N.E.W.S.

I assume anyone reading this is thinking about getting this album since they are interested in GE. I am a GE fan. I have over 20 of their albums and have been a fan since about 1982. Cut was the their first album I ever heard by them. I have most of their releases from 1970 and on. I do not love every song by GE. In fact there are almost entire albums I cannot listen to (To The Hilt is my least fav album by them). I write this review in 2012. It is not a review of how it fared in 1984 but rather - is it listenable now?

With this mind -- my review. (1 to 5 stars.)

Overall notes. N.E.W.S is one of my favorite GE albums. I know there are die hard fans of the band from the 70's. Well I didn't know them then. I learned about GE in the 80s and this was the 2nd GE album I bought. GE in the 80s had very distinctive grooves and I don't confuse GE with any other band.

1 - CLEAR NIGHT, MOONLIGHT. Rocker. 80s GE. Horns, gang vocals. I find this to be very listenable. Its very similar to the first song on CUT. They liked that formula and repeated it. I applaud that choice. They did a music video to this song. The band really hams it up. They basically steal a car, kidnap a girl and end up getting shot to death on a desert highway. Cheezy video. Classic Song. 4/5

2 - WHEN THE LADY SMILES. Rocker. AWESOME! The groove on this song is catchy. There are only two verses and then a long extended guitar solo and coda. I play this song often and LOUD. I love how George plays guitar. His style is never metal, or rushed. He plays long riffs which take on a life of their own. One of their best. Not just of the 80s but overall. 5/5

3 - ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Rocker. Straight ahead rock music. Catchy and Georges adds a harder touch to his solo this time. Sounds like a rock song about a 50's noir mystery movie. Shady characters, smoke filled rooms. Contains another George and Barry 2 part vocal in the middle. 5/5

4 - FIST IN GLOVE. Rocker. Okay, this has got some experimentation going on. The band get into a funky groove and sounds different then expected. I grew to love this song. I know it took repeated listenings. I don't suggest you start with this song. But if you get the album it just might grow on you. 2/5

5 - ORWELLS YEAR. This song was not on all versions of the album releases. I have it on a US CD release. I never heard this song until the mid 90s. Rocker. Its got a rougher edge compared to the rest of the album. The basic groove rocks out. The chorus is okay, not my favorite of the band. 3/5

6 - N.E.W.S. Funky Rocker. The band went experimental again. After repeated listens I grew to like the song and its chorus. I know its not for everyone. Lots of keyboards in this song. Not your typical GE song. 3/5

7 - I'LL MAKE IT ALL UP TO YOU. Rocker. Okay the album gets back on track and into a great groove again. The rhythm section is very tight. Rinus on bass is excellent. George has another long guitar solo and ending. 5/5

8 - MISSION IMPOSSIBLE. Rocker. Right in line with song 7. groove and guitar parts. I think GE was trying to recapture the Twilight Zone vibe with this song. Barry and George trade off on lead vocals nicely. 5/5

9 - IT'S OVER NOW. Rocker. George has main vocals. I love how he wails at certain points in songs. You can't help but sing along. 5/5

I give this album a 4 star overall because of the few tracks that are basically for hard core fans. But there are at least 6 songs on this disc to really enjoy.

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