In their final major-label release before heading for a video-making career, these two veteran English music-makers tackle environmental degradation and nuclear annihilation. After earlier releases full of detached sarcasm and sardonic wit, it's refreshing to hear the pair actually care about something, although they sometimes hector. Musically, the songs are linked by the use of harmonicas on every track. This is one of their stronger albums because of thematic consistency and typically terrific production, including the usual gorgeous, multi-tracked harmonies. In spite of the gloomy subject matter, the album-closing "Desperate Times" ends on an optimistic note. ~ Mark Allan, All Music Guide
Goodbye Blue Sky was the final album by Godley & Creme. Released in 1988, the album generated two singles, "Little Piece of Heaven" and "10,000 Angels" as well as videos for those two singles.
The album featured backup vocals by three future members of '90s dance band Londonbeat.
Making Of
The album is notable through its use of harmonicas, which are used substantially on most tracks.
In an 1988 interview with Pulse magazine[1], they said:
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We also decided to use other musicians on the album for the first time ever, to get back to a real live band feel, and that's when we started auditioning harp players," adds Godley. "And to our surprise, we found that there's a huge range - everything from bass to treble - but that traditionally harmonicas are always played as solo instruments. They're never played in groups."
"So naturally we thought, 'Why not use a harmonica section?"' Creme continues. "And after auditioning a bunch of players, none of whom had ever played with another harp player, we finally selected two guys - Mark Felton (sic) and Mitt Gamon -and began laying down rhythm tracks at my home studio.
"Next, we brought in three black backup singers - George Chandler, Jimmy Helms and Jimmy Chambers - whom we'd met on the Paul Young video, and started building up the tracks. The interesting thing is that the more we got into the sounds, the more we began re-writing the songs to suit the singers or the harp players.
