July 31, 2008 Earworm

Aside from the expectation of improved sound quality and bonus tracks, the thing I look forward to most in remastered releases is the chance to hear the content as a new experience; tossing out perceptions of the material built over the years. In the case of Dead Or Alive's "Sophisticated Boom Boom", the memories of an archly camp album became a realization of how just how inconsistent it is which in turn brings to light just how good the good tracks are. Considering the recently released Yaz(oo) box, "In Your Room", I was surprised at how consistently good their songs were after years of whittling down the brief catalog to a few favorites. Yes, "I Before E Except After C" is somewhat pointless but we can't really consider that a song... and they shouldn't have either.

If Yaz was started only to find a voice for Vince Clarke's "Only You", that alone warrants much thanks and respect, but hearing it in this new and improved setting has made me remember just how good it sounded before repetition and a preference for "Upstairs At Erics" other ballad, "Midnight", led to years of skipping over it. Under all those blips and beeps lies a lovely melancholy melody colored in by the air of Alf's resignation, an art that the boys in Depeche Mode probably knew they were then incapable of when they turned the song down. And with the delivery of one line, "'can't take no more", Alison Moyet demonstrated her worthiness of being called "The Voice"; adding so much to so few words that it almost distracts the listener from the preceding line, "and I wonder what's mine", which, as anyone who has ever had to divvy up a life when it's over knows, can be the cruelest part of the end.

"In Your Room" sounds great and the compilers have shown great respect for the source by refraining from the tampering called improvements to which so many such projects fall victim. The only beef I have is that the material could have easily fit onto two cds instead of three, providing a more chronological listening experience and a smaller price point.