Alf

It's a testament to the strength of Alison Moyet's first solo album that, all these years later, her music is still measured by it (which is a bit unfair, given the quality of her two best and, bizarrely, unavailable albums, "Hoodoo" and "Essex". But I digress...). "Alf" deservedly sold by the shedload and firmly established Alison Moyet as a great soul diva. Indeed few singers can come close to her ability to convey emotion without resorting to histrionics.

Following the demise of the influential Yazoo, the public's great expectations were met big time with "Alf", which is accomplished, assured and irresistable. Only three tracks were released as A-sides in the UK ("Love Resurrection", "All Cried Out" and "Invisible") but there were at least two further potential smash hits here in the shape of the groovy "Honey For The Bees" (subsequently covered by American soul star, Patti Austin) and the gorgeous ballad, "For You Only". The closing track, "Where Hides Sleep", raises goosebumps with its ethereal harmonies weaving and waltzing over a swaying rhythm track. The rootsy "Steal Me Blind" is probably closer to what people expected of Alison and the lyric reflects her comments in a contemporary interview where she mentioned that some of her friends treated her like a bank.

Producers Tony Swain and Steve Jolly left their mark on this album and, overall, the synth-based sound is probably closer to the Yazoo sound than Alison might have liked. Certainly this fan was expecting something a bit rawer than "Alf" (Alison finally delivered on this with her masterpiece, "Hoodoo"). Still, with so many great songs, it's impossible to fault this collection. Maybe some day Sony will please us all by re-mastering this album and including the rare B-sides "Baby I Do", "Hitch Hike" and "Don't Burn Down The Bridges". For now, this is a mid-price must-have. Treat yourself.

this cd is amazing! the vocals are 500% and the sound is fresh and clear! it was 1984 but these songs stand the test of time!

"love ressurection" was the first single and its great...i remember skipping school to go and by the single..good old days! its a powerhouse of a song both musically and lyrically! haunting at times..desperate..but beautiful..rumour has has it was about someone not getting an erection...but that may be hearsay!

"honey for the bees" is wonderful in mega proportions..it has it all and should have been a single!

"for you only" is a beautiful slow down...amazing lyrics...beautifully sung!

"invisible" by the people behind diana ross and the supremes..is an amzing song..it was the third single..and didnt do to well but then everybody had bought the album! its great heart stopping vocals!

"steal me blind" is great..it shows what alison moved on to but this is accessable..whereas her blues stuff she did after is a bit yawn!

"all cried out" in its full 12" glory! is an amazing piece of pop history!

simply stunning!

"money mile" with its layered vocals is fantastic...god knows what its about..but ithe performance and production is 10/10

"twisting the knife" is a great track.."where hides sleep" with layered vocals from the offset almost makes you want to cry! its beautiful and amzing and then in the middle miss moyet goes all out and lets rip with all the power she has!

alison says she doesnt like this album..she didnt want to make it..she bowed to record company pressure...but millions of record buyers cannot be wrong!

one of the best albums from the 80s..buy without fear!

During 1982 and 1983, Alison Moyet had become hugely successful as the vocalist for the synth-pop duo Yazoo. The duo had a small number of hits such as Only You and Don't Go. Moyet's bluesy and rather unique voice had become well known and instantly recognisable. However, upon the release of the duo's second album You And Me Both in mid-1983, the duo soon announced they were splitting up. Yazoo only lasted a year and a half. The musician of Yazoo was Vince Clarke who went on to form the highly successful duo Erasure with singer Andy Bell. Moyet signed with Columbia Records in order to start a solo career. She teamed up with the songwriter and producer duo Steve Jolley & Tony Swain to record her debut. The result was Alf, titled after Moyet's own nickname.

The album's opener is titled Love Resurrection which begins with a strong synthesizer melody which immediately sets the tone of the album and gives plenty of atmosphere. The verse opens with some solid vocals from Moyet over an effective use of synthesizer. A memorable chorus follows with some great production that involves using double-layered vocals, both from Moyet, one layer being harmonic vocal and the other being the lead. A strong synthesizer solo is featured in this song whilst the ending features some strong backing vocals. The lyrics may refer to a person wishing to resurrect their love although the lyrics are suggestive in places. Overall, a brilliant album opener, perfectly setting the tone of the album which contains plenty of maturity and richness. "What can I do to make light of this dull, dull day? What switch can I pull to illuminate the way? Show me one direction, I will not question again, for a warm injection is all I need to calm the pain..."

The next track Honey For The Bees is an energetic track with a pulsating synthesizer riff over another, showing the track's strong construction. The verses feature some strong vocal from Moyet over a synthesized bassline. The pre-chorus builds the song up with some dominant vocals. A strong and memorable chorus follows with some great lyrics, solid vocals and some brilliant synthesizer which gives the chorus an overall energetic feel. A strong solo section is featured which have a mixture of synthesizer stabs and backing vocal. Percussion is a strong highlight of this track. The lyrics most likely refer to desire with some lines being suggestive. A strong album track. "Every time I look at you I know, your fighting your emotions. Now you have no choice but to let go, and dive into my ocean. Honey for the bees, sugar never was so sweet..."

For You Only is a rather chilling song with a dark atmosphere. This track opens with a rather haunting synthesizer melody which carried Moyet's sensitive vocal through the verses. A strong chorus follows which features some hopeful vocals, strong percussion and some strong synthesizer. This particular section manages to slightly lighten the mood of the song which adds to the strength and effectiveness of this song's chorus. The lyrical theme is fairly self-explanatory of a lonely person who longs for the return of their partner who could be either gone temporarily or for good. This great song flows perfectly throughout and is both haunting and touching - bursting with emotion. "Ready to embrace the day as we both break. When the light stole in it found me wide awake. Wasted from the sleepless night, I wished to touch your hair. Withdraw an empty hand, for you're no longer there..."

The following track Invisible is one of the highlights of this album, written by Lamont Dozier. The song opens with an strongly emotional and heartfelt synthesizer melody. Moyet's vocals are fantastic throughout the entire song, probably one of her greatest vocal performances. The verses carry Moyet's emotional performance by some great piano. A fantastic chorus follows which is both memorable and have a great emotive message. The brilliantly written lyrics refer to a bad relationship where Moyet's partner consistently ignores her, treats her badly and flirts with other women however she cannot force herself to leave him. Moyet conveys a perfect balance of anger and pain in her vocals, making this song extremely effective. A beautiful song overall. "You don't have the time and you wont spend a dime, not even to call me, oh. You don't know I exist and I wouldn't be missed if I had the nerve to quit you..." and "I tell myself lies and give you alibis, knowing your promises you'll never keep. Like a merry-go-round I'm going up, going down, I'm on a dead end street..." are two strong examples of the emotional message within the lyrics.

Steal Me Blind is a mid tempo ballad which opens with a strong and memorable synthesizer melody. The verses consist of strong vocal, great backing vocal, background synthesizer and a perfect sense of rhythm within the percussion. A great pre-chorus features a more dominant synthesizer melody and some emotional vocal from Moyet. The chorus is breathtaking, thoroughly strong and feature some great backing vocals. The lyrics refer to her friend's being inconsiderate by bleeding her dry and stealing her blind. This song is another powerful album track with plenty of depth. "Well my friends I feel it's time, to reassess the situation and decide what's mine. Every time you steal me blind, with no consideration for the way I feel inside. And you just look at me, like you don't understand. How could we, how could we let it get so out of hand?"

All Cried Out is another highlight of the album, a strong song that showcases Moyet's vocals well. The album version here is almost seven minutes long whereas the single version is only just over three and a half minutes. A interesting opening features backing vocal, solid percussion and melodic synthesizer. This rather friendly section soon turns to a grim sound which features some great percussion and a couple of emotional synthesizer layers. The verses flow nicely with some rather low vocals from Moyet over some strong percussion and backing synthesizer. A strong pre-chorus shows Moyet building her emotion up in her vocal performance. The chorus follows with brilliant vocals from Moyet and some strong backing vocals over a great synthesizer melody. A huge solo section is present in the album version which allows the listener to explore the full depths of the instrumentation. This section features a great mixture of synthesizer, rich percussion and a small part of backing vocal. The lyrics of this song refer to a woman who's been pushed around by her partner and is now standing up for herself by moving on. "You took your time to come back this time, the grass has grown under your feet. In your absence I've changed my mind and someone else is sitting in your seat..." and "It's hard to give you something when you're pushing and a-shoving me around..." are two examples of the anger within the lyrics.

The next track Money Mile opens with melodic piano, rich percussion and a memorable vocal chant. Moyet's vocals in the verses are interesting as she almost purposely stutters for effect throughout the lines. These verses carry the vocals by strong piano. A strong chorus features some strong vocals and solid backing vocals with synthesizer and piano. This song contains a strong ending section, consisting of piano, great backing vocal and the previous vocal chant. The lyrics most likely refer to how those who are rich or have power simply don't care about the less fortunate. An effective song, overall rich in piano, percussion and vocal. "Into your car park, drive obsolete motors, with petrol consumption at too higher price. Sell us through windows at backroom board meetings, blindfolded and handcuffed and in single file..." and "On your money mile, we are the faceless, the nameless, the homeless. On your money mile, there in your fortress where you couldn't care less..." are two examples of the lyrical meaning.

Following is Twisting The Knife which begins with a two lively synthesizer melodies. The verses feature some strong vocal from Moyet and some interesting lyrics. A pre-chorus builds the song slowly up whilst the chorus is strong and memorable, consisting of brilliant vocal, nice backing vocal and a great synthesizer. A strong and energetic synthesizer solo is included whilst the ending closes with the infectious chorus. Lyricsally, this song could be interpreted as somebody who is no longer going to watch her partner 'twist the knife'. One line that shows this is "I'd like to help you but I can't stand by and watch you twisting the knife, they've got you wasting your life..." The entire song is one of the most lively tracks on the album but still manages to maintain plenty of emotion and depth. "I'd rather turn out all the lights than see you looking like this, caress me with your anger, sting me with your kiss. You've been pushing too hard, I've been trying too long, now I don't believe I have the will to carry on..."

The album's closer is Where Hides Sleep which showcases Moyet's vocals perfectly throughout. The introduction features some haunting multi-layered vocals which follows with a reoccurring synthesizer melody. The first verse is rich in synthesizer and features some rather haunting lyrics. Lyrically, the song's meaning is unclear but may refer to the linking of pain and desire. Another interpretation is the message of frustrated love and sensual longing. The entire song flows beautifully along, showcasing Moyet's vocals throughout. Although the song lacks melody, it is a strong track with plenty of emotional depth that closes the album perfectly. "I open my lips to your warm ancient potion, I would be still and devoid of emotion. For I would be slumber that I could be rest, curl in warm embers of such peacefulness, caressed by oblivion and swallowed by dreams... Read more ›