Carol Kenyon - Warrior Woman (A&M)

At first it sounds like a Eurythmics rip-off session. I wish her all the luck in the world, she's a good singer, and I'd be interested to hear more of her material. She's trying to fit into as many bags as possible here, an interesting record but a bit disjointed. There's a lot of inventiveness in there, but she definitely needs a good backing group behind her. (Stewart Copeland, Record Mirror, January 28, 1984)

Carol Kenyon's blitzkrieg on Heaven 17's "Temptation" turned her into a star-in-waiting. By the sound of it, she's missed the bus. Andy Hill is a skillful producer for Bucks Fizz, but in his attempts to ape Trevor Horn he's made some pretty unlistenable records of late. "Warrior Woman" takes that to an extreme: quite simply, it's a dreadful racket. The fact that this "Warrior Woman" drivel was written by Carol Kenyon herself hardly promises better things in future either. Back to the session work. Estimated chart placing: 60. (Phil McNeill, No1, January 28, 1984)

Thompson Twins - Doctor! Doctor! (Arista)

"Doctor! Doctor!" was made in Nassau, Bahamas, and the record has a transatlantic sheen. Whereas a year ago the Twins were gawky pop novices still shedding their hippie roots, now they speak the international language of Michael Jackson, Duran Duran and Hall & Oates as if it was their nature. Which I'm sure it is. Some people might say they've sold out, or that their slick pop lacks soul, but I'd rather hear trivial Thompsons than any of the worthies who inhabit the independent charts. After the addictive "Hold Me Now", "Doctor! Doctor!" returns to the electro-pop territory of "Love On Your Side", but with much more style and confidence. (Phil McNeill, No 1, January 28, 1984)

Their last single was my favourite record of December '83. They seem to have hit on a formula which will ensure their growing success for some time to come. In my opinion, not as good as "Hold Me Now". I wish they wouldn't feel obliged to dance about so much. (Martyn Ware, Smash Hits, January 19, 1984)

Again there's this amazing uniformity of keyboard sounds, they're all using the same gadgets. I can see the video now, a strange house, a woman disappearing into some doors that close mysteriously behind her, and there's got to be a rose somewhere. It gets better as you listen to it, though, but I don't think it's up to their two biggies. I have a lot of time for these guys, and the single's got a good chance with their name behind it, but the beginning is a bit standard. (Stewart Copeland, Record Mirror, January 28, 1984)

Thompson Twins - Lay Your Hands On Me (Arista)

WOW! A new single from THE TWINS! HEY! CRITICAL! FABEROONI! etc. The Thompson Twins find themselves in the almost enviable position of having invented their own clichés - and very marketable ones they are too. This perfectly constructed, sort of spiritual, swingalong cliché of a future hit is as pleasant (i.e. rather boring) and unassuming (i.e. rather bland) as its precursors. Pass the lentil bake, I feel a song coming on . . .  (Lesley White, Smash Hits, December 6, 1984)

This group get better all the time. They made the top five unexpectedly last Christmas with "Hold Me Now". This year, it'll be no surprise if they come out right on top. "Lay Your Hands On Me" is deceptively good. Is it Tom Bailey's ever-maturing singing, so deft and full of nuances. . Or the clever melody that tugs at so many pop memories. . . Or the lush production and the way the instruments seem to swell in and out of the mix.. Whatever it is that makes great pop, The Thompson Twins have got it. (Phil McNeill, No1, December 1, 1984)

Eurythmics - Who's That Girl? (RCA)

If you'd fed the last two Eurythmics hits into a computer and asked for a follow-up, this is what you'd get. It doesn't stray an inch from the blueprint. It's cold and calculated. In a way, though, that is what we love about so much British pop. When you buy a record by ABC, Wham, Yazoo, Eurythmics, you know that every detail, every nuance has been weighed to perfection. It's the best. "Who's That Girl?" expands Annie Lennox's twin images: the hard, icy lover and, in the video, the challenger of sexual roles. But that's all it is: image. And in the great game of pop manipulation The Eurythmics currently lead the field. (Phil McNeill, No 1, July 2, 1983)

Who's that bloke, is what most folk'll wonder when they clock Annie's latest look. Not that immediate but a strong if gloomy song and a flawless (though slightly dated) production. Already my favourite Eurythmics single. (Dave Rimmer, Smash Hits, July 7, 1983)

Marshall Crenshaw - Whenever You're On My Mind (Warner Bros)

Despite a residency on the Old Grey Whistle Test and the solid backing of the rock press, Marshall just can't arrest the attention of the Great British Public. This is typically tuneful, punchy guitar rock: good intentions, bad sales. (Phil McNeill, No 1, July 2, 1983)

It's A Mystery: While the merits of the video seem to be up for debate, the actress playing the English love interest was clearly a hit with viewers. Shame that nobody seems to know who she was.

Midge Ure - Wastelands (Chrysalis)

Pretty heavy stuff here as our Midge unfolds some of the horrors of 1980's Britain. Now, normally with Midge Ure this means not finding the right size Yamomoto jacket, but this time it refers to some of Britain's urban "wastelands" and the miseries of living there. Starts with a solitary cello and builds itself into a crashing crescendo of every instrument they could find in the ruddy studio. (Simon Braithwaite, Smash Hits, February 12, 1986)

'The boy is listening to those records from the past. . . They are the voices of the faces on the wall. . . One day he even cut their names upon his skin, they mean that much to him'. . Will anyone ever cut Midge Ure's name on their skin? For ten years he's shown a remarkable gift of survival, being in most of the right places at the right time with Slik, Rich Kids, Ultravox, Band Aid . . . but he's never been the sort of pop star a fan could die for, despite his likeable personality, powerful music and ever-changing facial hair. In fact, of course, the likeability and facial hair have always worked against Midge's music. Nobody ever took him seriously like they did, say, Gary Numan (to whom facial hair and likeability are equal sins) - which is no doubt why Midge has lasted longer. No one felt let down when Midge stopped acting like a Viennese aristocrat (unlike Numan's fans, who ditched him the day they realised he wasn't a robot after all). Anyway, sometimes he makes jolly good records like "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes", and sometimes he doesn't. "Wastelands" is Midge at his most pompous, but as long as being a No.1 solo artist doesn't go to his head, fair enough. (Phil McNeill, No 1, February 8, 1986)

The Business Connection - Bring You Down (Hippodrome)

After the national papers' acres of coverage for Lady Teresa Manners and her tiresome antics, you'd expect her record to be something out of the ordinary. But it's not. It's not even bad, just very very ordinary. (Phil McNeill, No 1, February 8, 1986)

The notorious Lady Theresa Manners - daughter of the Duke of Rutland, denizen of the gossip columns and bore of this parish - releases a stodgy synthesizer based debut that would invite jokes about Berk's Peerage if it had any character to get worked up about. Surrounded by such spiffing pedigree chums as Lord Michael Cecil Bunter (surely they call him Bunty?), she proves that though she's thick with aristocracy, her voice is so thin it could conceivably be suffering from anorexia. (Mike Gardner, Record Mirror, February 1, 1986)

Private Lives - Living In A World (Turned Upside Down) (EMI)

The best record of the week comes from two London boys called John Adams and Morris Michael. "Living In A World (Turned Upside Down)" is a lush soul ballad that could have stepped straight out of the Hall And Oates back catalogue - though it's some time since John and Daryl came up with a record that gripped like this. Considering the standard of the current chart, Private Lives ought to walk right into TOTP and take up residency. And if it doesn't happen here, it's certain to happen somewhere: Top Ten in at least ten countries is my rash prediction. Estimated chart placing: 10. (Phil McNeill, No 1, January 28, 1984)

My wise old editor, Mr McNeill assures me that this new version of the Private Lives single is not a patch on the original, released earlier this year. And who am I to argue? That said, there's not much more wrong with it this time round. Seven inches of pop/soul that's up there with the very best of Hall And Oates. Now you can't say fairer than that. (Paul Simper, No 1, October 13, 1984)


I like Private Lives' older material, but you can't please everyone all the time. I think John's vocal arrangements are good and should get played on Radio 2's peak time! Right on Robin Gibb! (Steve Strange, Record Mirror, January 21, 1984) 

"Living In A World (Turned Upside Down)" is trying to be a classic of someone else's kind. Hall & Oates' kind, to be precise. It fails. Instead, the duo provide what is commonly termed 'a ballad' with the truly inspired message 'We're living in a world turned upside down'. Profundity is obviously not their strong point. (Eleanor Levy, Record Mirror, October 13, 1984)