Pop's most emotional partnership offers everything but the kitchen sink with reissues and rarities
Eden - 8/10
Love Not Money - 7/10Baby, The Stars Shine Bright - 6/10
Idlewild - 8/10
Named after a promotional tagline used by a Hull furniture-shop, the prospect of listening to Everything But The Girl in the '80s somehow seemed glum and daunting from the off. Yet Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn became a formidable songwriting force, from the time the first few bars of debut-single "On My Mind" hit the shelves and wafted across the evening playlist at Radio 1, up to the point in the mid-'90s when the duo discovered drum and bass and Todd Terry's deft retweaks on crossover club and radio-hit "Missing".In between those landmark events, EBTG issued seven albums of clean adult pop-soul with occasionally indifferent consistency and quality. Arguably, the first four were perhaps the most essential and it's that quartet that Rhino have reassessed, repackaged and re-promoted for this initial batch of 2012 reissues. All feature two discs, the first being the album itself, the second packed with rarities, demos and b-sides, along with a short commentary on the tracks by Watt and Thorn and candid photos, some of which were taken by the pair themselves at around the time of the original album-sessions. Needless to say, the casebound book-style packaging makes for an eye and ear-catching experience.
First up is "Eden", originally released in 1984 and the perfect album for like-minded couples in damp, dismal student-digs or just about every Our Price Music shop you ever walked into (it seemed to be a popular choice on the shop deck, back in the day). It's not hard to see why the Crombie-wearing uni-kids flocked to this - "Eden" was a carefree jazzy introspective alternative to chart-fodder like Jacko, Billy Joel or the explosive and flamboyant Frankie Goes To Hollywood and offered a hazy backdrop with which to drink to, skin-up to, discuss politics to or indeed to do anything that didn't involve writing a dissertation or completing any homework. The distractions of gorgeous single "Each and Every One" and strong album-tracks such as "Bittersweet", "Tender Blue" and "Fascination" most probably affected some exam-results across the country because it was all too easy to gaze out of the window listening to Tracey Thorn's mournful, but unique, vocals. Being of a slightly left-field nature, both the artists and the then-label, Blanco y Negro (part of Warners) refused to milk the album of singles, opting instead to issue not one but two non-LP 7"/12" in the shape of "Mine" and "Native Land". Neither were successful follow-up hits and so the pair's attentions turned to 'that difficult 2nd album', already in the pipeline as far as they were concerned.
"Love Not Money" came as something of a disappointment in 1985, but it's unfair to label it with the 'difficult' tag because there are some magical moments within it's austere sleeve of slums and peeing children. Rather more politicized than the debut, LNM sported two singles in "When All's Well" and "Angel" and offered urban blight and social insight at every turn, not least on "Ballad of the Times", "Trouble and Strife" and the reflective Watt composition, "Sean". Just 11 extras adorn the second-disc on this issue, making it all less essential than the seventeen you get with "Eden" but a worthy consideration, nonetheless.
For album number three, EBTG shed their DIY drum-machines and bedroom-pop and went all Bacharach, strings and big-band on us. Sadly, "Baby, The Stars Shine Bright" merely hinted at the greatness its title initially suggested. Sure, "Come On Home" is possibly one of the couple's finest moments, while other highlights include the schmaltzy poptastic "Don't Leave Me Behind" and the closing Thorn classic "Little Hitler", all bathed in '60s retro-chic and armed with a role-call of musicians that must have cost an arm, a leg and possibly someone's wallet. The extras include a charming cover of Bacharach and David's fab "Alfie" and more interesting home-demos.
In 1988, EBTG went back to basics, after a fashion. "Idlewild" might well have appeared in that year's tricky winter, but it sounded for all the world like a summer record and bore the same wide-eyed innocence possessed by "Eden". Again the double-act fell someway short on the ever-important singles chart with the perky "These Early Days" and the languid "I Always Was Your Girl" until, that is, they issued a 'summer' single in the form of Rod Stewart's bittersweet ballad, "I Don't Want To Talk About It". Pay-dirt and another gold album was duly and rightfully achieved, although the record-company misfired again by following up that Top 3 single (originally not included on the album) with a pointlessly remixed "These Early Days" and the "Idlewild" opener, "Love Is Here Where I Live". Neither had the sparkle of the hit, but that's not to say this accomplished fourth album didn't have further highlights. "Oxford Street", "Goodbye Sunday" and Watt's plaintive childhood ballad, "The Night I Heard Caruso Sing" certainly were worthy contenders. Peversely, for such a fine album, "Idlewild" could have been even better than it was - original prime tracks such as "Dyed in the Grain", "Another Day Another Dollar" and "Living On Honeycomb" were eventually relegated from the running order to become b-sides and replaced with the inferior "Blue Moon Rose" instead.
If you're feeling flush, try and pick up all four of these albums before the next inevitable reissue programme for the less-essential '90s output kicks in.