they are probably my least favourite big English New Wave act) – Hazel was dating Hugh Cornwell and this is a less punk more cabaret version of the song. Punk Cabaret ? Either way not to bad.
- Ee-I-Adio – a bit to cutesy
- Not for You – a little of the "Sweet" and a little "Gary Glitter" given some New Wave stylings.
- Hold On – moving into Marianne Faithfull territory here.
- So You're Born – the punk big mid tempo ballad.
- Dawn Chorus – ideas are running out … this is dull.
- Animal Farm – ideas have run out … this could be a successful entry in the Eurovision concert by a Latvian electro folk band.
- Runaway – I wish this was the Del Shannon song … no I take that back, I'm glad it's not.
- Do What You Gotta Do – the "lighter in the air" punk ballad.
- Men of Good Fortune – the punk anti-ballad socio commentary ballad.
- That's Life – a punk torch song which becomes epically bombastic … Jim "Sledgehammer" Steinman could have written this.
And …
This is a no-keeper for me though "Cover Plus" keeps doing the rounds of my head.
Chart Action
Singles:
Cover Plus – #41UK
Hanging Around-#45UK
Album
#32UK
No chart action in the US.
Sounds
Cover Plus
attached
Hanging Around
Runaway
live 2008
That's Life
attached
Other:
Breaking Glass
Bio
Website
(originally posted: 30/05/2010)
