Stop Start is the fourth album by the English band Modern English, released in 1986.[1][2] The band supported the album with a North American tour that included shows with Afrika Bambaataa and A Flock of Seagulls.[3][4] "Ink and Paper" was the first single.[5] Due to the band's popularity, the album was first released in the United States.[6]Stop Start peaked a No. 154 on the Billboard 200.[7]
Production
Modern English adopted a more conventional rock sound on Stop Start; work on it was delayed for almost two years while the band dealt with record label issues.[8][9][10] The band multiplied the vocals on many of the tracks.[11] Aaron Davidson and Richard Brown joined the band, on guitar/keyboards and drums, respectively, prior to the recording sessions.[12]Gary Barnacle played saxophone.[13]The Rubinoos' Tommy Dunbar cowrote "Ink and Paper".[14]
The Orlando Sentinel called the album "almost entirely up-tempo and danceable."[3]The Gazette determined that it "seems regressive with songs that lack the character of previous work... Lyrically the material is more straightforward; musically it is less adventurous."[4] The Ottawa Citizen noted that Modern English's "dreamy keyboard laden pop has given away to terse guitar rock," writing that "the band sometimes yields to the temptation to stuff keyboards into the arrangements where they are not needed, adding noisiness to what ought to be streamlined and straight-ahead."[12]
The Kingston Whig-Standard concluded that "a crisp beat, high, soaring harmonies and an energetic melodic sound make them unbeatable."[18] The Omaha World-Herald opined that, "despite numerous pop hooks and snappy guitar work, Modern English hovers just short of being dull."[19]The Seattle Times labeled Stop Start "a rather bland collection of new wave tunes, with the exception of the lively 'Breaking Away' and the intriguing 'Ink and Paper'."[20]
AllMusic deemed the album a "rather regrettable, overtly commercial album which impressed no one."[15]
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