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In the 1980s, Dave Stewart must have decided somewhere that he needed to eat. So, with the end of National Health and assignments like Bruford, he signed to Rykodisc to make a series of albums of "pop music for adults" with partner Barbara Gaskin. This is perhaps the hardest of the bunch to find on disc nowadays. The caveats first. Most obviously, this is not a prog rock album. Also, those who hate drum machines and "programming" best stay far away, because this disc is loaded with it. Pip Pyle plays a pretty minimal role, and Bill Bruford, getting busy on those log timbales (smirk), barely registers on the radar screen. Finally, the sound and production is very 80s. Well, with all this aside, does it succeed as a pop music album? I'd say with mixed success. To Stewart and Gaskin's credit, there is a very eclectic selection of source material, some of which might show some appeal to prog fans. Still, I always shrug my shoulders at golden oldies covers ("I'm in a Different World," "It's My Party," and "(I Know) I'm Losing You"). No matter how interesting the re-workings are, they're not likely to supplant the originals as what I'm going to listen to if I feel the urge. The covers of Thomas Dolby's "Leipzig" and Andy Partridge's "Roads Girdle the Globe," however, are far more successful, perhaps in part because of their comparative obscurity. The most overt track on this album is the comical "Busy Doing Nothing." Here, Barbara plays a good Dean Martin to Dave's Jerry Lewis, though Stewart's formidable keyboard technique and harmonic knowledge get to surface at the very end of the song. Other stuff? "(Do I Figure) In You're Life" is a gentle ballad about an exasperated relationship, the sort of tune an artist like Kirsty MacColl writes in her sleep. There's that well-known Disney tune, "We are Siamese if you please". While I admit it's a pretty creative inclusion and the thought of British gals Gaskin and Parsons as Siamese cats brings a smile to my face, it can't wipe away the one simple fact that I can't stand that bloody song. Finally, Stewart's original material on here, particularly "Do We See the Light of Day" and "As Far As Dreams Can Go," fares pretty well. For prog fans, though, I ultimately couldn't recommend this album, and predict most expecting National Health or the like would see it as a let-down. If you're more open-minded about pop music or are curious to see the more lucrative direction (to my understanding, "It's My Party" was a smash hit in Britain) Stewart went in the 1980s, I'd say get your hands on a copy and see what you think. review by Joe McGlinchey — undated —