Kajagoogoo & Limahl - Original Album Series (2014) [5CD BoxSet] {Parlophone Records}

Parlophone Label Group will issue a Kajagoogoo and Limahl five-CD Original Album Series set in January 2014. This collection will contain the three eighties-era Kajagoogoo albums (Crazy Peoples Right to Speak was credited to Kaja) without bonus tracks and the two Limahl efforts from the same era, including the full CD debut of Giorgio Moroder collaboration 1986′s Colour All My Days. Expect the usual no-frills packaging with simple card jackets for the CDs and a thin card slipcase to hold the individual albums.

"Too Shy" was one of the flimsiest singles of the new wave era, a cloying and catchy bubblegum tune disguised as synth pop. And yet, Kajagoogoo never quite matched those heights again – in fact, they rarely even came close. Their debut album, White Feathers, is filled with similarly lightweight synth pop like "Magician Man," "Ooh to Be Ah," "Ergonomics," "This Car Is Fast," and the theme song "Kajagoogoo." All of these are pleasantly danceable in a sub-Duran Duran fashion, but they are also frequently inane and ridiculous, and are of no use to anyone but hardcore new wave fetishists.

Limahl departed Kajagoogoo at the earliest opportunity, leaving the group to pursue the stardom that was destined to be his. Of course, fate decided that Limahl would be banished to obscurity after recording the theme for The Never-Ending Story, but his former band joined the ranks of the forgotten much sooner. Replacing Limahl with vocalist Nick Beggs, the group replicated the lightweight, danceable synth-pop of its debut on their second album, Islands, with one crucial difference – this time, there are no hooks. And without hooks or Limahl's campy, fey star appeal, Kajagoogoo's music just disappears into thin air.

Kajagoogoo are best remembered for their 1983 new wave hit "Too Shy" and for being teen pinup idols during their short reign at the top of the charts. It all came crashing down when they canned vocalist Limahl the following year and continued as a quartet with bassist Nick Beggs taking over vocal duties. Their first album sans Limahl was the adventurous Islands, a release that saw them moving away from the mainstream and bringing their considerable musical skills to the fore (the album was not released in the States, although many of the tracks ended up on an album called Extra Play, their first official release without the "googoo" in their name). Whether it was due to a change in direction or the loss of Limahl, Islands didn't perform as well as expected and a change was needed again. Out went drummer Jez Strode and the band officially reverted to the shortened Kaja moniker. With Beggs still up front alongside keyboardist Stuart Neale and guitarist Steve Askew, Kaja released Crazy People's Right to Speak in 1985 in hopes that it would allow them a clean break from the past while still retaining a link to their earlier commercial success. With healthy doses of funk, jazz, rock, and pop, Kaja came out with all guns blazing on this album. All three bandmembers, once again, proved that they were exceptional musicians capable of blending different musical styles into a cohesive sound. "Do I," "Your Appetite," "Charm of a Gun," and "Afraid of You" were heavier than their past work, more Power Station than Duran Duran (their early mentors). "Shouldn't Do That," "Jigsaw," and "Rivers" hark back to Islands, with their radio-friendly pop vibes. Only "Sit Down and Shut Up" fails to go anywhere, although it certainly does try. Kaja were quickly moving toward the sophisticated pop-jazz direction of Level 42 and leaving their teen fan base far behind. The critics, though, would not let them live down the days of odd haircuts and dreamy videos and, sadly, Crazy People's Right to Speak was their swan song. Until their reunion over two decades later, that is.

A sweet mix of 80s pop and soul from Limahl, an artist who, despite his haircut and silly name, actually sounds better here than in the group Kajagoogoo! The rhythms are usually upbeat, but in kind of an 80s crossover mode - slight echoes of new romantic touches, which are perfect for the gently cresting vocals of Limahl - and really help him hit some blue-eyed soul high points here.

Following the huge international success of "The NeverEnding Story", the main theme to the soundtrack for the film of the same name, in 1984, Limahl's second album was almost wholly produced by Giorgio Moroder (except for a couple of tracks, by Derek Nakamoto), who already produced the former smash hit. Moroder also provided the music to 7 out of the 10 tracks making up the album, while the singer himself wrote all but one of the lyrics (he also co-wrote the music for two tracks and played keyboard on two other tracks). The only track he did not actually collaborate to was "Inside to Outside", the second single taken from the album, which was written by Colin Pearson and Achim Opperman (the latter also composed the music). Though this song was a complete commercial flop for Limahl (it was actually released twice, the second time in a more spirited remixed version), it would later become a hit for dance vocalist Lady Violet. The first single, "Love In Your Eyes", was a minor hit reaching No.80 in the UK Singles Chart, (his final chart entry there). The song fared better in the rest of the world, especially in continental Europe, in particular in German-speaking countries (it went to Number 28 in Germany itself), and in Italy, where, peaking at Number 22, it became his second best-selling single in that country. The album proved successful in Spain, where a third single was released, namely the title track, "Colour All My Days". This latter song was also recorded in Spanish as "No Lo Pienses Más" (meaning "Don't Think About It Anymore") and released as a further single there. "Don't Send For Me" was released in the Netherlands as the final single from the album.