“Sulk” by Associates - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1982 →Album Chart of the Decade: 1980s →1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die external-link.png

TJR says

A 7.35 were it not for the fluffy instrumental bookends, so let that be a warning to all artists everywhere. For their third long-player in May '82 they lined-up: Billy Mackenzie (25, vocals); Alan Rankine (24, guitar, keyboards); Michael Dempsey (23, bass) and John Murphy (22, drums). Their critical and commercial breakthrough, it was named Album of the Year at Melody Maker and became their first LP to chart, peaking at #10 in the UK. We're in business when the dark and moody “No” kicks-in, Mackenzie's dramatic falsetto melding perfectly with the atmospheric dirge. Nothing else comes close to such majestic levels on side one, and the best of the rest are to be found on the flipside, from the proto-Smiths-jangle of “Skipping” to the era-classic “Party Fears Two” and its thoroughly excellent follow-up smash, “Club Country”. A lot of folks are quick to point out that this record is very much informed by David Bowie, I'd counter that the thin white duke himself was taking notes for “Let's Dance”. And so it goes.

The Jukebox Rebel
08–Mar–2019

Tracklist
A1 [02:57] 4.5.png Associates - Arrogance Gave Him Up (Alan Rankine, Billy Mackenzie) Pop
A2 [05:41] 8.8.png Associates - No (Alan Rankine, Billy Mackenzie) New Wave
A3 [04:13] 6.3.png Associates - Bap De La Bap (Alan Rankine, Billy Mackenzie) New Wave
A4 [04:09] 5.5.png Associates - Gloomy Sunday (Rezső Seress, Sam M. Lewis) New Wave
A5 [04:15] 6.8.png Associates - Nude Spoons (Alan Rankine, Billy Mackenzie) New Wave
B1 [03:57] 7.2.png Associates - Skipping (Alan Rankine, Billy Mackenzie, Michael Dempsey) New Wave
B2 [03:22] 5.7.png Associates - It's Better This Way (Alan Rankine, Billy Mackenzie) New Wave
B3 [04:52] 9.9.png Associates - Party Fears Two (Alan Rankine, Billy Mackenzie) New Wave
B4 [05:29] 8.6.png Associates - Club Country (Alan Rankine, Billy Mackenzie) New Wave
B5 [02:16] 4.7.png Associates - Nothinginsomethingparticular (Alan Rankine, Billy Mackenzie) Pop

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