The Luxury Gap

by Heaven 17

Overview

After creating a marvelous electronic debut, Glenn Gregory, Ian Marsh, and Martyn Ware decided to tamper with their winning formula a bit on Heaven 17's 1983 follow-up to Penthouse and Pavement. The result, which added piano, strings, and Earth, Wind, & Fire's horn section to the band's cool synthesizer pulse, was even better, and The Luxury Gap became one of the seminal albums of the British new wave. The best-known track remains "Let Me Go," a club hit that features Gregory's moody, dramatic lead above a percolating vocal and synth arrangement. But even better is the mechanized Motown of "Temptation," a deservedly huge British smash that got a shot of genuine soul from R&B singer Carol Kenyon. Nearly every song ends up a winner, though, as the album displays undreamed-of range. If beat-heavy techno anthems like "Crushed By the Wheels of Industry" were expected of Heaven 17, the melodic sophistication of "The Best Kept Secret" and "Lady Ice and Mr. Hex" -- both of which sound almost like show tunes -- wasn't. If there's a flaw, it's that while the band's leftist messages were more subtle and humorous than most of their time, they still seem rather naive. But the music, which showed just how warm electro-pop's usually chilly grooves could be, is another matter entirely. [Note to collectors: there were differences in the original British and American pressings of the album. The 1997 reissue by Caroline follows the order of the British pressing, adding some extended remixes.] ~ Dan LeRoy

Product Details

Release Date:	07/26/2024
Label:	Demon Records
UPC:	5014797911840
Rank:	136158

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Heaven 17   Primary Artist
The Phoenix Horns   Guest Artist
Simon Phillips   Guest Artist,Drums,Percussion
Nick Plytas   Piano
Ray Russell   Guitar,Guitar (Synthesizer)
Don Myrick   Saxophone
John Wilson   Guitar,Synthesizer,Bass
John Barker   Conductor
Ian Craig Marsh   Saxophone,Synthesizer
Carol Kenyon   Vocals
Greg Walsh   Piano,Keyboards,Synthesizer
Louis Satterfield   Trombone
Martyn Ware   Vocals,Keyboards,Linn Drum,Synthesizer
Michael Harris   Trumpet
Rahmlee Michael Davis   Trumpet
Glenn Gregory   Vocals

Technical Credits

B.E.F.   Producer
Gerard Talbot   Liner Notes
John Barker   Arranger
Ian Craig Marsh   Composer,Programming
Greg Walsh   Arranger,Producer,Programming
Ray Smith   Illustrations,Cover Art Concept
Gavin MacKillop   Engineer
Howard Gray   Engineer
Jeremy Allom   Engineer
Martyn Ware   Composer,Programming
Glenn Gregory   Composer