Thursday, 3 April 2014

That's Entertainment : Simply Red


Now here's one out of left field, which isn't really when you think about it, but for a guy who was in to late 80's hair metal and early/mid 90's grunge…it is.

Simply Red.  

Yep.

Funny story: local venue is confused about band name RED and Mich Hucknall (singer) explains what the band's name is "Red. Simply Red."  So they rock up to the gig, with posters saying 'Simply Red'…and that's how they ended up being Simply Red.

I first encountered Simply Red in 1989 with If You Don't Know Me By Now.  It was one of those real slow ballad songs that Video Hits flogged to death.  It wasn't hard to learn word for word and a mate of mine and I used to take the mick out of it and sing it really badly.  But then, if you dislike something long enough, you come to love it.  I remember hearing the follow up single A New Flame…and that seriously is one of the GREAT karaoke soul songs to belt out.  It just has an amazing vocal line.

I was bowl-l-l-led out!
I was so-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-l-d down the river…
And her warm heart would turn me forever.

She's turned me round
A new flame has come
And nothing she can do, can do me wrong. 

Yep!

Towards the end, Mick Hucknall sings out with a soaring, soulful nothing she can do, can ever do me wrong…and it's fantastic to belt out.  Of course, I soon realised there were a couple of LPs in the canon and Holding Back The Years and Money's Too Tight To Mention were also Simply Red hits.  Money's Too Tight To Mention gets an airing once in a while if I want to do something and Lee says no, so I mock her with a rendition.  Of course there's also The Right Thing, another corker.  

Then of course in late 1991 / early 1992, Simply Red returned with Stars, the multi platinum 11 million selling album which contained Something Got Me Started and Stars (where would Mix 106.5 be without this song eh?).  Along with the follow up Life, which had the beautiful song Fairground on it, Simply Red were one of those upper-stratosphere bands of the 1990's.  After that, Mick Hucknell seemed to go out of fashion a bit until 2003's return to form with Home.  Sunrise (sampling/covering Hall & Oates' I Can't Go For That).

Simply Red released Stay in 2007 with the lovely So Not Over You and by 2010, he retired the band name and went solo, which is essentially what he had done since becoming the only real member in 1996.  These days, Mick Hucknall releases solo albums and tours playing soul standards.

However, if you look at the peak years of 1989 through to 1995, Simply Red released a trio of enviable records containing some magical tunes.

If you want to treat yourself and have $20 up your sleeve, buy the first 5 albums collected here.  You get all the best stuff.  But if money's a little too tight to mention…check out YouTube instead.




Money's Too Tight To Mention http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrUB0g8Vjgg

If You Don't Know Me By Now http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTcu7MCtuTs








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