Simply Red is not exactly a commercially successful band outside UK and Europe but yet it draws fans like myself who care to discover a few gems from each release. This morning, prior to writing this review, I picked up one of my favorites record “Stars (1991)” and listened. Now that I am listening to their latest release “Stay (2007)” as I am writing this review, I may reconsider my initial assessment of “grossly inadequate compares to Stars“. I am not so sure if familiarity made me fell in love with “Stars (1991)” in the first place as I do get to enjoy “Stay (2007)” more after each listen. Perhaps, some albums are less assessable than others – only for those who care to dig in.
What better way to introduce Simply Red to my readers than to showcase some of my favourite Simply Red tracks? I won’t cluster my home page with tons of YouTube videos and I shall provide the links instead for your viewing pleasure. So sit back, relax, and let DJ Wilf do the job. Just click whichever link you feel like it.
Back in my University days, one of my favourite past time was to listen to the daily countdown on radio. Gosh, I still remember the name of the radio station – Fox FM it was (what a nostalgic day!). And every night, for some period in time (during my 2nd or 3rd year), I looked forward to listening tracks from the album “Stars (1991)”. Out of all the videos I found in YouTube, this live version of “Stars” is my favorite video. But my favorite song of all time? That has to be “For Your Babies“.
Prior to “Stars (1991)”, there are some real classic songs of Simply Red. Top of my list would be “If You Don’t Know Me By Now“. That song is timeless. After their success with “Stars (1991)”, Simply Red released a cover heavy album “Blue (1998)” and there are some gems inside such as “The Air That I Breathe“. Around the same period, Simply Red was dumped by their record label and they have gone independent. “Your Eyes” from the album “Love and the Russian Winter (1999)” is probably my second favorite track of all time. Perhaps not this original version as shown in YouTube but the Mousse T Acoustic version from their greatest hits “It’s Only Love (2000)”. Inside that greatest hits, there is another song of my favourite “Lady Godiva’s Room” that is not to be missed.
I have a mixed feeling towards their subsequent release “Home (2003)”. It contains two of the strongest offerings “Home” and “Sunrise” (I prefer the more melancholy album version of “Home”) but the rest do not seem to match up to these two. Perhaps I need to revisit that album again. By the way, these two music videos are surprisingly hot in YouTube.
If you only wish to purchase one album from Simply Red, “Simplified (2005)” is the one. It is a collection of their classics stripped back to mainly acoustic arrangements and inside this album, they did a cover for “A Song For You” that without doubt is my favorite of all their covers. In the same album, I love the strong opening track “Perfect Love” as well – the only new song in that album.
Back to their tenth album, “Stay (2007)”, the singles “Oh! What A Girl!” and “So Not Over You” may not have the same punch as some of the tracks from “Star (1991)”, I think they have done enough to please the loyal fans. As for me, my favorite track is the upbeat and more music rich track “Good Times Have Done Me Wrong”. Though not my top 2 favorite albums of Simply Red, “Stay (2007)” definitely remains as my top 3 favorites for now – no less.
Now you know my favorites. Tell me, what are yours?