







Every Beat of the Heart

The Blue Sky

Gary Newby, the front man ofhad a voice you wanted to eat strawberries from. It was the beauty of a crystalline note perfect nature. This clean essence was also accentuated by the sheer clarity of the accompanying jangled chiming hooks and melodies, that effectively made them the favourite band of discerning youngsters who appreciated musical substance over the era's rapacious attention to vogue...it was music for those who let themselves enjoy all that could be pure and sweet.In my opinion this album, despite being their most commercial, is the pinnacle of an impressive discography and optimally highlights the brilliant beauty of a band who had a studio output that spanned nearly thirty years and are still in great demand as a gigging entity. And why wouldn't they be, when the audience are likely to be treated a set-list including the inimitable(see above) and(below)?However, they never 'really' received the sort of widespread critical acclaim that their music deserved. Perhaps it was an 'edge' issue? Despite being featured byin 1986, which was often the catalyst for immediate 'trend membership', somehow the likes of theandseemed to have more appeal to the cool and trendy of the era.Perhaps they were just too clean cut and pretty? Perhaps they were just 'too good' at their art in an era that seemed to enjoy raucous imperfection? Perhaps they made the wrong label choice by going to a major like Virgin who were infinitely morethanand had recently even sucked all the cool out of a band like Microdisney, which should not have been without significance?Either way, this album and indeed all of their studio work, is a legacy to just how beautiful sheer jangle-pop perfection can be when delivered without the slightest semblance of pretense.