PAUL YOUNG : THE SECRET OF ASSOCIATION

 

  1. Bite The Hand That Feeds
  2. Every Time You Go Away
  3. I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down
  4. Standing On The Edge
  5. Soldier's Things
  6. Everything Must Change
  7. Tomb Of Memories
  8. One Step Forward
  9. Hot Fun
  10. This Means Anything
  11. I Was In Chains

Label : Columbia

Release Date : March 25, 1985

Length : 52:29

Review (AllMusic) : In 1984, Paul Young scored a couple of medium-sized U.S. hits with "Come Back and Stay" and "Love of the Common People" from his album No Parlez. In 1985, however, with his stellar album The Secret of Association, the British singer gained his highest level of commercial success with several hit singles, most notably his chart-topping cover of Daryl Hall's "Every Time You Go Away," which was miles better than the original. Featuring lush orchestration and Young's signature, soulful vocals, this album remains the singer's best, and one of the better albums of the 1980s. Other notable tracks include his wicked take on "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down," the gorgeous "Everything Must Change" (which almost sounds like a country song), and the popular album tracks "Soldier's Things" and "Tomb of Memories." Note, however, that the radio versions of all three singles released from this album are not the versions included here. Those versions can be found on his hits collection From Time to Time.

Review (Wikipedia) : The Secret of Association is the second studio album by the English singer Paul Young. Released in 1985, it reached number one on the UK album charts and the Top 20 in the US. The album spawned hits including a cover of Hall & Oates' 1980 song "Everytime You Go Away", "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down", "Everything Must Change" and "Tomb of Memories". The album has been certified Double Platinum (600,000 copies sold) by the BPI in the UK and Gold (500,000 copies sold) in the US by the RIAA. The album followed the pattern of Young's debut album, No Parlez, combining cover versions with original songs written by Young and keyboard player Ian Kewley. However, on this album the Young/Kewley partnership was better represented with five of their compositions featuring. In his review of the album for Sounds, Garry Bushell found Young's voice "as expressive as ever" and Laurie Latham's production "less cluttered and obtrusive" than on No Parlez, concluding that "the overall feel is one of growing confidence and maturity", and that "The Secret of Association earmarks Young as a talent of lasting value". Retrospectively, AllMusic critic Jose F. Promis called The Secret of Association a "stellar" record "featuring lush orchestration and Young's signature, soulful vocals," and "one of the better albums of the 1980s."