comedy 1989

Comedy (1989)

"Comedy," Black (1989)

Black Comedy; get it? Admittedly, it's a corny gag, but you've gotta

expect something like this from a man like Colin Vearncombe. But I bet

you weren't expecting me to post two back-to-back posts that dealt

with the same artist. I know, it's shocking.

But do you know what's even more of a shock? The fact that the LP

version of "Comedy" differs substantially from the CD issue. If you

take a stroll down to Amazon, you will find Comedy, and you will see

that it has 12 songs. But, if you scroll down, you'll note that the LP

rip I've uploaded has 10. Am I ripping you off? Did Black rip us off?

Did the record companies rip us off? What's going on here?

The answer can be found by looking at Black's first album, "Wonderful

Life." If you were to scroll down, you'd see that the debut album is

bookended by two songs, "Wonderful Life" and "Sweetest Smile." If you

take a gander at the tracklist on "Comedy," you'll see that these

songs are also present here. So he's re-hashing old ideas? Well,

sorta... but no. See, everyone knew that those two songs had a great

"hit" potential. As such, it was decided to include new versions of

these tracks on the LP and cassette versions of Black's second album.

But the CD version was radically different. Not only did it omit those

two songs, but it also left off a tune called "Reunion." In their

stead, compact disc buyers received 5 totally different tracks. This

tells us that Black was not out of ideas. Instead, a loopy record

company strategy totally sent his discography on a kinked-out path.

As a result of this scheming, there are now three songs that are lost

to digital-age fans. Or are they? The 1989 re-recording of "Wonderful

Life" can actually be found on the great but inconsistent 12"/'80s

compilation. The other two songs, sadly, are lost to memory (and

outdated formats). But that's when I come in, ready to exhume a few

favourite goodies for the sake of the greater good.

Personally (and this is just my humble opinion), I dig the re-recorded

version of "Wonderful Life." The vocals are bit more emotional, and on

the whole, the song reminds me of being on a tropical island

vacation... only to have it rain. Irony at its most beautiful. As for

the new mix of "Sweetest Smile," I still don't have a firm opinion.

It's about as gripping as the original, only shorter. So there we go.

As a whole, the album (again, this is just my opinion) doesn't seem as

strong as "Wonderful Life." That said, it's a heck of a lot better

than some of it's contemporaries (that means you, Paula Abdul and Rick

Astley!). It makes a good compliment to the debut album, but don't

expect the overall catchyness of that release on this sophomore

effort.

But I'm rambling now. You want the music. So here you go:

1. Wonderful Life (Re-recording)

2. You're a Big Girl Now

3. Reunion

4. Whatever People Say You Are

5. Sweetest Smile (Remix)

6. Hey, I Was Right You Were Wrong!

7. All We Need Is the Money

8. The Big One

9. Now You're Gone