251) Yello - Stella

It’s showing off time as I knew three things about Yello. They did something with Shirley Bassey (but I couldn’t remember what), they were a duo, and they had a big hit with The Race which I didn’t like. You can’t beat extensive knowledge like that.

I did a bit of reading up, (they recorded a song called The Rhythm Divine with Shirley Bassey that Billy McKenzie had a co-write on) and they are still going, both in their seventies and have released fourteen albums over a career lasting well over forty years, fair play to them, I should know more.

Stella was their fourth album released back in the mist of time of 1985 and was a number one in their home country, the first Swiss band to hit number one in Switzerland, an achievement to be proud of.

On first listen we are back to the three things, firstly I recognised Vicious Games, secondly Oh Yeah registered straight away and thirdly I thought Stalakdrama had the intro to The Weather Girls It’s Raining Men. I have no idea why I know Vicious Games with its sultry female lead vocal but it’s a great pop song and Oh Yeah is clearly because I was fourteen in 1985 so of course I have seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and the song was all over that film. See if you can hear The Weather Girls or tell me I am way off.

Desire opens this record over spoken word and some interesting guitar, this is a dramatic atmospheric start with enough going on to keep you interested and I had the same feeling listening to Desert Inn where Dieter Meier draws us in with his vocal.

Koladi-Ola I am still not sure about as I find the vocals a bit annoying but there is something going on there to slowly work through the brain and Domingo has a hard electro beat and a rough guitar sound with just the right amount of something sinister going on below the surface.

This is two men experimenting and enhancing their pop sound sensibilities, I cannot say I enjoyed it all, Sometimes, Let Me Cry and Ciel Ouvert had still not registered by the third listen but it’s good to broaden ones musical horizons as Yello would have never been a band I would have listened to and I am certainly grateful I have spent some time on Stella.  

6.75/10  

GIVE IT A STREAM: Domingo