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Martin Ansell
The Englishman Abroad

(Island, 1986)

Lost hoard of '80s synth pop unearthed by MOJO messageboarder

Martin Ansell

These days Ansell grafts out a path in the acoustic folk scene, but back in 1986 his solo debut The Englishman Abroad put him firmly at the synth-pop forefront, where he had the better of contemporaries like Howard Jones (who gallantly makes an appearance on this album, too). Ansell's fate was to return to the fringes, and yet this album fulfilled every notion of what the New Romantic way of electronic pop was all about: edgy, funky rhythms out of the Japan playbook, well wrapped in synthesizers and the odd rocking guitar. Inject the name Rupert Hine as producer and stardom surely beckoned... or not. What happened? Perhaps Ansell was too clever. Hardy's England is a tale of the titular novelist suddenly appearing to a startled commuter opening his copy of Far From The Madding Crowd, while Indian Restaurant is a harder-edged tale of unemployment and the working man's dream. Not exactly standard New Romantic fare, but the times were lean and Ansell had his eyes open. Plenty of thought also went in the music, which is introvertedly danceable - if such a thing can be imagined - and amid an array of great melodies, Hardy's England sports a chorus that wouldn't have been out of place as a chant for the Barmy Army to belt out during Tests or as a BBC World Cup Anthem. Reissued on CD through Voiceprint, hosting a set of extra tracks (minus point - the track order of the original LP has been jostled about and is not as good), this is an album that was a bit too smart for its own good. However, fans of prime '80s synth-pop should have no trouble acknowledging its merits.

Maarts

Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 25/03/2009

Further Listening

Howard Jones - Human's Lib (WEA, 1984)

Rupert Hine – Immunity (A&M, 1981)

Japan - Quiet Life (Hansa, 1980)

Related MOJO content:

Martin Ansell

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  • For what it's worth, my understanding is that Island Records' struggles and personnel changes prior to its acquisition by PolyGram in 1989 didn't do Ansell's album any favours in the promotions department.

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