Talking Back to the Night is the third solo studio album by English recording artist Steve Winwood. Released less than two years after the top 3 hit Arc of a Diver, it failed to see as much success as its predecessor, reaching #28 on the Billboard 200. "Valerie" was a minor hit in 1982.
Talking Back to the Night is Steve Winwood's synth pop album. Synth pop clearly was the thing in 1982, but still it feels weird to listen to this kind of album by a '60s artist. The Moody Blues used a lot of synths on The Present, but anyway it was a 'band' album. This may scare off some of Steve Winwood's potential audience, which is a shame because, like already mentioned, Talking Back to the Night is a fine album – like Arc of a Diver to which, on the other hand, the compositions on this album are quite similar.
"Valerie" may have been a small hit back in '82, but it certainly got a new life from Eric Prydz who sampled the chorus for his massive club hit "Call on Me" (2004). When I listened to "Valerie" for the first time, I thought Steve says 'I'm not the same boy I used to be' at the end of the chorus. You know, we are used to songs about having changed. We presume that something bad has happened in the past. But instead, Steve sings 'I'm the same boy I used to be', which tells us that the past was good.
"Valerie" may be the best track on Talking Back to the Night, but actually, nearly all songs on the album are good. "Help Me Angel" sounds quite dull to me and "There's a River" doesn't impress me, while "And I Go" (which sounds most like Arc of a Diver on this album) and "It Was Happiness" fall somewhere in between. But "Big Girls Walk Away", "While There's a Candle Burning", "Still in the Game" (which, instead of the Van Halen standard "Jump", may be the actual paragon of "Still Alive" by The Crash) and especially the title track are certainly quality material. Talking Back to the Night is not a classic, but it beats a ton of so-called 'classics' of the 1980s.
Side A
A1. Valerie 4:03
A2. Big Girls Walk Away 3:50
A3. And I Go 4:10
A4. While There’s A Candle Burning 3:08
A5. Still In The Game 4:48
Side B
B1. It Was Happiness 4:58
B2. Help Me Angel 5:04
B3. Talking Back To The Night 5:42
B4. There’s A River 4:38
Notes
Release: 1982
Format: LP
Genre: Synth-pop
Label: Island Records
Catalog# 204771320
Vinyl: VG+
Cover: VG+
Prijs: €10,00
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