From: Michael Thomas Payne Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2001 15:09:59 -0600 Subject: [ILF] Guaranteed Album Hello YAWL!!!!!!!! I have to say that the Guaranteed album has always been since its release, one of my most favourite albums. My thoughts on this album were strong, as they were finally able to play the music they wanted to play without the pressure from the marketing dept at Polydor. Although Polydor refused the album, RCA was right to accept the album without changes. I have heard stories however that Gary did most of the keyboard parts on this album and that Mike Lindup was not pleased with some of the songs...and that Gary did not (and still doesn't) have a very high regard for Mike Lindup. I got the album weeks before its release while I was serving in Saudi Arabia, the lady at RCA-BMG was nice enough to send me an advance copy on a promo cassette along with a million other promo cassettes. Right when I heard Guaranteed, I thought it was an awesome song, then it was followed by Overtime, and so on.... All the songs (except THE APE) had a dynamic sound and was sonically different from anything I felt they had done before. It lifted my spirits while driving through the streets of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at 3:00AM, so it holds a special place in time and place for me. I actually heard A Kinder Eye on a NW flight going to the UK in October (or it could have been March) 1994, it couldn't believe it. I don't understand the critiques it gets from time to time, except for the track THE APE (which is probably the worst song L42 ever did..and should have been the soundtrack to the old Atari video game Donkey Kong). The album had a nice feel to it, it started high and festive, then sank into things lost, then ended with an awesome melody of With A Little Love. If you haven't listened to it for a few years, go back and play it again, you might find that it truly is one of the best albums they did! Mikey PS: Back in 1996 I did a "Weird Al" parody of the lyrics of Guaranteed, called Stampede, some of you might enjoy it, you will have to look in the digest archives for 1996, using search word Stampede!