The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985){2009 Remastered & Expanded}
Flac (tracks)+CUE+LOG | 512 MB | Covers (300 dpi PNG)
| “ | Formed in early 1984, the Adventures' story can be traced back six years to the Belfast, Northern Ireland power-pop/punk group The Starjets, which featured vocalist Terry Sharpe and guitarist Pat Gribben.
The duo eventually sought their fortune on the London pub circuit and put together the Adventures with Pat Gribben's wife Eileen on vocals, aided by Gerard 'Spud' Murphy (guitar), Tony Ayre (bass) and Paul Crowder (drums).
A contract with Chrysalis Records brought minimal chart success during 1984 and 1985 when they released their Theodore & Friends debut album in 1984 (This was named The Adventures as a re-packaged version for the U.S. market containg remixes), but didn't find success until four years later, prompting the group to take a sabbatical in order to rethink their approach. A new contract with Elektra Records saw them achieve modest acclaim for The Sea Of Love, while the single, 'Broken Land', entered the UK Top 20 in April 1988. Although they attempted to consolidate their position, The Sea Of Love failed to reach the Top 40.
Their next album (Trading Secrets With The Moon) which was as strong a musical masterpiece as Sea Of Love again failed to set the charts alight but again gave the fans another album full of great material.
Their final album (to date) Lions and Tigers And Bears was released in 1993 and several singles from it hit the lower Top 50 but again it was the music world that missed out on this the Adventures most professional sounding production
Vocalist Terry Sharpe and guitarist Pat Gribben began the sophisticated harmony-pop Adventures in London after their former group, Belfast's spunky Starjets, split up in 1980. On its classy if overproduced debut, the quintet — boasting three singers (including Gribben's wife, Eileen) and no on-board drummer — crafts crisp, commercial guitar/keyboards music distinguished by attractive melodies and striking harmonies. Slickly mainstream without being hollow or obnoxious (despite a stack of guest synthesists), Theodore and Friends (issued in the US as The Adventures) has a couple of great songs — the sweeping "Send My Heart" (which sounds like it was written for a synth-pop band) and the falsetto-sung African-accented "Another Silent Day" — plus pleasantly diverting also-rans.
Adding a drummer and adopting a warmer, semi-acoustic adult-rock sound, the Adventures essayed The Sea of Love with less artistic success. The songs aren't as good (Gribben's lyrical pretensions are such that he can base a song here on The Trip to Bountiful), and the performances lack the first LP's instrumental sparkle.
Stemming a drift towards becoming a bookish Abba, the again-drummerless Adventures engaged producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley, who gave Trading Secrets with the Moon an intimate sound colored with bits of fiddle, organ, horns, pedal steel and traditional Irish instruments. Unfortunately, the tasteful arrangements also minimize the band's backing vocals, leaving Gribben alone in the spotlight to sing his bland poetry. Lloyd Cole co-wrote one song, the countryish "Desert Rose." | ” |
| “ | Michael Sutton, All Music Guide wrote:
There is one enthralling moment in The Adventures' self-titled debut: During "Send My Heart" a choir unexpectedly6 engulfs the swell of swirling guitars, evoking a sense of wonder that can cause goose bumps. "Send My Heart" is dazzling, its lyrics break the heart while its music sparkles like Christmas lights. While the other tracks on The Adventures may not duplicate the song's breathtaking surge of emotion, the LP is a striking debut. "Two Rivers" is a soaring love song with toe-tapping percussion and shimmering riffs. Although the 12" mix of "Two Rivers" is preferable the shorter running-length doesn't taint its beauty. Even when a few of the tracks lack a hook or two, the stirring, crystalline vocals of Terry Sharpe are mesmerizing. The Adventures write songs that are ultimately uplifting, even when there is sadness, the lyrics speak of hope. The group is also spiritual; religious references appear in "Always" and "When the World Turns Upside Down". In the latter, the Adventures warn listeners about the devil. If that sounds cheesy, then stay away. Nevertheless, they aren't a Christian band; the band is too preoccupied by love to find time for preaching. The Adventures is highly recommended to hopeless romantics with a hankering for ringing guitars and dulcet melodies. | ” |
I happened upon this album years ago in a Salvation Army thrift store bin, on vinyl, of course. Let's just say that upon first listen I was completely BLOWN AWAY. The Adventures won a place in my short list of favorite, yet largely underrated and appreciated, bands. Their slick stylings strike the perfect balance of being gorgeous sounds, yet without that characteristically "overproduced" sound of the 80s. I have an extreme affection for New Wave music, but I must say The Adventures totally transcend that genre label often assigned to them. Those first sounds I heard literally jumped off the vinyl, and into my heart. The songs remain stuck in my mental jukebox to this day, and often I reach for my disc containing this gem. This Irish band still remains widely unheard-of, and I must say what a shame that really is. Take a listen for yourself, after reading these sources of information I compiled (and finding information on The Adventures is NO easy task, mind you!) A rare-as-hen's teeth gem, and more than worthy of the 5-star-rating I gave this stunning debut album!
:
1. Always (3:59)
2. Feel The Raindrops (3:47)
3. Send My Heart (3:46)
4. Two Rivers (4:29)
5. Don't Tell Me (4:34)
6. Another Silent Day (5:06)
7. When The World Turns Upside Down (4:50)
8. Love In Chains (3:41)
9 Lost In Hollywood (5:10)
10. These Children (3:21)
2009 Bonus Tracks
11. Feel The Raindrops (Extended Remix) (4:56)
12. Happy Depression (3:46)
13. Like During Wartime (Live) (3:44)
14. Nowhere Near To Me (4:33)
15. Send My Heart (Extended Remix) (5:02)
16. These Children (Live) (3:25)
17. Tristesse En Vitesse (4:03)
Total Time: 72:12
Line-Up:
- Terry Sharpe / Lead Vocals
- Pat Gribben / Guitars
- Paul Crowder / Drums
- Tony Ayre / Bass
- Eileen Gribben, Spud Murphy / Vocals
Pressing: 2009 CDLEM 132
Listen to full-length samples by clicking HERE
EAC LogExact Audio Copy V0.99 prebeta 4 from 23. January 2008
EAC extraction logfile from 21. November 2009, 9:18
The Adventures / Theodore and Friends
Used drive : ATAPI CD-RW 40X12 Adapter: 1 ID: 1
Read mode : Secure
Utilize accurate stream : Yes
Defeat audio cache : Yes
Make use of C2 pointers : No
Read offset correction : 12
Overread into Lead-In and Lead-Out : No
Fill up missing offset samples with silence : Yes
Delete leading and trailing silent blocks : No
Null samples used in CRC calculations : Yes
Used interface : Native Win32 interface for Win NT & 2000
Gap handling : Appended to previous track
Used output format : User Defined Encoder
Selected bitrate : 320 kBit/s
Quality : High
Add ID3 tag : No
Command line compressor : C:\Program Files\Exact Audio Copy\flac.exe
Additional command line options : -5 -V -T "ARTIST=%a" -T "TITLE=%t" -T "ALBUM=%g" -T "DATE=%y" -T "TRACKNUMBER=%n" -T "TOTALTRACKS=%x" -T "GENRE=%m" -T "ALBUM ARTIST=%v" -T "ALBUMARTIST=%v" -T "COMMENT=EAC V0.99 prebeta 4, Secure Mode, Test & Copy, Accurat
TOC of the extracted CD
Track | Start | Length | Start sector | End sector
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1 | 0:00.00 | 3:58.74 | 0 | 17923
2 | 3:58.74 | 3:47.10 | 17924 | 34958
3 | 7:46.09 | 3:46.25 | 34959 | 51933
4 | 11:32.34 | 4:28.41 | 51934 | 72074
5 | 16:01.00 | 4:33.41 | 72075 | 92590
6 | 20:34.41 | 5:05.64 | 92591 | 115529
7 | 25:40.30 | 4:50.13 | 115530 | 137292
8 | 30:30.43 | 3:40.42 | 137293 | 153834
9 | 34:11.10 | 5:09.50 | 153835 | 177059
10 | 39:20.60 | 3:20.55 | 177060 | 192114
11 | 42:41.40 | 4:55.41 | 192115 | 214280
12 | 47:37.06 | 3:46.19 | 214281 | 231249
13 | 51:23.25 | 3:44.35 | 231250 | 248084
14 | 55:07.60 | 4:33.03 | 248085 | 268562
15 | 59:40.63 | 5:02.05 | 268563 | 291217
16 | 64:42.68 | 3:25.06 | 291218 | 306598
17 | 68:07.74 | 4:03.35 | 306599 | 324858
Track 1
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Track 2
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Track 3
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Track 4
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Track 5
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Track 6
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\06 - Another Silent Day.wav
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Track 7
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\07 - When The World Turns Upside Down.wav
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Track 8
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\08 - Love In Chains.wav
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Track 9
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\09 - Lost In Hollywood.wav
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Track 10
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\10 - These Children.wav
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Track 11
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\11 - Feel The Raindrops (Extended Remix).wav
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Track 12
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\12 - Happy Depression.wav
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Track 13
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\13 - Life During Wartime (Live).wav
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Track 14
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\14 - Nowhere Near To Me.wav
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Track 15
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\15 - Send My Heart (Extended Remix).wav
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Track 16
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\16 - These Children (Live).wav
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Track 17
Filename E:\FlowerJewel\EAC Ripped\The Adventures - Theodore and Friends (1985) [FLAC] {2009 Expanded Reissue}\17 - Tristesse En Vitesse.wav
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Thanks for sharing!!
ขอบคุณมากครับ
other 80's new wave era albums to post next like
The Railway children, the Housemartins, Modern english ...
anyway thanks again
Very nice, thank you.