North of a Miracle

Artist: Nick Heyward
Label: Arista
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Format: Import
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1

UPC: 743218958120
EAN: 0743218958120
ASIN: B00005S84L

Release Date: 2004-05-18

North of a Miracle

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Tracks:

When It Started to Begin
Blue Hat for a Blue Day
Two Make It True
On a Sunday
Club Boy at Sea
Whistle Down the Wind
Take That Situation
Kick of Love
Day It Rained Forever
Atlantic Monday

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Album Description

Aussie edition of the former Haircut 100 frontman's 1983 solo album includes seven bonus tracks, 'Whistle Down The Wind' (12 inch), 'Take That Situation' (Rhythm Mix), 'Cafe Canada', 'Love At The Door', 'Don't Get Me Wrong', 'Stolen Tears' & 'Laura'. 2001.

Album Details

The First Solo Album from the from the Ex-lead Singer of Haircut 100 Adds a Bevy of Extra Tracks, Including the Haircut's 'take that Situation' and the 12" Version of his First Single 'whistle Down the Wind'.

Customer Reviews:

Timeless Pop Music From Nick Heyward.......2006-04-24

After Nick Heyward split from Haircut 100 he released "North of A Miracle." The album is very mature to have been recorded by someone in their early twenties. The album opens with the highly charged "When It Started To Begin." The album spawned 4 video singles two ballads-"Whistle Down The Wind," "Blue Hat For A Blue Day," and two mid-tempo songs "On Sunday" and the bonus track "Laura." Also featured on the set is the widely popular "Take That Situation." One song on the set, "Kick of Love," is a very jazz influenced song. I really love this CD and the bonus songs are great. It truly is timeless.

North of a Miracle review by Bob Deakin.......2005-09-16

Nick Heyward's North of a Miracle was originally released in 1983 following his success with Haircut 100. It epitomized the resurgence of that time using real orchestral instruments instead of synthesizers, so prevalent in previous years.
The album was produced by Heyward and Geoff Emerick of Beatles fame as George Martin's engineer on the later albums. The production quality is brilliant with a full orchestra on every track and a good deal of percussion. The vocal harmonies, guitars, bass, drums, piano, organ and other instruments jump out of the speakers with crisp sonic precision to be appreciated across the audio spectrum.
Most importantly, the songs are great. The CD version includes a few extra tracks as noted and as usual, the extra tracks are forgettable with the exception of Stolen Tears, a bright tune with fine acoustic guitar work.
Listeners of college radio or English radio in the early 80s may have heard When It Started to Begin, Atlantic Monday or other tracks but American pop radio listeners surely heard Whistle Down the Wind, which cracked Billboard's top 20 in late 1983. Opening with piano and a droning fretless bass (Pino Palladino), this breezy tune grows in energy with each measure and finishes with a beautiful orchestral climax. A pop tune with class.
Every other one of the 10 original songs are exceptional although The Day It Rained Forever, the last song on the original album, always made me hit the stop button on my turntable.
Speaking of which, I still have the original vinyl LP in mint condition and a good turntable with an Ortofon cartridge and it sounds much better than the CD, which sounds fine. I realize not everyone wants to bother with all the old stuff but the LP does sound better. That's another story for another day.
As for the songs, Atlantic Monday and When It Started To Begin are so good and so high energy that one could only wish they were playing in that band, if only as a percussionist or background vocalist.
Blue Hat For a Blue Day has a wonderful organ part providing the base for a lead vocal with one of the sweetest refrains imaginable. Mandolin and accordion are featured with a sentimental violin, marimba, saxophones and the fretless bass carrying the rhythm. It doesn't get much better than this. As with many of the albums' tracks, guitar virtuoso Tim Renwick plays guitar (and mandolin on this one.) As for the words, I guess one could decipher the meaning of the song by the title but I've always been too consumed with the sounds to bother. Doesn't sound like it was recorded on a blue day.
Club Boy At Sea is spectacular in its subtle build to a climax with an irresistible rhythm guitar throughout backed by an aggressive orchestral arrangement and yet another outstanding lead vocal performance. What club he's talking about, who the boy is or what sea he is sailing I don't care. I'm too consumed with the performances. Just listen to the last two minutes of the song and you won't care either.
Two Make It True and On a Sunday are classics themselves - Sunday for the great spoken verse-in-rhythm at the end and True for quality guitar tracks and a fine bass/guitar/percussion break near the end. The Kick of Love is a jazz tune featuring a Spanish guitar solo with piano. It faces stiff competition with the rest of the tracks on the album, which means it's only a very good song.
Heyward plays guitars on most if not all of the tracks but Renwick takes ordinary parts and makes them spectacular, as he's always done. (See Al Stewart, Allan Parsons and Gilbert O'Sullivan among others)
Atlantic Monday and The Day it Rained Forever were recorded live. The album was recorded and mixed at Air Studios and Abbey Road Studios in London and the album is undeniably English. Orchestral arrangements are credited to Andrew Powell and Paul Buckmaster and Heyward is credited with the brass arrangements. He wrote all of the songs.
Nothing about this album seems contrived other than creating great tracks. Nick Heyward, Geoff Emerick and everyone else involved should be as proud of making it as I am for having found it so long ago. One of my top ten albums of the last 25 years. If you like the Style Council or XTC you will like this. Spend the money for the album.

P.S. I reserve five stars for Abbey Road, Pet Sounds, Dark Side of the Moon and others in that stratosphere.
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