I Hear Talk

Infobox Album | Name = I Hear Talk
Type = Album
Artist = Bucks Fizz

|250px
Released = November, 1984
Recorded = 1983 - 84
Genre = Pop
Length =
Label = RCA
Producer =
Reviews =
Last album = "Greatest Hits"
(1983)
This album = "I Hear Talk"
(1984)
Next album = "Writing on the Wall"
(1986) |

"I Hear Talk" is an album by pop group Bucks Fizz. Released in 1984, this was the group's fourth studio album and featured the singles "Talking in Your Sleep", "Golden Days" and "I Hear Talk".

Overview

Bucks Fizz had been consistently in the public eye for three years by the end of 1983 and so decided to keep a low profile for the first half of 1984 following the low-charting performance of their last single. During this time recording sessions were held for their fourth album as well as the group embarking on a 40-date UK tour.

The group made a comeback in August with the single "Talking In Your Sleep" - a cover of a song by US band The Romantics. The single revitalised the group's career with its harder-edged rock sound and became a top twenty hit in the UK. [ [http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=11849 Chart Stats - Bucks Fizz - Talking In Your Sleep ] ]

Another single "Golden Days" (a reworking of a recent Cliff Richard song) [ [http://www.cliffrichardsongs.com/crworks8.php Cliff Richard Song Database ] ] was released in October, but failed to chart as highly. The album followed soon after and also received a tepid response.

A third and final single (the title track) was released in December, but coincided with a coach crash that the group suffered while on tour. Promotion for the single was limited due to this and although performed better in the charts than the previous single, it didn't restore them to their former glory.

During recording sessions for this album in early '84, the group recorded the song "What's Love Got To Do With It" for possible inclusion. Around the same time the song was also recorded by US star, Tina Turner, who went on to have an International hit it [ [http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id223.htm Top 100 Songs of 1984 ] ] . The Bucks Fizz version went unreleased until 2000, when it was included as a bonus track on a CD re-release of their album, "Are You Ready."

This was the group's final album both with their original record company, RCA and member Jay Aston, who quit the line-up the following year. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/music/4445173.stm BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Bucks Fizz story refuses to go flat ] ]

"I Hear Talk" was re-released on CD in 2004. [http://de.click2music.co.uk//3rd/Prezence/bucksfizz/flash.html]

In 2006, alternate versions of tracks "Indebted To You", "Tears On the Ballroom Floor", "Cold War", "Breaking Me Up", "She Cries" and "Thief In The Night" were released on "The Lost Masters" - a collection of unreleased Bucks Fizz tracks. Two years later, a follow-up compilation gave further alternate versions of "Indebted To You", "Tears On The Ballroom Floor", "Golden Days", "Talking In Your Sleep" and "Breaking Me Up". More importantly however, the first of these albums produced an entirely new song taken from the "I Hear Talk" sessions - "Every Dream Has Broken". It is unknown why this song was never released, but fans of the group rate it as one of Bucks Fizz's best ever songs. [ [http://www.bucksfizzearlyyears.co.uk/top403.htm/ Bucks Fizz fans' top 40 songs] ]

Track listing

Original album

Side One
#"I Hear Talk"
#"Indebted to You"
#"Tears on the Ballroom Floor"
#"Cold War"
#"Golden Days"

Side Two
#"Talking in Your Sleep"
#"Breaking Me Up"
#"January’s Gone"
#"She Cries"
#"Thief in the Night"

Re-issue (2004)

(Bonus tracks:)
#"Don't Think You're Fooling Me"
#"Where Do I Go Now"
#"One Touch Too Much"
#"Pulling Me Under"
#"Invisible"
#"Evil Man"
#"Here's Looking at You"
#"Young Hearts"

Personnel

Bobby G - lead vocals on "I Hear Talk", "Indebted to You", "Cold War", "Talking in Your Sleep", "Breaking Me Up", "She Cries", "Don't Think You're Fooling Me", "Pulling Me Under"

Jay Aston - lead vocals on "Thief in the Night", "Invisible", "Evil Man"

Cheryl Baker - lead vocals on "Tears on the Ballroom Floor", "Where Do I Go Now", "Young Hearts"

Mike Nolan - lead vocals on "January's Gone"

Producers:

Andy Hill
Brian Tench

Terry Britten

Pip Williams
Bobby G
Cheryl Baker, Adrian Sheppard and Richard Cottle

Reception and Reviews

While Bucks Fizz were generally criticised in the media, their albums usually received favourable reviews. However, of their five studio albums, "I Hear Talk" seemed to gain the least recommendations.

Record Mirror criticized the album by being too "safe" and claimed that Bucks Fizz were "not trying anything new here". The same magazine however said that alongside new albums by Wham!, Culture Club, Duran Duran and Frankie Goes To Hollywood it was a contender for the top 10.

Reviewing their single "I Hear Talk", pop group Bananarama said that the song was their best in a long time, stating "it has something the last few singles didn't".

In a Smash Hits review, Morrissey said that the song "Golden Days" was "inexcusably dim". While No.1 magazine credited "Talking In Your Sleep" as being "raunchy".

Chart Performance

References: