Diamonds and Emeralds [Import]

Product Description
Rescued from the vaults, the long lost recordings of the 80's cult duo Care. Moody, magnificent, melodic pop from the Liverpool legends Ian Broudie (Lightning Seeds) and Paul Simpson. Contains all the singles, plus B-sides, 12in mixes and unreleased tracks. U.K. release on BMG's Camden label. 19 tracks, including 'My Boyish Days' and 'Flaming Sword'. Perfect addition to the collections of fans of the Smiths, Aztec Camera, the Housemartins, etc. 1997 Camden release.

Diamonds and Emeralds,Care,Bmg Int'l,Dance,New Wave,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop,Synth Pop

Average customer rating: Great songs, okay singer, but terrible track order.... A Classic must-have for all new wave/britpop fans CARE......CARE.....CARE........ An interesting jewel I REMEMBER THE DAYS!

Diamonds and Emeralds Care Manufacturer: Bmg Int'l ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Dance Pop | Compilations | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Dance Pop | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Rock | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Incandescent + 12 Space Flower Listen On: The Best of the Railway Children From Across the Kitchen Table The Sea Of Love ASIN: B000006X9L Release Date: 1997-10-14

Tracks:

1. Diamonds and Emeralds
2. Evening in the Ray
3. Chandeliers
4. Flaming Sword
5. Cymophane
6. Love Crowns and Crucifies
7. Temper Temper
8. White Cloud
9. Caretaking
10. My Boyish Days
11. Sad Day for England
12. Soldiers and Sailors
13. Whatever Possessed You
14. Such Is Life
15. What Kind of World
16. Nature Prayed Upon
17. Flaming Sword
18. Miscorde
19. Besides 1 and 2

Album Description

Rescued from the vaults, the long lost recordings of the 80's cult duo Care. Moody, magnificent, melodic pop from the Liverpool legends Ian Broudie (Lightning Seeds) and Paul Simpson. Contains all the singles, plus B-sides, 12in mixes and unreleased tracks. U.K. release on BMG's Camden label. 19 tracks, including 'My Boyish Days' and 'Flaming Sword'. Perfect addition to the collections of fans of the Smiths, Aztec Camera, the Housemartins, etc. 1997 Camden release.

Customer Reviews:

Great songs, okay singer, but terrible track order...........2002-10-08

Interesting new wave obscurity, the bulk of this collection was unearthed relatively recently, and features over-the-top, insanely catchy, pop gems by Liverpool's legendary songsmith Ian Broudie (of Big in Japan and later, the Lightning Seeds). Wild Swans Paul Simpson handles the vocals/lyrics with his typically passionate bellowing. The only serious problem with this compilation is terrible song sequencing. That sounds nitpicky, I know, but song-order really does make a difference in the reactions an album elicits, and poor song placement can sometimes sabotage an otherwise decent record. Also worth mentioning is that Simpson and Broudie had no input when the record label assembled this comp. As a result, half the song titles are incorrect, a few inferior demos were used, and Simpson reportedly can't stand the collection.

But after all that, there's at least 12 - 14 top-notch pop concoctions here. If you're familiar with Ian Broudie, you can probably guess that here he effortlessly throws out hook after catchy hook with his sparkley, ultra-melodic acoustic 12-string, along with a barrage of colorful, perky synths. Sometimes the songs can get a bit too happy and brainless, but there are some nice moodier numbers ("Nature Prayed Upon", "Whatever Possessed You") to balance out the glee. At times the music here reminds of the Teardrop Explodes, particularly the awesome "My Boyish Days" and the driving "Nature Prayed Upon". Other songs, like "Flaming Sword" and "White Cloud", could keep the most cynical listeners on their toes with inventive and unpredictable chord changes, soaring, dramatic hooks, and grogeous, baroque string-arrangements. Songs written by OMD and played by Echo & the Bunnymen could be another way to describe the sound of these tunes.

That the music itself is strong enough for me to overlook the poor song order and still enjoy this cd, is quite a testament to Broudie's almost flawless, expert pop-craftsmenship. I mean, these hooks will just NOT leave my freakin' head! And the damn cd has been living in my cd player for a almost a week now! If Amazon.com would let me give out 1/2 stars, this one would get a strong 3 1/2; one star deducted for terrible song order and inconsistent lyrics, and the 1/2 star for the 5 songs that just aren't very good.

A Classic must-have for all new wave/britpop fans.......2001-12-20

I skipped this music in its heyday, but after I rediscovered 80's and new wave, I found that Care makes music that is perfect by my standards. Beautiful combination of moody and melodic orchestra sounds with a lively acoustic guitar (used in place of bass) and lively beat. The ultimate in melodic pleasance. For music that really pleases the ears, THIS is the one to get.

I must agree with other commentors, the songs do sound unfinished. The "Besides" contains a couple of sessions of songs that were never finished. Care split in the middle of their production due to disagreements in style preferences. But they already sound so good, that if ever they get polished, it's the ultimate in heavenly beautiful music. And yes, being a Filipino, I do admit that Care is really well known here.

Simpson and Broudie have stuck to their instrumental formula while trying different styles, like two tracks which have an R&B feel (9 and 11). 19 tracks, including the 3 songs, though it is disappointing that "Whatever Possessed You" isn't the long version (12-inch Boyish Days makes up, though). But after listening to all the tracks, it makes me sad that the world no longer has a care about Care.

CARE......CARE.....CARE...............2001-10-23

the care....... this is one of my favorite new wave band since high school. they really have a different kind of music. paul simpson's voice is so so deep feels like it's coming from a deep well. care was very popular in manila & they always play this from radio station such as wxb 102, bm 105 & nu 107. my favorite songs are my flaming swords, boyish days & whatever possess you. i've been looking for this band for so long & when i asked the record store if they have this, they always said that they never know this band. so i tried to go to amazon & i did found it. care is what i call the best band in the 80's. also check out the wild swans, lightning seeds & the lotus eaters. they rock !!!!!!!! thanx amazon.com for having this album in your lists. this will go to my 80's collection. hope you have some good 80's band such as fra lippo lippi, marc almond's bittersweet, blue zoo.

An interesting jewel.......2001-01-10

After reading the other reviews for this CD, it appears that Paul Simpson and Ian Broudie's project titled "Care" is most loved in the Philippines. If you like the Brit-pop music from the 80's, this CD does belong in your collection. There are some very nice tracks that feature Simpson's sublime voice and Broudie's keyboard and guitar work. Unique to the era, the CD mixes acoustic guitar with the keyboard-produced synth pop. This CD is nice because it has 19 tracks (and includes b-sides from their singles).

Unfortauntely, this CD sounds like it was never finished. The production quality is not up to Broudie's standards and, to me, it seems like each song is missing something. It seems that they decided to move on to other projects and they shelved the songs as they were, without polishing them up.

Still, I think many people would enjoy this work and I certainly recommend picking up Broudie's and Simpson's later works. Paul Simspon got together with Jeremy Kelly (from the Lotus Eaters) after "Care" to create one of the best albums ever The Wild Swan's "Bringing Home the Ashes." Jeremy Kelly then left the Wild Swans and Ian Broudie joined the Swans on the next album "Space Flower," which has a very classic Broudie sound to it. Additionally, I suggest picking up The Lightning Seed's single for 'Sense' because one of the b-sides is a very polished, beautiful version of the "Care" song "Flaming Sword."

I REMEMBER THE DAYS!.......2000-06-08

This is the group that totally possessed my homeland back in The Philippines. Anyway, this is a must have if you want to listen to some real unknown "New Wave" hits back in the days. Of course, you've got Whatever Possessed You here and Boyish Days. If you need some education on what the real New Wave British sound is, then this Cd is a good way to start your learning. Pick this CD up and prepare to visit the different side of the 80s

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