Sheffield synth-pop trio cast steely gaze towards chart success with ace second album, extras now included
9/10
After last year's successful 30th anniversary reissue and tour for their debut-album Penthouse and Pavement, Heaven 17 clearly couldn't wait to get the luxury Luxury Gap package under way with a not-dissimilar campaign a good few months before the official 30 years has been reached (2013 in fact).
No matter, because the remaining duo of Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory have clearly been enjoying their long overdue renaissance, both on stage and assembling the various pieces of the jigsaw for this boxed version of what was (and remains) their most commercially-viable album to date - and probably their best. You get the album, the extended mixes, a DVD of promos and live tracks, postcards depicting the relevant singles' sleeve-art and a poster of the sleeve, which remains a slightly unnerving piece of Ray Smith artwork and one which has now-reclusive original member Ian Craig Marsh looking like a council bin-man, Gregory a teacher and Ware a weary distant relation of Richard E.Grant.
You'll know the very familiar hit Temptation by now - if not, you'll face three versions of it here, including the original 12" and the disposable Brothers in Rhythm remix issued as a single in 1992. Other notable songs include Come Live With Me and one of only a couple of songs that hark back to the P&P days, Crushed By The Wheels of Industry, the other being the nippy We Live So Fast. I've never been a huge fan of Come Live With Me, perhaps because it's just a bit, well, cheesy. Far, far better is the one song that flopped, Let Me Go. It is a classic and remains a member of the #41 club, its peak position belying its stature and timeless sound.
Along with the scurrying We Live So Fast, another song that could have been their passport to more Top of the Pops appearances was Who'll Stop The Rain, which in its extended form is the equal of anything they've done. The closing song, the reflective and unlikely The Best Kept Secret is also worthy of a mention and rounds off, what was at the time, a landmark synth-pop release. This has been recently proven by the success of the accompanying tour in 2012 - it must be some time since the more obscure album tracks such as Key to the World and Lady Ice and Mr Hex were aired in public and I imagine the former sounds fabulous blasted out of a live PA.
Future reissues might not pull in the crowds or as much interest as this and its predecessor, although How Men Are certainly does have its moments - for now, Luxury Gap stands proud as a prime example of what Heaven 17 were all about. Smartly-dressed music which was rough round the edges, politically aware and strong enough for repeated listening. It's never too late to start now.
For information on live concerts by Heaven 17, go to Allgigs here
9/10
No matter, because the remaining duo of Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory have clearly been enjoying their long overdue renaissance, both on stage and assembling the various pieces of the jigsaw for this boxed version of what was (and remains) their most commercially-viable album to date - and probably their best. You get the album, the extended mixes, a DVD of promos and live tracks, postcards depicting the relevant singles' sleeve-art and a poster of the sleeve, which remains a slightly unnerving piece of Ray Smith artwork and one which has now-reclusive original member Ian Craig Marsh looking like a council bin-man, Gregory a teacher and Ware a weary distant relation of Richard E.Grant.
You'll know the very familiar hit Temptation by now - if not, you'll face three versions of it here, including the original 12" and the disposable Brothers in Rhythm remix issued as a single in 1992. Other notable songs include Come Live With Me and one of only a couple of songs that hark back to the P&P days, Crushed By The Wheels of Industry, the other being the nippy We Live So Fast. I've never been a huge fan of Come Live With Me, perhaps because it's just a bit, well, cheesy. Far, far better is the one song that flopped, Let Me Go. It is a classic and remains a member of the #41 club, its peak position belying its stature and timeless sound.
Along with the scurrying We Live So Fast, another song that could have been their passport to more Top of the Pops appearances was Who'll Stop The Rain, which in its extended form is the equal of anything they've done. The closing song, the reflective and unlikely The Best Kept Secret is also worthy of a mention and rounds off, what was at the time, a landmark synth-pop release. This has been recently proven by the success of the accompanying tour in 2012 - it must be some time since the more obscure album tracks such as Key to the World and Lady Ice and Mr Hex were aired in public and I imagine the former sounds fabulous blasted out of a live PA.
Future reissues might not pull in the crowds or as much interest as this and its predecessor, although How Men Are certainly does have its moments - for now, Luxury Gap stands proud as a prime example of what Heaven 17 were all about. Smartly-dressed music which was rough round the edges, politically aware and strong enough for repeated listening. It's never too late to start now.
For information on live concerts by Heaven 17, go to Allgigs here