Paul Young “No Parlez”
Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#415 in the Series) is Paul Young, No Parlez
As a hit maker, Paul Young has made quite a bit of money for songwriters. His albums have many really good songs on them, but the hits have always been remakes. I’m sure Paul doesn’t mind, a hit’s a hit right?
This was Paul’s debut as a solo artist for CBS records. Previously he had been with some bands that no one ever heard of.
Not only did it play well on top 40 radio stations but it also did quite well on the FM rockers. His remake of the Joy Divison/New Order single was all over radio. This surprised me since it was somewhat of a commercialized version of the track. I never spoke to any of the Joy Division die-hards, but I’m guessing that this is not their favorite version of the classic. I bet the writers didn’t mind cashing the checks however.
The big hit on this album was “Come Back and Stay.” It wasn’t written by Paul but I wouldn’t really refer to this as a cover tune either. This was a fantastic track and one that will be played on classic rock stations for years to come. It was written by Jack Lee. He was in a band called The Nerves. The Nerves also included Paul Collins of The Beat and Peter Case of The Plimsouls. “Come Back and Stay” peaked at #22 on the Billboard Top 40 Singles chart.
The first single on the album was a cover of Marvin Gaye’s Where Ever I Have My Hat (That’s My Home.) It didn’t do as well, peaking at #77.
The third single was another great song, “Love of The Common People.” This was actually an old folk ballad. It’s been recorded many times over including a version by Waylon Jennings. It only reached #45 here but was huge overseas.
Another song worth mentioning was “Iron Out the Rough Spots” This was written by Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, and David Porter.
A 25th anniversary disc with the usual bunch of bonus goodies was released in 2008.
As an album, it did much better in the UK as well where it hit number one. It peaked at #79 here in the States, but it stayed relevant for years and ended up selling over 3 million units. Paul’s next album, The Secret of Association would do much better here, peaking at #19. It featured the #1 hit, Daryl Hall’s “Every Time You Go Away.”
One last thing, Paul’s a great “Blue Eyed Soul” vocalist. Daryl Hall… I know you read all our posts here at Cool Album of the Day. Let me suggest Paul for an upcoming episode of “Live From Daryl’s House!!!”
Track Listing
- “Come Back and Stay” (Jack Lee) – 4:57
- “Love Will Tear Us Apart” (Ian Curtis, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris, Bernard Sumner) – 5:01
- “Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)” (Gaye, Strong,Whitfield) – 5:18
- “Ku Ku Kurama” (Steve Bolton) – 4:20
- “No Parlez” (Anthony Moore) – 4:54
- “Love of the Common People” (John Hurley, Ronnie Wilkins) – 4:56
- “Oh Women” (Jack Lee) – 3:34
- “Iron Out the Rough Spots” (Steve Cropper, Booker T. Jones, David Porter) – 4:47
- “Broken Man” (Ian Kewley, Paul Young) – 3:55
- “Tender Trap” (Ian Kewley, Paul Young) – 4:31
- “Sex” (Jack Lee) – 4:49
Personnel
- Drums: Mark Pinder
- Percussion: Ian Kewley, E.T. Latham, Mark Pinder
- Bass: Matt Irving, Ntobi Lekan, Pino Palladino
- Guitars: Steve Bolton
- Trombone: Rico Rodriguez
- Backing Vocals: Nimsa Calliza, Dagmar, Chief Dawethi, Eyethu, Zundi Lekau, Kim Lesley, Wally Loak, Jabu Mbato, Fats Mogoboya, Maz Roberts, Norman Zulu
Links
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