A brilliant album eclipsed by its brightest star. Everything that distilled down into, the delivered-from-pop-heaven, 80’s anthem, “Cars,” comes loaded with, and distributed across, the universe spanning twelve other tracks on The Pleasure Principle. A less confident musician might have placed their greatest hit squarely up front and first. Here we are forced to wait, satisfaction delayed in a perversely delicious manner.
One of my favorite themes is the idea of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. That theme manifests with the inclusion of Paul Gardiner on bass and Cedric Sharpley on drums. The analog nature of the rhythm section gives a tangible foundation to the synth heavy sound that could otherwise come off as too artificial. It’s also the reason this record was, and remains one of the touchstones of the new wave movement that’s still inspiring musicians and listeners to this day.