Bradley's Buzz

BubbaTUNEsday

Last week we had a great double bill as we "released" the first two Cyndi Lauper classic albums and this week we go for another big double bill as we launch out with Laura Branigan and her debut from 1982 and its hit follow up from 1983.

bub88 Laura Branignan - Branigan (1982; May 29, 2007)
First let me say Laura's debut Branigan actually is out there on CD and you can usually find it for a fairly fair price but because I'm a sucker for completion I couldn't release the second one without doing a number on the first including bonus tracks of course. In most reviews of Laura's albums the critics are always quick to point out the exceptional voice that cascades through each album and I'm one to definitely root with that ideal as well. The beatch can sing, she drips enthusiasm on her rocking tunes and pulls you into each one of her heartfelt ballads, and there you have the gist of Branigan - a 9 song combo of European pop circa '82 and some ballads thrown in. But it would be a disgace to just pass this off or to convince anyone to listen to it just because it includes her infamous "Gloria" single, because there is so much going on. Branigan opens with "All Night With Me" a pseudo ballad that was actually released prior to "Gloria" as a single. It starts slow and builds from there with Laura enchanting you into its depths, before we break into the synthy "Gloria" which even now in 2007 still backs a huge wallop (it makes the top 10 of my top 100 Singles of the 80's for a reason), the other songs continue with the jaunty bounce of "Gloria" found on my favorite track "Down Like A Rock" which has Laura pushing her through a stormy love affair wondering if anyone bothered to see if she was drowning as she went down like a rock, it's clever and it's fun, "Living A Lie" and "Please Stay Go Away" keep up a faster pace but feel a little filler-ish while the ballads are the ones that ironically keep the pace going, "Lovin' You Baby" could be viewed as a co-dependant's wet dream but it comes off so powerful you actually feel every note she is singing, while my favorite ballad on here, "If You Loved Me" just sends chills down my spine with her ultra cool phrasing and powerful pipes. "Maybe I Love You" with its total indifference is a great way to end Branigan.. as for us at Bubbatunes we aren't quite done with Branigan yet, instead we get the super cool and probably my ultimate favorite Branigan track ever with the smoky darkness synth drive of "Imagination" - Laura's offering to the Flashdance soundtrack, plus the single edit of "Gloria" which is essentially the same as the album cut with music cut out and a sooner fade, and a club thumping "Gloria" remix plus two rare singles Laura released prior to Branigan - the ballad "Fool's Affair" and the total dance floor 12" of "Looking Out For Number One."

Laura Branigan - Branigan (bub88)
Track List: 01. All Night With Me 02. Gloria 03. Lovin' You Baby 04. Living A Lie 05. If You Loved Me 06. Please Stay, Go Away 07. I Wish We Could Be Alone 08. Down Like A Rock 09. Maybe I Love You
Bonus Tracks: 10. Imagination 11. Fool's Affair 12. Looking Out For Number One 13. Gloria (Single Edit) 14. Gloria '99


bub89 Laura Branigan - Branigan 2 (1983; May 29, 2007)
If you have a formula that works sometimes its best to just stick with it and that is exactly what Miss Branigan did - same producer (Jack White; who she would work with on every album up until the late 80's), similar title and very similar theme. This time she pulls it up a few notches and expands on what she is capable of doing with her Broadway bound voice - the opening cut and first single "Solitaire" is daring in all aspects, full of fire and sass, full of the electro pop of "Gloria" and full of that voice, it's always been one of my all time favorite songs - just try to sing along if you think you're capable. "Deep In The Dark" follows the hit single with its ultra cool and darkly synth vibe, it's actually a retelling of "Der Kommisar" which was another hit at the time but it's so cool to hear different lyrics and Laura's interpretation on this one, it has fast become another Branigan favorite, particularly with her scratchy, huh huh huh's and her pseudo rapping singing style. Plus those electro male voices in the background are uber cool. The second single from Branigan 2 was another big hit in the ballad "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You" - a Michael Bolton penned dramatic that he would later record but he could never muster up the awesomeness of Laura's version. "Mama" and "Lucky" have similar veins to the poppier rock of the fast songs on the first album but they're somehow just a few pops finer than her previous efforts, particurlarly "Mama" which finds our heroine in the throes of a passionate affair leaving everything her Mama ever taught her far behind. An interesting yet very entertaining cover of The Who's "Squeeze Box" is yet another highlight of this gem, which doing The Who may seem kind of humorous on paper, Miss B pulls it off more than just convincingly. All the songs are good but where Branigan excelled in the ballads, it's Branigan 2 that then excels in the more poppy rock flair. With both CD's you get a fairly good interpretation of the gusto that Laura Branigan was blessed with and put into both pop songs and ballads, and unlike Branigan, this album is pretty much out of print on CD which means it's very hard pressed to find it, so you're all so lucky Bubbatunes stepped up. And never fear, we don't leave our listeners wanting more either as I found a few tried but true bonus cuts to add to Branigan 2 - from her following album 1984's Self Control I picked the super cool and slightly dirty "Self Control" and it's follow up single "The Lucky One" as they both fit in with these 10 songs quite well and then for an added dancing bonus, we get the "reggae mix" of "Self Control" and the 12" version of "Solitaire" in all its 1983 glory.


Laura Branigan - Branigan 2 (bub89)
Track List: 01. Solitaire 02. Deep In The Dark 03. Close Enough 04. Lucky 05. Squeeze Box 06. How Am I Supposed To Live Without You 07. I'm Not The Only One 08. Mama 09. Find Me 10. Don't Show Your Love
Bonus Tracks: 11. Self Control 12. The Lucky One 13. Self Control (Reggae Mix) 14. Solitaire (12" Extended Mix)

Labels: Branigan, Branigan 2, bub88, bub89, Bubbatunes, Gloria, Laura Branigan, Solitaire

posted by swivek @ 8:44 AM