Happy Families... Plus

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2009-05-14 rating:
Still sound great
Always been a fan of this band bought every album and 12" single of which some are added to this CD. br / br /I have always loved the asian percussion and influence in their music. This album still sounds fresh and with 'Living on the Ceiling' finding it's way back on TV. I hope this renews interest in this band. br / br /Should reform!

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review by: cd pete date: 2009-03-09 rating:
don't be a pudding.
I bought this originally in 1982 on the same day I bought Thriller,both on cassette and both have stood the test of time.Early 83 I swapped Deep Sea Skiving by Bananarama for this album on vinyl(I recently bought the bananas remaster on Amazon for a couple of quid).Having bought my first cd player in 1986 I was totally suprised in 87 to find Happy Families on London Records in a bargain bin in a famous,now closed high street shop.Then 2008 we get a set of remasters on Edsel,I resisted at first but now I have caved in and bought it again,basically for the extra tracks. br /I own all three Blancmange albums on vinyl,several singles and I did see them once live ,at Norwich UEA in 1983 on the Mange Tout tour. br /But this Cd is disappointing,I think the sound on the original cd is no different to the remaster.The extra tracks are not that good either,I already have living on the ceiling on a 12" compilation set,after three different versions of feel me it starts to get boring Gods kitchen is ok and business steps should have stayed lost with the other missing tracks. br /If this album is new to you ,or you have come to it via tv commercials it is worth getting as it is a good representation of the early 80's synth bands.I felt the need to buy it,but i wont be rushing to play it as I prefer the 1987 cd.

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review by: date: 2008-10-06 rating:
Blancmange - Happy Families Remaster 2008
Blancmange- happy families (remaster) br /------------------------------------------------ br /from the start, this was their introductory album, br /right, an EP called irene and mavis contained the br /prototype, but is not represented here.. br / br /if you've heard of blancmange, you have a pretty br /good idea of what your getting, but if you've br /only heard a few singles, you might be pleasantly br /surprised to hear the rest of their work.. br / br /'living on the ceiling' is light years ahead of most br /groups, and even of some of their other tracks.. br / br /'feel me' also has a very cool tone to it, that br /starts out slow, but turns into a very passionate br /plea... br / br /there's a few other gems on there too to discover... br / br / br /So lets talk about specifics: for the album br / br /I'm listening through altec-lansing speakers, and also through headphones br /==================================================== br /1) if you have the recent re-release its probably about br /the same quality br / br /2) listen to 'feel me' at the end to hear the loud br /parts, the are clear br / br /3) for the softer parts, songs like 'i've seen the word' br /show the dynamic range is good.. br / br /4) overall tracks are mostly major click free/no skips with br /a few variations in tracks .. waves/ living on the ceiling br /are the single mixes and not the album tracks though.. br / br /The bonus tracks: br /=================================================== br /1) excellent job with the 'living on the ceiling' mixes, br /the high point... br / br /2) a lot of versions of 'feel me'.. maybe too many, br /maybe they should have had a few other tracks represented br / br /3) God's Kitchen 12" is very good to have, although not br /much more than echo and its slightly extended...early 12" br /were like this br / br /4) business steps is another interesting instrumental br /to check out, if you haven't heard..blancmange liked br /to experiment, and their instrumentals are definitely br /evident on all their albums.. br /=================================================== br / br /this album is their least favorite to me, i don't br /listen to it much... but i like certain tracks br /from it... br / br /i'm not sure how much it held up after all these br /years...some songs sound pretty dated ("Gods kitchen", br /'wasted'), while others sound timeless, 'feel me', br /'i cant explain', and 'living on the ceiling'.. br / br /i'm not sure how much more should have been done br /with this album, but maybe more edits would have br /been nice... br / br /worth getting, but i feel mostly for br /collectors...new wave fans..and overall br /a pretty good job in being put together... br / br / br /later br /-1

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review by: dkennedy date: 2008-09-10 rating:
Cheap and Nasty
I returned my first copy of this CD because the sound quality was so awful ("I've Seen The Word" sounds like a scratchy record played with a dusty stylus) - the second copy is exactly the same. Too bad Edsel either didn't bother remastering the album, or employ sound engineers with tinnitus. I have the 1987 London Records CD release - if you're not bothered about the extra tracks, then save yourself some aural pain and money and get that version instead.


review by: date: 2008-09-09 rating:
Close to perfect
A welcome re-issue of these 3 albums which also contain nearly all of Blancmanges recorded output. br /I know I'm being a little bit picky here but I am disappointed that these arn't the original album versions. Both Waves and Living On The Ceiling use the single mixes which, at least in the case of Waves, is totally different to the original album version. br /Also on Mange Tout they use the much shorter single edit of Day Before You Came. br /Surely when compiling these releases they could show a little more attention to detail?

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