There is no such thing as a bad Associates or Billy Mackenzie record. It doesn't really exist. Still, the early recordings with Alan Rankine are for sure the more artful era of The Associates. Compare early Bryan Ferry with Eno Roxy Music, and later era of that band. Both are still great, but very different. "Wild and Lonely" is basically Billy solo, even though he kept the band's name, it is a solo album. It is also a brilliant pop album with a strong groove. I think Billy was listening to Michael Jackson "Off the Wall," in that he mixes the pop with the Rn'B in an organic manner that it seems effortless. There is not a bad cut on the album, and why it wasn't successful either in the UK or in the U.S., is sort of an odd mystery, but more of a great disappointment.
"Strasbourg Square" is a lush and beautiful ballad. European to its soul, one would have hoped that Billy moved to Paris or even Berlin, but alas, a man of Scotland to the very end. A great album.
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