No Parlez
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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No Parlez
- Artist: Paul Young
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1983
- Total Time: 64:31
- Genre: Rock
Review
One of the most assured debut albums of the mid-'80s, and one of the finest pop-soul confections of all time, No Parlez was the record that, following from the stellar success of Paul Young's earliest hits, left him poised to dominate the remainder of the decade like no other vocalist could have. Three singles laid bare all that Young was so eminently capable of. "Wherever I Lay My Hat," a beautifully impassioned take on what was, in all fairness, never one of Marvin Gaye's greatest performances, left mouths hanging open in awe; a meaty revision of Nicky Thomas' "Love of the Common People" proved that the earlier performance was no fluke; and "Come Back and Stay" indicated that the boy wasn't only a great singer, he had access to some great originals as well. Add the idiosyncratic yowling of the so-evocatively-named Fabulous Wealthy Tarts backing singers, jabbing a wealth of seemingly meaningless refrains, yelps and cackles into the gaps around Young's own vocal and, before it was even on the racks, it was clear that No Parlez was going to be an invigorating ride. And still it was capable of shocks. The title track was borrowed from former Slapp Happy art rocker Anthony Moore's "Industrial Drums" (from his Only Choice album) -- scarcely the kind of role model that Young's apparent drive for pop superstardom normally looked towards, while Moore's erstwhile bandmate Dagmar Krause surfaced elsewhere, to layer mystifyingly Euro-flavored vocals over a deeply soulful version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart." Yes, that "Love Will Tear Us Apart," a song still so draped in the martyrdom of Ian Curtis that to even think of revising it was regarded as sacrilege in some quarters. Young did more than that, though, he reinvented it. As a whole, the album does not live up to its greatest moments -- once past that so-superlative "Love of the Common People," side two lags badly as it heads towards the nadir of the closing "Sex." Breathtakingly original in small doses, Laurie Latham's production (and the Wealthy Tarts' keening) both lose their appeal after a while. One cannot help, too, but wish that the regular single mixes of the hits had been replaced by the superlative 12" mixes that accompanied their original release -- "Come Back and Stay," in particular, is up there with any Soft Cell or Frankie extension in the annals of classic 12"s. But though it's not flawless, still No Parlez is fearless and, looking back over Young's entire career (so far), one can only wonder how it all went so wrong? He could have ruled the decade like no other Brit of his age. Instead, the back cover photo simply makes him look like the younger brother of one of the guys who beat him to it. And you can bet Robert Smith wasn't expecting that! ~ Dave Thompson, Rovi| No Parking on the Planet (1998 Album by Midnight Star) | |
| No Parlez [Australia] (1983 Album by Paul Young) |
Wikipedia on Answers.com:
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No Parlez
| No Parlez | |||||
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| Studio album by Paul Young | |||||
| Released | 18 July 1983 | ||||
| Recorded | 1982/83 | ||||
| Genre | Pop, Soul, New Wave | ||||
| Length | 64:31 | ||||
| Label | Columbia (United States) | ||||
| Producer | Laurie Latham | ||||
| Paul Young chronology | |||||
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| Paul Young chronology | |||||
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| Singles from No Parlez | |||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone (RS 407) |  [2] |
No Parlez is the debut solo album by the British singer Paul Young. Released in 1983, it reached number one on the UK Albums Chart (for a non-consecutive total of 5 weeks) and remained in the UK Top 100 for 119 weeks.[3] The album has been certified Triple Platinum by the BPI for UK sales in excess of 900,000 copies.[4]
Initially the first two singles, "Iron Out the Rough Spots" and a re-make of "Love of the Common People" had no success, but the third, a cover of the Marvin Gaye classic "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" was No. 1 in the UK singles chart for three weeks in the summer of 1983, and the first of Young's fourteen British Top 40 singles. Similar success followed in continental Europe. In the UK, the follow-up single "Come Back and Stay" reached No. 4, and the re-release of "Love of the Common People" made it to No. 2 in late 1983.
The album was released with a different cover in North America[5], and a new video for the single "Come Back and Stay" was made.
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Contents
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Track listing Original Vinyl Album release
- "Come Back and Stay" (Jack Lee) – 4:57[6]
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Bernard Sumner) - 5:01
- "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" (Marvin Gaye, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield) – 5:18
- "Ku Ku Kurama" (Steve Bolton) – 4:20
- "No Parlez" (Anthony Moore) – 4:54
- "Love of the Common People" (John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins) – 4:56
- "Oh Women" (Jack Lee) – 3:34
- "Iron Out the Rough Spots" (Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, David Porter) – 4:47
- "Broken Man" (Ian Kewley, Paul Young) – 3:55
- "Tender Trap" (Ian Kewley, Paul Young) – 4:31
- "Sex" (Jack Lee) – 4:49
Track listing Original CD release
- "Come Back and Stay" (Jack Lee) – 7:56 (scratch mix)[6]
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Bernard Sumner) - 5:01
- "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" (Marvin Gaye, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield) – 6:01 (extended club mix)
- "Ku Ku Kurama" (Steve Bolton) – 4:20
- "No Parlez" (Anthony Moore) – 4:54
- "Behind your Smile" - 4:08
- "Love of the Common People" (John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins) – 5:41 (extended club mix)
- "Oh Women" (Jack Lee) – 3:34 (3:34)
- "Iron Out the Rough Spots" (Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, David Porter) – 7:28 (extended club mix)
- "Broken Man" (Ian Kewley, Paul Young) – 3:55
- "Tender Trap" (Ian Kewley, Paul Young) – 4:31
- "Sex" (Jack Lee) – 6:51 (extended club mix)
Production
- Arranged By Ian Kewley & Laurie Latham
- Produced By Laurie Latham
- Mastered By Tim Young
Personnel
- Drums: Mark Pinder
- Percussion: Ian Kewley, E.T. Latham, Mark Pinder
- Bass: Matt Irving, Ntobi Lekan, Pino Palladino
- Guitars: Steve Bolton
- Trombone: Rico Rodriguez
- Backing Vocals: Nimsa Calliza, Dagmar, Chief Dawethi, Eyethu, Zundi Lekau, Kim Lesley, Wally Loak, Jabu Mbato, Fats Mogoboya, Maz Roberts, Norman Zulu
2008 re-release
The album was re-released on 30 June 2008 in the UK and worldwide on 5 August 2008[7] as a 25th-anniversary edition. It contains the original 11 tracks as well as a bonus 10-track disc with a combination of B-sides, remixes and live tracks. Although the booklet claims that this is the original vinyl album on CD, 3 songs are shortened from their vinyl release; "Come Back and Stay", "Love Will Tear Us Apart" & "Love of the Common People". The original vinyl versions of these tracks remain unreleased.
The Extended Club mixes of "Wherever I Lay My Hat" & "Sex", the full version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and the Scratch Mix of "Come Back and Stay" are unique to the original CD release as these have not been included on the 25th anniversary edition.
Track listing 25th Anniversary Album release
- "Come Back and Stay" (Jack Lee) – 4:24[6]
- "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Bernard Sumner) - 4:17
- "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" (Marvin Gaye, Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield) – 5:18
- "Ku Ku Kurama" (Steve Bolton) – 4:20
- "No Parlez" (Anthony Moore) – 4:54
- "Love of the Common People" (John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins) – 4:00
- "Oh Women" (Jack Lee) – 3:34
- "Iron Out the Rough Spots" (Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, David Porter) – 4:47
- "Broken Man" (Ian Kewley, Paul Young) – 3:55
- "Tender Trap" (Ian Kewley, Paul Young) – 4:31
- "Sex" (Jack Lee) – 4:49
Bonus Disc track listing
- Come Back and Stay (Extended Club Mix) - 7:34 [different remix compared to the original CD release]
- Iron Out the Rough Spots (Extended Club Mix) - 7:28 [same version as on the original CD release]
- Love of the Common People (Extended Mix) - 5:51 [same version as on the original CD release]
- Behind Your Smile - 4:10 [same as on the original CD release]
- I've Been Lonely For So Long - 3:37
- Yours - 5:39 [extended club mix, B-side from "Come Back and Stay")
- Sex (Demo Version) - 3:49
- Pale Shelter (Demo Version) - 3:50
- Better To Have and Don't Need (Live Version) - 5:57 (B-side from "Love of the Common People" 12 inch)
- Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home) [Live Version] - 5:59 (B-side from "Love of the Common People" 12 inch)
References
| Preceded by The Very Best Of by The Beach Boys Labour of Love by UB40 Seven and the Ragged Tiger by Duran Duran Now That's What I Call Music by Various Artists |
UK number one album 17 September 1983 – 23 September 1983 1 October 1983 – 14 October 1983 10 December 1983 – 16 December 1983 14 January 1984 – 20 January 1984 |
Succeeded by Labour of Love by UB40 Genesis by Genesis Now That's What I Call Music by Various Artists Now That's What I Call Music by Various Artists |
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