Search - Robin Scott, Brigit Vinchon :: New York London Paris Munich

Everybody talk about... Pop Muzik!

Patrick N. J. McCaffery | The Patcave|Farmingdale, New York 11735-5229|U.S.A | 07/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off, I would like to correct Kelly Faltmeyer. Robin Scott is NOT from Germany, he is from England... where the culture and history comes from. :) Anyway, now that I have got that off my chest, let me proceed with my review. I thought I actually printed one but I guess I hadn't. So, here I go.
The first track off this disc, Pop Muzik, was the song that defined the whole 1980's muzik scene. It is well written, brilliant and catchy. At one point, Mr. Scott sings to us and says "listen to the countdown/they're playing our song again". During the 80s, there was a song for everyone in the weekly top 40 countdown. This is actually my favourite song in the whole world... no... universe!
Track 2, Woman Make Man, is a clever play on words. When Mr. Scott sings "There is a woman behind every man", he is describing the woman of the 80s. The woman, not the man, is the real brains in the machine of life.
Track 3, Moderne man/Satisfy Your Lust, describes the man of the 80s; he's "Here today/gone tomorrow" and always trying to satisfy his own lusts. He does not care if he has love. He asks "Are you a woman/or just a machine/An inflatable doll/from a magazine?" Moderne Man, Mr. Scott says "...is vacant/he is hollow".
Track 4, Made In Munich, is another catchy tune about Muzik being a part of everyone's life "from the east to the west"
Track 5, Moonlight and Muzak, is about meeting an international girl "from behind the Iron Curtain" and how the Moonlight And Muzak brought them together.
Track 6, That's The Way The Money Goes, shows that Mr. Scott saw how the economy of Thatcher's England and Reagan's America would change the world.
Track 7, Cowboys And Indians, simply describes how the characters in this title were portrayed on the telly.
Track 8, Unite Your Nation, has Mr. Scott telling everyone to unite together and not to let the government and the powers that be control you.
Track 9, Fanfare, plays as a 10 second introduction to the 13 bonus tracks on the rest of the disc.
Track 10, Cry Myself To Sleep, is a song about a relationship that has died.
Tracks 11 and 12 are interesting remixes of track 7
Tracks 13 and 14 are seperate remixes of track 3
Tracks 15 and 16, M Factor, is the B-Side to the song Pop Muzik when it was released as a single both here in the U.S. and across the pond in the U.K.
Track 17, is a remix of track 5 done in 1992
Tracks 18, 19 and 20 are remixes of track 1
Track 21, Finale, is just that. A nice 18 second finale that closes a great recording.
Well, that is my review of what can be called one of the most brilliant albums ever recorded; and not only that, but this recording is the birth of the whole New Wave movement. Groups like Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Modern English and the rest of them should tip their hats to Mr. Scott. In fact, I told him as much when I spoke to him on the phone. Mr. Scott is a very nice man and a brilliant performer. Thank you."

Essential

VertigoXpress | USA | 06/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

""New York London Paris Munich" was an important album, at least in my own bubble. I wasn't content to stick with "Pop Muzik" like the rest of the United States was at the time, I was so intrigued by whatever "M" was that I really paid attention to the rest of the album. I can remember sitting in my bedroom in the summertime playing this album over and over again on my record player. I think I was 9 years old.



Now I'm considerably older. The album, however, is still one of my favorites. This collection is probably the best format of it that's been released on CD.



Of course, we all know now that "M" is musician Robin Scott, and this particular M record was made just as disco was fading away. I can't think of another bridge between disco and new wave, perhaps this album is the only one of its kind. Aside from the brilliant earworm "Pop Muzik", about which enough has already been said, the album proper ranges from the deep electrodisco of "Woman Make Man" to the twangy hybrid "That's the Way the Money Goes", which combines disco with an almost country sounding guitar and doo-wop rhymes. It's pretty weird when you think about it, but you don't think about that while it's on. It's just a good listen.



There's also some interesting extras, including both versions of the excellent b-side "M Factor". One is a more stripped down "original" mix, while the other is the same track dressed with glittering synths and effects, as well as Brigit Novik's background vocals added. "Satisfy Your Lust" is also worth noting in its single form. Originally it was the b-side to "Moderne Man", which was pre-"Pop Muzik" and demonstrates a totally different direction. "Moderne Man" features hints of the kitschy synths Scott would use on the album, but "Satisfy Your Lust" is more like glam rock. I could almost hear the White Stripes doing a cover version.



The remixes of "Pop Muzik" don't do much to improve on it, but how could it be improved on? The only complaint I have about this collection is that it somehow does not include the original single mix of "Pop Muzik". The album version is the five-minute "extended mix". It would have satisfied the completist in me to have the original radio mix on the disc instead of the updated remixes."