FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
Terence Trent D'Arby - Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby
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I wanted to feature a classic from the 1980s…
in this Vinyl Corner. He is known today as Sananda Francesco Maitreya. Pandora's PlayHouse was released earlier this year and was well received. Many might know him better as Terence Trent D'Arby. There are few more confident and compelling debuts as Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby. It is amazing to think that, worldwide, the album sold a million copies within the first three days of going on sale! One can understand why it is such a popular album. Classics like Wishing Well and Sign Your Name sit alongside lesser-celebrated songs such as I'll Never Turn My Back on You (Father's Words) and Rain. I would encourage people to buy this incredible album on vinyl:
“Acclaimed debut album from 80's superstar, originally released in July 1987 on Columbia Records which became an instant number one in the UK, spending 9 weeks at Number 1 on the album chart.
One of the most original recording artists of the 80s Introducing! combines the best of rock, pop and contemporary urban R&B, Terence's vocals can be smooth like the sweet soul singers of the 60s, funky like Prince, or as impassioned as the most sizzling rocker. Terence's voice echoes everyone from James Brown and Sam Cooke to Stevie Wonder. He also played many of the instruments, co-produced most tracks, and wrote just about all of the songs”.
When we think of the best albums of the 1980s, I think that Terence Trent D'Arby/Sananda Francesco Maitreya’s stunning debut needs to be in the mix. It is a wonderful album that still sounds great today. It is another one of these albums I don’t think has dated (almost thirty-five years since it was released).
I am going to end with a review for Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby. Before that, there is an interesting article that examined and celebrated the album after thirty years (it was published in 2017):
“The sweet science of pugilism demands certain key characteristics. Speed of mind and body. The ability to punch powerfully and accurately. An impenetrable defensive setup. Conditioning to survive twelve brutal rounds of battle. Discipline to devote the prime years of your life to a monk-like existence. And the courage to take that long walk from changing room to ring.
None of which count for a thing without confidence—staring your opponent in the eye and knowing beyond all knowing that you have the beating of your nemesis mere inches away, no matter how intimidating he or she may look. For the winner of the Florida State Golden Gloves Lightweight title of 1980, confidence was never an issue—even when he abandoned boxing and a career in the army to become a musician. After all you don’t call your debut album the most important record since Sgt. Pepper’s if you’re the shy and retiring type.
Born Terence Trent Howard in Manhattan in 1962, July 1987 saw the supernova arrival of Terence Trent D’Arby and his extravagantly monikered debut album Introducing the Hardline According To Terence Trent D’Arby. Within just three days of its release, it had sold a million copies, establishing him as a nascent superstar to battle with the global behemoths (Prince, MJ and Madonna) that bestrode the music world.
That arrival though was fueled by his residence in the UK, rather than his homeland. Just as Jimi Hendrix and other artists in the past had left their home shores behind to taste success, so TTD did the same. Seemingly taking refuge on legendary music show The Tube (and dating host Paula Yates for a year), he launched his own brand of soul, pop and funk (with the help and guidance of Martin Ware of pop denizens Heaven 17) to a world unsure of where to place him in the musical climate of the moment. Europe seemed a more natural home for his prodigious talents, as he didn’t neatly pigeonhole himself alongside the trends taking root in the US. There was decidedly nothing of the newly birthed New Jack Swing sound and the awakening giant of hip-hop received no shrift either. So what could America make of this throwback with his Sam Cooke vocals, Elvis Presley lip curl and James Brown moves?
Times were getting tougher for those not following the aforementioned templates, even for established stars. 1987 saw the creative peak of Prince’s work in the form of Sign O’ the Times, but his commercial clout had dwindled post Purple Rain and wouldn’t return until he himself gave in to following trends, rather than making them with 1991’s Diamonds and Pearls. What place was there for a black man with a guitar and an incandescent charisma?
As for ballads, the worldwide smash that was “Sign Your Name” is an obvious highlight with its sublime drum patterns and barely contained eroticism. But better is its close cousin “Let’s Go Forward” which sees D’Arby run the full gamut of his soul vocal stylings, from his warm and innocently cherubic mid range, through his peerless falsetto and onto his rumbling growl of desire. It is heavy on atmospherics and lust.
Elsewhere less feted songs sit comfortably alongside those classics. “As Yet Untitled” is a master class in the art of simplicity, replete with his amazing voice, exceptional performance and lyrics to shake your foundations: “Shall I tell my children if they ask of me / Did I surrender forth my right to be? / Y’see my daddy died to leave this haunting ground / And this same ground still haunts me.”
“Who’s Loving You” finds D’Arby channeling Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson in his delivery of the Smokey Robinson classic. Album opener “If You All Get to Heaven” is a bizarre slice of slightly preposterous magic that defies accurate description, but succeeds due to his impeccable delivery and the sparkling, nimble keyboard lines of the verses”.
One has to respect and admire the musical and songwriting talent of D’Arby throughout his debut. It is an album that I keep returning to as it offers up so much. It is one of those albums that sounds so complete and does not have any missteps.
To end with, I want to bring in a review from Pop Rescue . They reviewed Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby back in 2015:
“This 11 track album opens with If You All Get To Heaven, which itself starts with a gentle, somewhat muted beat before the drums really kick in with Terence belting out the first lines. Here, he really shows off his vocal range – and it’s the main focus of this song with the simple instruments seemingly keeping out of his way. At times the melody feels like it’s repeating some of hit Sign Your Name.
A piano slide opens lead single If You Let Me Stay, which I instantly recognise but never knew it was him singing it. This is a really up-beat song, musically sounding in a 80s-do-the-60s despite it being an original song. This is really catchy, and once again Terence’s vocals soar perfectly throughout. Brilliant. This track gave him a #7 UK hit.
Wishing Well follows this, and this song has a wonderful beat throughout. Terence’s vocals are strong and soulful here. Musically, it’s quite a simple song, with some wonderful 80s Obligatory Saxophone thrown in alongside a funky bassline. This was the second single from the album, giving him a #4 UK hit.
I’ll Never Turn My Back On You (Father’s Words) follows this. This feels like a much more 80s pop-rock track – it’s certainly heavier. At times Terence’s vocals sound like Michael Jackson – particularly in the mid-section. This isn’t a particularly memorable song.
A snare drum rings in the arrival of Dance Little Sister with the amusing delivery of lyrics ‘get up outta your rockin’ chair grandma! Or rather would you care to dance grandmother?‘. With the delivery of the first part of that lyric, you’d be right in thinking that this is going to be a funky James Brown-sounding track. Terence makes light work of the lyrics, and delivers it in a fast funky James Brown style. A great nostalgic feeling track. The song gave him a #20 UK hit when it was released as the 3rd single.
Side one closes with Seven More Days. This is has some wonderful piano, guitar riffs and backing vocals. It’s laden with build ups made from Terence’s flawless high notes, and brooding backing vocals over a chugging bass – giving it a somewhat menacing, and epic scaled sound.
Side Two aptly opens with Let’s Go Forward, which by contrast is quite a gentle song, with lots of keyboards and repeated vocals ‘let’s go forward with our love‘. Ironically the song doesn’t really feel like it goes anywhere.
The pace picks up for Rain, which has a great beat that feels like it’s tugging on the leash of this song but the simplistic lyrics, vocals and keyboards feel like it holds it back. This was the 5th and final single, but it did not chart in the UK.
Huge #1 UK hit Sign Your Name is up next. I remember this song well, and also had it on my Brit Awards 88 double cassette. The song is soft, gentle with its minimal percussive beats and Terence’s vocals are wonderfully rich and warm here. The bass is simple but perfectly meandering. The ‘shoo do wop wop‘ section that would probably fall down in any other post-50s original song, stand here without fault. Flawless.
As Yet Untitled (c’mon Terence, it’s been 28yrs!) follows next. This song is a capella, with TTD taking all vocal parts himself. He really shines here with lead vocals that explore a huge range of notes and styles, and he puts in some lovely harmonies. The lack of beats does give the illusion that it’s a really long song.
The album closes with Who’s Loving You, a cover of Smokey Robinson‘s 1960 hit (although The Jackson 5 are probably better known for it). Terence certainly sounds like he’s having a fun time recording this song, playing with the lyrics somewhat as his backing vocalists and saxophone duel with him. He soars through a range of notes effortlessly, giving this album a wonderful soulful ending”.
A hugely popular and wonderful album, Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby is one that everyone should have a copy of on vinyl. After so many years, the album has lost none of its beauty…
AND incredible power.