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Lyndon Hood: Bananarama Outstays Welcome

Scoop Review: Bananarama - I Heard A Rumour

Satire by Lyndon Hood

bainimarama,
bananarama

For the Fijian media: If you're suffering from a sudden lack of material, perhaps you might fill the space with retro music reviews…

Friends! Fijians! Countrymen! Lend Bananarama your ears!

If you thought Rough Justice was a coup, Bananarama's latest will really get your attention!

Coming hard on the heels of A Cruel Summer, I Heard A Rumour is a song about someone who, unable to learn about something officially, hears about it anyway, but from a less reliable source.

So if you're a fan of people telling other people about stuff that's happened, it could be the beats for you!

Just between us, I'm not sure about this one. I admit, Bananarama's releases sound good – but I look in vain for signs of sincerity.

The people worldwide who've been following Bananarama's recent tracks may not recieve this one well. For example, don't expect any support for the sweet, sugary production. And Bananarama doesn't seem to have the constitution for anything else.

I'm aware Bananarama have built up a lot of goodwill with their previous efforts and I'm told their recent work still has some popularity. Yet if I'm any judge – obviously, I'm not – they've lost all the appeal they previously had.

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Even for fans, you'd think Bananarama's latest would be one too many. The rest of the world will stay away in droves.

So let's not declare a Bananarama republic just yet.

Since their sudden rise to prominence, Bananarama have claimed to be planning great things. In the end they will be judged by their record, if and when they produce one. All I'm saying is, I've seen nothing from them to inspire confidence. All they've done so far is remaster everything, and make entirely the wrong noises.

To be frank, Bananarama have failed to deliver on their initial promise.

I could be wrong. The great thing is, the people will decide, when they vote with their wallets (and I notice it's already on sale for half price overseas). That's how we test if something is good or not, at least in the music business.

Let's be clear: I can't say anything bad about Bananarama's latest effort.

At the same time — I wouldn't buy it.

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Fiji Daily Post:
Paint Dry
Man Goes Out
Clean Teeth
Breakfast As Usual
Man Gets On Bus

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