I watched Top of the Pops from 1987, and 'Sweet Little Mystery' came on, an absolute pop banger. The other singles are solid gold 80s pop: 'Angel Eyes', 'Temptation', and the worldy 'Wishing I Was Lucky'.
Okay, I know I'm haemorrhaging man points here, but bear with me. I watched Top of the Pops from 1987, and 'Sweet Little Mystery' came on, an absolute pop banger. So I did some drunken Discog-ing, and now I'm the proud owner of this near-mint example of the album, mine for the princely sum of £7 (delivered).
It isn't just 'Sweet Little Mystery,' though. The other singles are solid gold 80s pop: 'Angel Eyes', 'Temptation', and the worldy 'Wishing I Was Lucky'.
According to the liner notes, “(Wet Wet Wet) are first and foremost a soul band - not only in influence and direction but more importantly in attitude and ambition" - they were 'The Commitments' before 'The Commitments' were!
They may be a soul band, 'I Don't Believe' starts all a cappella before going soft gospel, but tracks like 'East Of The River' also have a pleasing Style Council twang.
The record isn't perfect, though. 'I Remember’ is an average, synth-heavy track - not terrible, just not as good as the rest of the record. The same goes for the ballad 'The Moment You Left Me,' which ironically sounds like a track from 'The Commitments'.
The band was all over the TV when this record came out; I reckon much of the exposure was because of Marty Pellow. He was a proper cheeky Chappy; to me, he looked like the lad going out with your older sister but knocking off another girl, but you thought he was still sound. Just me? Ah well…
This album isn't earth-shattering, boundary-pushing, or uniquely innovative. What it is, though, is an excellent 80s record and worth a gamble if you have a spare £7.
Tracks To Try: 'Wishing I Was Lucky', 'East Of The River', 'Angel Eyes', 'Sweet Little Mystery', 'Temptation',