Album Review- The Stars We Are

If you have read my reviews for awhile, you know that I am a big Marc Almond fan (and you are probably reading this review I wrote attributed to a Almond influenced Nom-de-Internet). I just think he is very unique and talented. He has a deep love for pre-rock pop music and while that’s not unusual- think Bryan Ferry, Morrissey, et al- it’s usually an affectation or intertwined into rock. It’s not just Almond loved the idea of old time crooners. He loves old time crooners. Of course, if that is all, he would be nothing more than Celine Dion. There is a certain theatrical element. His touch points are well known- Brecht and Weill, Walker Brothers, Jacques Brel. His flair for drama is something you might find in Tom Waits or a list of people Marc worked with over the years (Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch, Matt Johnson, JG Thirlwell, Siouxsie, Current 93, Psychic TV). At times, Marc evokes the image of a matador, perhaps it’s sea shanties. Even, the cabaret clown image has appeared on his album covers. The last element though is the great wild card. Marc has had a run of chart success in the UK. A fairly serious run with twenty singles in the Top 40 either solo or with Soft Cell. Eight of which were Top 5. While there are some similar artists, no one really has that unique mix. Artists like Adam Lambert, Lady Gaga, and Robbie Williams have added a certain mix of those elements to the pop charts while Rufus Wainwright, Stephen Merritt and Anohni have tried to make the masses come to them. Freddie Mercury, for sure had those elements throughout his career. Bowie, of course, though he had the masses. Kate Bush though not as prolific. In any case, there are few discographies like Marc’s. In recent years, his albums bounce between albums still with an eye to one last pop chart run (these albums usually pair Marc up with Sia collaborator Chris Braide) and non commercial vanity projects, with various Soft Cell callback records and standards collections. One suspects in this most difficult of times for musicians, Marc is able to make a living and make the records he wants. His run in the 80s felt like an oscillation of commercial and non commercial records. Marc says he just makes the records he wants. Perhaps he is correct. I became an Almond obsessive in the 90s. Thirsty Ear was reissuing his catalog and in the golden era of compact discs, it actually was quite easy for me to pick up nearly everything. Although I like both the ambitious and the pop sound of Almond, I tend to think his best records are where he can pull from both sides. Last month, Almond released an expanded version of 1988’s The Stars We Are. As an album, it hits that sweet spot. For me, it and 1991’s Tenement Symphony are high watermarks in that era of Almond. The latter album was produced by Trevor Horn and has some stronger songs. It’s a song cycle whose highlight is a cover of The Days of Pearly Spencer. But given time to reflect, The Stars We Are is danged near perfect. It’s also not a particularly commercial album as it could be pegged as. It opens up with the anthemic title song which is as good as anything Almond has done. Bitter Sweet and Tears Run Rings were both released as singles and are pulsing danceable tunes. The latter would be a live powerhouse. Bob Kraushaar (a protege of Horn- known for serving as engineer for Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, Bowie and McCartney) is a perfect conduit for Almond’s vision here. Of course, the most compelling track is Almond’s version of the much covered Something’s Gotten Hold of my Heart. Almond’s original version was so good that Gene Pitney joined to duet and the two took it to #1 on the UK chart for four weeks, denying the spot to Mike and the Mechanics’ “The Living Years”. (As with his most famous song, Marc missed the financial opportunity to stick an original B-side with the A-side cover). The rest of the album follows in this manner- theatrical torch songs. Yet, still plenty of unusual sounds for pop music when you dig in - the exotic She Took Amy Soul in Istanbul, the Weimar Republic style CD bonus track Kept Boy (featuring German cabaret singer Agnes Bernelle and the duet with Nico (her final recording) - Your Kisses Burn. The expanded 2021 reissue doubles the size of the record, adding two fantastic B Sides (King of the Fools and Real Evil- both also on 95’s Treasure Box compilation) and a variety of remixes (also most found on Treasure Box). The Stars We Are is not a bad answer to the question ‘Where do I start with the Marc Almond discography’.