Review: “Fore!” by Huey Lewis and The News (CD, 1986)

Today’s Pop Rescue from an uncertain fate is the fourth album, the aptly named Fore! by American rock band Huey Lewis and The News. Will this album hit the headlines, or does it belong in the bunker? Read on….

Huey Lewis and The News - Fore! (1986) album — Huey Lewis and The News – Fore! (1986) album.

This 11 track CD opens with the snare hit and roaring guitars of Jacob’s Ladder, the album’s third single, although it wasn’t released in the UK. Huey Lewis is swiftly on the microphone in this track that was originally intended for Bruce Hornsby, but instead with The News, the stadium-esque drums and electric guitars, give us a strong start to the album. Having said this, Huey gets plenty of time on the mic with little else competing for your ears, and he sounds strong and defiant. We’re off to a good start.

Then we’re on to lead single Stuck With You, which I remember hearing on the radio at the time. This track has a wonderful catchiness and leans away from the electric guitar rock and gives us an upbeat pop sound instead. The vocal harmonies sound like they’re borrowed from another era but work really well in the chorus, and the jangling lead guitar almost obliviously continues throughout. It’s a great, and easy track. The track reached #12 in the UK singles chart.

Next is Whole Lotta Lovin’, and we’re given some more lovely vocal harmonies in the intro. Huey’s vocals play to this and once the drums have been well and truly filled, the song picks up a sort of 1950’s gallop to it that would make Elvis shake his hips.

That’s followed by Doin’ It (All For My Baby) and was the album’s sixth and final single, and this is another nice upbeat pop-type love song, that sounds like a companion to Stuck With You. Here, Huey’s vocals get some interesting vocal play along with vocal harmonies. The bursts of brass also help to keep the song punctuated with interest. It’s another really strong track. However, the UK singles-buying audience disagreed, and it flopped at #93.

Hip To Be Square is next, and this track gives Stuck With You a run for its money in the catchiness. Huey’s diction in this track really works well as his singing of the song’s title is tightly clipped and that keeps this track sounding distinct and catchy with the simple snare and bass drum. This was the album’s second single but amazingly, the UK let it land at #41. It really deserved a lot more success in the UK, as it’s an instant foot tapper.

Then it’s I Know What I Like, which leads us into the first verse with some simple drums and guitars, that allow Huey plenty of time and space to deliver his vocals. The chorus though allows us to get some big and powerful vocals and harmonies in too alongside a wall of guitar. The guitar returns for a great solo before the final push. This was the album’s fourth single. The track was released as a single, but not in the UK.

After that is I Never Walk Alone, which opens with some piano solo before the beats and guitars drop in. Huey’s vocals are more raspy here, and the track soon rattles through to the chorus with great ease. It’s a pretty catchy track.

Then it’s The Power Of Love, a track from 1985 that gave the group a #9 UK hit (and currently their highest chart position). The song was written for the soundtrack to the hit movie Back To The Future – and it’s a belter, and an iconic track from the 1980s. The vocals are big and clear, and the mixture of synths and guitars give the energy that is like DeLorean rocket fuel. Perfect!

Next is Forest For The Trees, and this drops the tone and tempo. Here, we seem to have Huey offering a sort of guiding/supportive voice to lost young men. Ok, that sounded better in my head, but it’s a sort of gentle motivational song.

That’s followed by Naturally which has a melody that’s like a lullaby, and that also returns us to the Barbershop Quartet style that we’ve heard echo throughout earlier track. It’s purely a capella, which whilst very impressive just sounds weird on the album where it simply sounds like an identity crisis. It would work alright as a final track, but here it’s the penultimate…

… and this final song (the fifth single) Simple As That opens like they’re about to announce the arrival of ‘Miss. Cilla Black’ on stage for a Royal Variety Performance. Then, it switches to a plodding simple ballad. This track was released in the UK for some reason, where it stumbled at #47.

Huey Lewis and The News’ lead single ‘Stuck With You’ (1986).

Verdict

Over all, this album is a really well made album with plenty of catchy moments and some absolute fantastic tracks, but it seems lost in time too.

Stylistically there’s some odd moments, and these mostly centre around the vocal play and Barbershop Quartet vocal harmonies – which whilst well executed (Naturally being amazing), they jar a little with the other songs here, as does the sort-of 1950’s styled tracks.

Having said that, the album contains the huge perfect tracks The Power Of Love and Stuck With You, as well as the fantastic Hip To Be Square which deserved greater success. At its weakest I Never Walk Alone, and Forest For The Trees drag the score down a star.

Aptly, the album really is a Fore!