Ex Q-Tips Vocalist Paul Young made the kind of impact Sade, Terence Trent D'Arby and Seal did in the Eighties and Nineties - signed to a prestigious label known for these kind of discoveries - these Rock-Soulful singers scored instantly with an adoring public and sold big too.
"The Secret Of Association" was Paul Young's second album after his solo debut "No Parlez" in July 1983 - a UK No.1 with sales of almost one and half million copies. Prepped by three killer singles before LP, Cassette and CD release late March 1985 - "Secret..." repeated the No.1 slot. In October 1984 (six months before the album's release), CBS Records UK put out Young's cover version of "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" - a song made famous by Ann Peebles in the Seventies on Hi Records USA, London Records UK (reflecting his love of R&B and Soul Music). That was followed in November 1984 with his own "Everything Must Change" and then a month before the LP's release 25 March 1985, February 1985 saw CBS Records hit the buying public with a classic "Every Time You Go Away" - a gorgeous Daryl Hall song from the Hall & Oates LP "Voices" of August 1980 on RCA.
Like Rod Stewart or Paul Carrack - Paul Young once again showed a great knack for choice of someone else's songs - the obscure "Wherever I Lay My Hat..." B-side by Marvin Gaye that PY put on "No Parlez" (practically launched him), the "Swordfishtrombones" Tom Waits cover "Soldier's Things" he does on "The Secret Of Association" - the Billy Bragg bonus track "The Man In The Iron Mask" that turned up on only the Cassette and CD variants of original 1985 issues.
And that's where this 2007 'Deluxe 2CD Edition' from England's Edsel comes licensing in. Here are the details...
UK released September 2007 - "The Secret Of Association" by PAUL YOUNG on Edsel EDSD 2006 (Barcode 740155200633) is a 'Deluxe 2CD Edition' with the LP variant of 11-tracks remastered on CD1 and CD2 carrying 8 Bonuses - 12" Mixes and Single B-sides. They play out as follows...
CD1 The Secret Of Association (52:26 minutes):
1. Bit The Hand That Feeds [Side 1]
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 [Side 2]
7. Tomb Of Memories
8. One Step Forward
9. Hot Fun
10. This Means Anything
11. I Was In Chains
Tracks 1 to 11 are the Vinyl LP Version of "The Secret Of Association" - released 25 March 1985 in the UK on CBS Records CBS 26234 and Columbia FC 39957 in the USA. Produced by LAURIE LATHAM - it peaked at No.1 in the UK and No.19 in the USA.
NOTE: The UK cassette and CD variants both had a Bonus Track called "The Man In The Iron Mask" (a Billy Bragg cover) which has been moved over to CD2. The cassette version of the album in the UK had 12-tracks - Track 6 being the Bonus song "The Man In The Iron Mask". But the MC also substituted four LP cuts with Extended 12" Mixes - only two are on CD2 - "Every Time You Go Away" and "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" - the two missing are "Hot Fun (Extended Mix)" and "I Was In Chains (Extended Mix)".
"Bite The Hand That Feeds Me" written by Billy Livsey and Graham Lyle (of Gallagher & Lyle), "Every Time You Go Away" written by Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates, "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" by Earl Randle (covered by Ann Peebles), "Standing On The Edge" written by Andrew Barfield, "Soldier's Things" written by Tom Waits and "I Was In Chains" written by Gavin Sutherland of Sutherland Brothers & Quiver. All others by Paul Young and Ian Kewley.
CD2 The 12" Mixes and Single B-sides (43:20 minutes):
1. I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down (Special Extended Mix) - 9:20 minutes
2. Everything Must Change (12" Mix) - 8:27 minutes
3. Give Me My Freedom - 3:26 minutes
4. Every Time You Go Away (7" Mix) - 4:17 minutes
5. Tomb Of Memories (12" Mix) - 5:46 minutes
6. The Man In The Iron Mask - 3:13 minutes
7. Bite The Hand That Feeds [Live at The Hammersmith Odeon] - 4:14 minutes
8. No Parlez [Live at The Hammersmith Odeon] - 4:35 minutes
The 12-page booklet sports new liner notes by ALAN ROBINSON done in July 2007 - the text spattered with 12" CBS Records labels, the inner artwork, merchandise sheet, picture sleeves and two pages of song credits. Good muscular mastering comes care of Alchemy, but it's kind of unforgivable for CD2 to have not included those two 12" Versions on the cassette original issue ("Hot Fun" and "I Was In Chains") when there was room. Other than that, the Val Jennings correlated project looks and sounds good. To the chunes...
I love Paul Nieman's tiny Trombone contribution to "Soldier's Things" - the Tom Waits cover that ends Side 1 - all strings and funeral mooch - another great choice and a moody brute I return to way more than the bombastic "Bite The Hand That Feeds". You can hear the Pedal Steel guitar flourishes B.J. Cole of Seventies Country-Rock band Cochise makes to "Everything Must Change" - a Young/Kewley composition that rivals Daryl Hall's "Every Time You Go Away" (a tall order any day of the week).
Deliberately aping the 60ts Northern Soul sound with its drums and chimes - the Soul Dancer vibe of "Tomb Of Memories" saw CBS Records make it the fourth and final single off the album. Although their contribution is more subtle than obvious, Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford of Squeeze add Backing Vocals whilst former band-mate Nicky Payne of the Q-Tips adds Saxophone. The twelve-inch variant of this track is a beast over on CD weighing in at 5:46 minutes. Young takes chances with "One Step Forward" - the bitterness a human heart can show - his pawn in the Government's game lyrics offset by a huge string arrangement that makes you sit up and take notice.
"Hot Fun" is drowned in 80ts studio trickery - wailing guitars, slap-slide-bass notes, weedy drum machines and synth punches - but it's the track that has most dated. Far better is one of the album's hidden jewels - "This Means Anything" - a genuinely great Young/Kewley songwriter collaboration. "The Secret Of Association" ends with another clever cover version - "I Was In Chains". The song was originally penned by Gavin Sutherland of Seventies Soft-Rock British band Sutherland Brothers and Quiver - first appearing on their 1972 debut album on Island Records "The Sutherland Brothers Band". Giving it an Irish air, session-men Graham Preskett plays lovely Violin while Mark Feltham of Nine Below Zero distorts his Harmonica into an almost Australian didgeridoo sound - its 5:43 minute duration brought to a standstill by backwards taped guitars - modern meets old traditional. It's a fantastic way to end a really good album.
For sure, some of it's very Eighties Production sheen has done for certain tracks - too much noise - and in hindsight - not enough soul (odd for a singer who exudes so much of it). But those other goodies in-between excesses, the Remaster muscle and a smattering of the Bonuses all add up to a very satisfying twofer indeed (even despite those missing mixes).
And until something better comes a lollygagging along for "The Secret Of Association" and its 2007 'Deluxe 2CD Edition' from England's Edsel - here in late March 2023 - I don’t mind being chained to this reissue at all...
