The Blow Monkeys: “Animal Magic” (Review & Stream)

The Blow Monkeys and their understanding of pop remain timeless. The band around singer Dr. Robert just over a year ago when she performed a rousing 40th anniversary show in London and also presented current songs that, yes, stood up to the times and radiated anything but Eighties nostalgia.

No limits, dancing with the staff!

Surviving as their masterpiece is 1986’s “Digging Your Scene,” in which the Blow Monkeys’ ability to spin unpopular themes with sleek and swanky dancefloor-pop became apparent. An album later, they railed against Maggie Thatcher with Curtis Mayfield and then moved closer to house. Like ABC, they drew on their punk roots, kept the Roxy Music legacy simmering and maintained eye contact with the acid jazz movement. No limits, dancing with the staff! Burn the rich!

Whether you really need all the remixes from “Digging Your Scene” remains to be seen. On the newly released 4-CD deluxe edition of the accompanying album, “Animal Magic”, there are a whopping ten additional edits of the hit, from the unremarkable “Scat Mix” to the decent “Pete Wilson Remix”. This edition is much more worthwhile though for a tight mix of ‘Man From Russia’ (actually from the debut), demo ‘Guess I Love Her Now’, B-side ‘My America’, a guest appearance by Eek-A-Mouse on “Sweet Murder” and a shorter and a longer cover version of Curtis’ “Superfly”.

And with “Don’t Be Scared”, “Wicked Ways” and “Forbidden Fruit” the original album contained other respectable singles in addition to the US-only released “Sweet Murder” as a 12″. Rounding out this issue are liner notes by Barry McIlheney, then editor of Smash Hits, and an interview with Dr. Robert himself. Breathe again, Robert, please: “This is my time, my only time…” At the same time, the album is now also available as a limited LP on white vinyl.

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