"Listen", the second of a total of five albums to date of Seagulls, in Conny Plank's studio in Neunkirchen / Germany aufnommen and published in May 1983, has been a consistent continuation of the developed on the debut album cool futuristic, yet at the same time romantic Synthiepops. About an often haunting Electro-Beat the musicians put many layers of all sorts of keyboard sounds and electronic effects and combined them with sharp guitar riffs and compelling melodies. Within the defined framework so the bandwidth of the presented songs of frosty ballads about high speed Popper extends to something more experimental structures.
Highlights of this album will, in my view the Top Ten UK hit Wishing, the up-tempo piece Over The Border and a revised version of Talking, which, already published in 1981 as a single, again by Bill Nelson (known as head the progressive rock band Be Bop Deluxe) was produced, while the rest of the material by Mike Howlett was supervised. A few songs on this album can hold the very high level of these pieces not quite, yet "lists" total an album that is a real pleasure and has interesting, amazing soundscapes on offer. The new version offers additional five bonus tracks, including two extended versions and three non-album pieces.
As a conclusion it can be said that "lists" next to the debut album is the second must-have album of the band that belongs in every CD / record collection of a music collector. Those like me who has a particular weakness for the synthpop of the early eighties, is also well served at "The Story Of A Young Heart", the third album by the band, which as a concept album and less sci-fi bonds a smaller direction change the group represented. Afterwards the level after several reshuffles flattened at least from my point of view but from considerably.
By the way: A Flock Of Seagulls tours with changing band occupations (even briefly again in the original line), led by Mike Score, still propagated through the country and publish selectively also new material.
