Super Eurobeat 001

1.Vanessa - Just A Game (Time)
So this was the very beginning for a long journey. Eurobeat at this point wasn't probably yet morphed to it's common form so this album starts out as a bit of a metamorphosis. Vanessa's album opener reminds a whole lot of eurodance and old 80's pop music in many senses. The song is very calm and the male rapper adds a nice touch to the song. When these early songs are compared to the modern style the old generation might feel kind of boring (specially if you are a fan of faster materials). Still a great song in the end.
Rating : 8½

2.Sophie - Soft Time (Time)
The calm mood still continues, and the influences of 80's pop and italodance are very easily noticable. This song has a great melody and the sounds work very well, the vocals at first sound kind of out of place, but after you listen to the song a couple of times they really start to please the ear. This track has earned it's status as a classic. Beautiful, beautiful song.
Rating : 9+

3.Gipsy & Queen - Love & Passion (Time)
Where as this calmer style feels really different it works pretty damn well. I've never been a fan of Gipsy & Queen materials but this song is really catchy. In particular the chorus works perfectly. The vocals are really pretty and this was the first time I actually noticed how talented the vocalist for Gipsy & Queen is.
Rating : 8½

4.Rose - Perfect Time (Time)
After three good songs the album takes a steep downhill with this track. The track doesn't really offer any real interest what so ever. The vocals are decent, the melody is ok, so there's nothing really wrong wit the song, but it's just a mediocore song.
Rating : 6

5.Anika - Crazy Lover (Time)
The same kind of boring level continues with this song. The song has a serious 80's tone to it, and I can just imagine being 8-years-old and hearing my sister listening to materials like this. Not probably the best image a song can create, but it could be worse. It could be heavy-metal or such...
Rating : 6-

6.Sophie - Rapture (Time)
And the album just keeps on getting slower and slower, we're nearing 110BPM and the song unfortunately doesn't really work at any level. The sounds are decent and create a nice nostalgy zone, but that's all this song can accomplish. A poor excuse of a song.
Rating : 5½

7.Aleph - Hero (Time)
Fortunately the album picks off a bit for a change. This song is actually quite good, when I listen to this song I get flashbacks to Beverly Hills Cop-movies for some reason. And that is a good thing. Specially the C-melody after the chorus is really great, I just love the simple sounds. This track shows how well songs could be produced back in the good old 80's. Also very sexy vocals by Aleph, it's hard to believe the fact that this is the same old Dave Rodgers singing.
Rating : 9

8.Sophie - Face To Face (Time)
And again we're going deeper underground. Sophie probably shouldn't have had 3 songs on the same album as the first track was great, the second was plain boring and the third one takes example from the 2nd one. A boring song with no real content.
Rating : 6-

9.Fred Ventura - It's My Time (Time)
This song sounds really American for some reason. I get a 'Bananarama'-sign flashing in my head when the intro is playing, but then the song kicks in and Fred Ventura's vocals step in and that's when the image is shattered. A song that has a great intro, but apart from that it's kinda boring. The only points this song gets is from the good intro.
Rating : 5½

10.Virgin - Super Catching Desire (Time)
I can't seriously help myself, also with this track I get that nostalgy feeling as if I was a kid again. A song that sounds like a couple of Virginelle songs (to be produced after this one though). Not bad, but nothing special either.
Rating : 7-

11.Lisa Johnson - Love (Time)
Lisa Johnson is a very strong performer and this song pretty much relies on her vocals. The song has a good chorus and the vocals sound a bit more modern than the other songs on this album. A nice song over all, though her latter productions kick this track's ass 10-0.
Rating : 8+

12.Frank Torpedo - Love For Money (Time)
This song is probably the most memorable track from this album. It has later on earned a status of a eurobeat classic. The song has a great chorus and it's got all of the necessary elements present to make it a hit, but I just don't really quite get a grasp of the song in the end. The vocals sound great, but they feel a bit out of place at some parts.
Rating : 7½

13.Mike Hammer - Divine (Time)
Wow excellent vocals! I love the way the vocals range from low to really high in a short while. Also a really catchy chorus that experiences its highpoint at the end with the robotic sounds. A song that finishes the album with a great level.
Rating : 8½

Final Words :
Well this is how it all began, the differences with the newer generation are humangous. If somebody claims that eurobeat has stayed the same thorough the years they really need to stop and listen for a while. This album offers a couple of true gems like Sophie's Soft Time and Aleph's Hero, but the album also has a lot of crappy tracks. The problem here is that all of the songs are by Time so it doesn't really offer a whole lot of variety like the later albums do. A decent start.

Final Score :  7+

Reviewed by Bore