Album review: LAURA BRANIGAN – Self Control

May 30th, 2020 by jason

Cherry Red Records [Release date 05.06.20]

In other circumstances, it would have been reported that Branigan’s untimely death in 2004, aged 52, brought a sparkling, hit filled career to a tragic end. But in fact, while that was true, she’d already left the music world behind. Ten years earlier, she retired to look after her terminally ill husband, who ultimately died in 2001.

Branigan had begun her professional career as a backing singer for the late Leonard Cohen, the man who put poetry and literature into popular music culture. So her subsequent solo immersion in the world of post-disco dance pop was something of a surprise.

“Self Control” was her fourth album, released in 1984, smack in the middle of the MTV age. It charted all over the world and went platinum in the USA. Singles ‘Self Control’, ‘Ti Amo’ and ‘The Lucky One’ were all huge Billboard Top 100 hits, staking out a significant claim for Branigan as the pre-eminent Dance Pop/rock diva, as much as any other serious contenders at the time, including Kim Carnes and Paula Abdul. And apart from those hits, the album was rich in high calibre songwriting. Mark Spiro, Diane Warren and Steve Kipner all contributed. No wonder it was her most successful recording.

This 2 CD set has been carefully curated by the fast-becoming-industry-standard Reissue label, Cherry Red Records. CD1 is the original album. CD2 contains a plethora of extended edits and dance remixes.

Most notably, the extended remix of ‘Self Control’ straddles the blurry line between dance and pop, sitting comfortably next door to the dreamy, shuffling rhythms of the breathy ‘Summer Mix’ of the same song. The Desmond Child songwriting soundalike, and synth/rock dance floor filler, ‘The Lucky One’ gets the expert treatment from dance/rock maestro/ producer/ arranger Harold Faltermeyer, and later is pumped up by John Robie’s wild imagination on a serously extended edit. (Robie was Arthur Baker’s right hand man during their many eighties’ electronica triumphs).

Anyone who wants to ease themselves out of lockdown, by reliving their eighties’ dance/pop experiences, can start right here.

Review by Brian McGowan

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com

Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)