Turn That Noise Down - Richard Marx

So many well-known albums turn 30 this year and Steve Taylor-Bryant and Susan Omand travel back to 1987 to revisit some of the sounds of their youth that made parents shout "Turn that noise down!" This week, Steve Taylor-Bryant remembers Richard Marx, released in May 1987...

I don't like feeling like this. I'm worried quite frankly. I'm sitting in the reception of my local automotive dealership with my car about to undergo its annual test by the Ministry of Transport, and I'm listening to Richard Marx by Richard Marx. Honestly? I'm not sure what is worrying me more at the moment, the inevitable cost of a braking system for a four year old Vauxhall family car, or whether my love for Richard Marx is about to come undone as I actually listen to the aforementioned singer for the first time in thirty years. Turns out the car is fine, just a couple of wiper blades required for a clean bill of health. Richard Marx on the other hand...

It appears that only wine can get better with ageing. Whilst the car escaped this year I know as it gets older it will trouble me financially as it doesn't hold together well by getting older, neither does a Richard Marx album. It's dated, if I'm truly honest it was probably dated in 1987 when it was released but I was 12 and didn't care. It is electronic and poppy, it's full of big 80's drums and, I can't believe as a drummer I'm going to say this, there is far too many unnecessary drum fills. In fact only two songs really stood out. Track 2 Don't Mean Nothing, the only track that sounded like it was played by a band and not produced by a synthesiser nutcase, and Hold on to the Night, which if you stripped away the frivolous 80's overindulgence and just went piano and vocals would probably get radio play today. The rest were average at best, not a patch on what was to come from him in later years (Hazard is still an incredible listen), and a bit too pop trying to be rock but not too much rock as to lose young girls. A few songs made me smile despite my thoughts on their quality for the very reason I didn't enjoy the listen back... my baby sister. She was one of the young girls who adored Marx, I remembered the tuneless wailing coming through my sister's door as she "sang" along to Should've Known Better and Endless Summer Nights. The memories were worth the listen, the album though not worth the iTunes fee.







Image - Amazon.