Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder - Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder (1985)

This record was a collaboration between Philip Oakey, the big-voiced lead singer of the techno-pop band the Human League, and Giorgio Moroder, the Italian-born father of disco who spent the '80s writing synth-based pop and film music. It is a testimony to Moroder's fame as a composer that he was able to earn equal billing with Oakey for a record he co-wrote and produced, but for which he supplied no more than "occasional synthesizers" as a musician. The music is not substantially different from the standard fare from the Human League or, for that matter, almost any other synth-based Europop band in the '80s. The clear standout is "Together in Electric Dreams," which was originally written for the 1984 movie Electric Dreams, and features a killer hook and competent harmonies from Joe Esposito and Elizabeth Daily. The rest of the record consists of more or less forgettable synth pop, though the songs "Brand New Love (Take a Chance)" and the opening "Why Must the Show Go On" do contain a few nice melodies. Still, Philip Oakey & Giorgio Moroder will not be remembered among the best work of either artist's career.

by Evan Cater