⭐ Official Review [Album]: VÉRONIQUE BÉLIVEAU - "VÉRONIQUE" S/T

What is your favorite track?

  • I'm Gonna Make You Love Me

    Votes: 4 22.2%
  • House Of Love

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • Just Another Dream

    Votes: 2 11.1%
  • All My Tomorrows

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I Want To Get Close To You

    Votes: 2 11.1%
  • One Of Us

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • A Touch Of Paradise

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • Falling In Line

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • What Kind Of Love?

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Angel In My Eyes

    Votes: 2 11.1%
  • All Those Years Ago

    Votes: 5 27.8%

  • Total voters
    18
What on earth are “cave people” and why is Richard one? :laugh:

Listen starting at around 4:27 in "(I Want To Get) Close To You" and you'll hear the "cavemen" chanting "close to you" through the fade-out. The voices are lowered in pitch, making them sound more "cavemen"-like.
 
The clip below shows the group Mondo Rock. Three of the members, including lead singer, Ross Wilson, who you see here, wrote ‘A Touch of Paradise’, which is on the ‘Veronique’ album. Ross Wilson was a member of rock royalty in Australia in the 70s and 80s. He had 32 singles on the charts, either solo or as lead singer of his various bands, in those decades. I used to think that the song below, ‘State of the Heart’, was something special when it was a hit in 1980 but I must say, like a lot of old songs, it seems a bit dull and plodding forty years later. Rick Springfield also released this song as a single, I think.

 
Veronique’s ‘A Touch of Paradise’ was first recorded by its writers, Mondo Rock, and released on their ‘Nuovo Mondo’ album in 1982. The group were very popular at the time, having a string of Top 10 hits in the early 80s, including ‘State of the Heart’, ‘Cool World’ and ‘Come Said the Boy’.

‘A Touch of Paradise’ was next released as a single by John Farnham from his album, ‘Whispering Jack’. ‘Whispering Jack’ was released in 1986, sold 1.7 million copies in Australia and was Top 5 in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. Richard Carpenter seems to have got inspiration from this record, as he covered three of the hit singles from the album - ‘A Touch of Paradise’ with Veronique in 1989 and ‘You’re the Voice’ and ‘Pressure Down’, with Scott Grimes, also in 1989.

Here’s a live version of John Farnham’s ‘A Touch of Paradise’.

 
The clip below shows the group Mondo Rock. Three of the members, including lead singer, Ross Wilson, who you see here, wrote ‘A Touch of Paradise’, which is on the ‘Veronique’ album. Ross Wilson was a member of rock royalty in Australia in the 70s and 80s. He had 32 singles on the charts, either solo or as lead singer of his various bands, in those decades. I used to think that the song below, ‘State of the Heart’, was something special when it was a hit in 1980 but I must say, like a lot of old songs, it seems a bit dull and plodding forty years later. Rick Springfield also released this song as a single, I think.



Yeah, he did. Rick's version proves, for me, that he knew what to do with the tune. It's far better - certainly when the tune arrives at the middle eight.




Ed
 
It’s interesting, but nowhere on the CD does it mention whether it’s an all-digital recording or a digitally mastered analog recording. Online I see that the back cover of the Scott Grimes CD has AAD, Richard’s “Time” has AAD but neither Veronique or Akiko’s CD’s have AAD or DDD or ADD. Makes you wonder, were the girl’s done in all-digital and the boys had to settle for analog?
 
My CD copy of “Time” is American made, while “Akiko” is also American made. I only have Scott Grimes’s promo single, which is unmarked by country of manufacture, and it has the AAD. Even Karen’s Solo CD Promo of “If I Had You”, which is also unmarked for country of manufacture, has the AAD.
 
Since I put the non-seasonal music back on on New Year’s Day (75 days ago), I would have to say that this has been my Top Album of 2020. Touch of Paradise has been the stand-out track and the most memorable.



Also I recently got to hear Abba’s One of Us. Quite frankly, I prefer Veronique’s version.
 
I’ll always wish Richard did an album with her entirely in the vein of “All Those Years Ago”. She had a great voice and this track is where we hear how beautiful and emotive it could sound. Much more appealing than Celine for me, I wish Veronique could have cornered that market before she did.
 
“All Those Years Ago” is the odd track out on this album. It reminds me of “Overture” from Tiffany’s ‘Hold An Old Friend’s Hand’ album. An album with similar tracks already exists. It’s called ‘Akiko’.
 
"All Those Years Ago" on the VERONIQUE album might be among my least favorites on that album.
 
It’s to bad Richard didn’t include Veronique’s vocals to “All Those Years Ago” on his 2nd solo album or recorded his own vocals.
 
“All Those Years Ago” is the odd track out on this album. It reminds me of “Overture” from Tiffany’s ‘Hold An Old Friend’s Hand’ album. An album with similar tracks already exists. It’s called ‘Akiko’.

That’s a great comparison because it too is a “timeless” final track on an otherwise very dated 80s pop album, and likewise my favorite on an album I’m mixed on.

I just don’t like the rest of Veronique’s album. Well produced but it just sounds like most other forgettable, badly aged pop albums of that era and it wastes her voice. The final track is where I actually hear magic between she and Richard.
 
That’s a great comparison because it too is a “timeless” final track on an otherwise very dated 80s pop album, and likewise my favorite on an album I’m mixed on.

I just don’t like the rest of Veronique’s album. Well produced but it just sounds like most other forgettable, badly aged pop albums of that era and it wastes her voice. The final track is where I actually hear magic between she and Richard.
“Veronique” and “Hold An Old Friend’s Hans” have aged pretty well for 80’s pop. They’ve aged a lot better than the vast majority of albums that have been released over the past 25 years!
 
“Veronique” and “Hold An Old Friend’s Hans” have aged pretty well for 80’s pop. They’ve aged a lot better than the vast majority of albums that have been released over the past 25 years!

I like some songs on Tiffany’s album much more than the “modern” tracks on Veronique’s. I guess most 80s albums, or 80s pop flavored albums, almost always sound dated in a bad way. 70s music/pop will always be even older but it sounds much fresher and organic.

Tiffany and Veronique are very underrated, fantastic vocalists, I must say. I just wish both had better material when they were in their primes.
 
The clip below shows the group Mondo Rock. Three of the members, including lead singer, Ross Wilson, who you see here, wrote ‘A Touch of Paradise’, which is on the ‘Veronique’ album. Ross Wilson was a member of rock royalty in Australia in the 70s and 80s. He had 32 singles on the charts, either solo or as lead singer of his various bands, in those decades. I used to think that the song below, ‘State of the Heart’, was something special when it was a hit in 1980 but I must say, like a lot of old songs, it seems a bit dull and plodding forty years later. Rick Springfield also released this song as a single, I think.



Yep. Rick did. He released it on his "Tao" album. Guitarist Tim Pierce and he also wrote a bridge for his version. It really changes the tune in a really good way, IMHO.

Ed
 
Boy, half way through 2020 and this is one album I’m finding is HARD to take out of the CD player or off the turntable! It is that good! Between this and the Hardy Boys Wheels album, they have really been my Top 2 albums of 2020. And they were both commercial failures.
 
My favorite is "Just Another Dream". It was written by Ron Jankowski, and the only thing I found on the Internet for his composing is that he did some work for Disney.
 
Probably my Favorite tracks on this album are: Angel in My Eyes, One Of Us, I’m Gonna Make You Love Me, House Of Love, A Touch of Paradise & I Want To Get Close To You.
 
Probably my Favorite tracks on this album are: Angel in My Eyes, One Of Us, I’m Gonna Make You Love Me, House Of Love, A Touch of Paradise & I Want To Get Close To You.

When you look at the track listing, it's almost like a 'Greatest Hits' compilation of other artists' hits from around the world; 'I'm Gonna Make You Love Me', (Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Temptations), 'A Touch of Paradise', (John Farnham), 'One of Us', (ABBA).... and I thought there were a couple of other remakes of hits, but I think I'm mistaken, so it turns out there's no point to my point.
 
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