Sunday, December 27, 2020

The Style Council - Modernism - A New Decade (1989)

'Modernism: A New Decade' was supposed to be the fifth and final studio album by The Style Council, but it represented such a departure from the band's core genre of pop/soul, that when it was presented to Polydor they hated it so much that they rejected it out of hand and refused to release it. They were concerned that the group's fanbase might not react kindly to their drastic change in style, to the new one of deep house, which was then being referred to as "garage" (as in Paradise Garage) music by the UK press. The rejection actually led to the band breaking up, with Paul Weller embarking on a massively successful solo career after returning to guitar-orientated rock. Fans had always wanted to hear what this ground-breaking album sounded like, so Polydor finally relented in 1998 and included it on 'The Complete Adventures of The Style Council' box set, with a separate release being authorised three years later, but for Japan only. If you're a fan of the band but managed to miss that limited re-issue then you can now hear the album that broke the band. 



Track listing

01 A New Decade
02 Love of the World
03 The World Must Come Together
04 Hope (Feelings Gonna Getcha)
05 Can You Still Love Me?
06 That Spiritual Feeling
07 Everybody's on the Run
08 Sure Is Sure

Suggested by 'The Greatest Albums You'll Never Hear' by Bruno MacDonald


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