THEN JERICO – The Big Area [digitally remastered] 2012

In a time when America was producing the most exciting melodic & hard rock bands, UK gave birth to a vast number of excellent rock&pop acts. THEN JERICO is one of them, and although they enjoyed considerable success, truly deserved major stardom.

Celebrating the 25th anniversary of their first album, original line-up reunited for a British tour playing songs from that debut alongside their classic second album “The Big Area” in its entirety. These CD’s has been difficult to obtain for a number of years, so both were re-released digitally remastered.

Then Jerico (Jerico deliberately spelled different from the biblical Jericho) have always had to try hard to pave their way through the rock music industry, and have had to struggle to try and prove themselves to be taken as serious musicians.
Well, if that is the case, then surely they didn’t need to prove themselves any longer as “The Big Area” proves the doubters very wrong. This is without a doubt one the best British rock&pop albums of 1989.

Packing great songs, superb musicianship and first class production, “The Big Area” is a rousing, intelligent Rock&Pop album, and put ‘Rock’ very first in the music development.
The yearning, stadium-thumping “Big Area” (a worthy huge hit) starts us off in style, while follow-up (in the charts too) “What Does It Take” is another hook-filled pleaser displaying another full-bodied chorus and a pleasing non-too long chirp of Belinda Carlisle, who could do with the material and sound herself.

The shimmering “You Ought To Know” and strapping “Song For The Broken Hearted” are classy, poppy melodious rock numbers marrying hooks and tune with power, wrapped in emotional multi-structured arrangements.
There’s yet more threat with the pounding “Helpless” and the unrestrained radio friendly “Reeling”. We have even a few nice down-tempo moments and the album closes with the crawling, urgent and somewhat epic “Under Fire”.

“The Big Area” is a polished, elegant yet powerful stadium-type rock&pop album with 10 superb songs. Every track is single-worth.
Not surprisingly, the disc was very successful, although the group disbanded after touring behind it. Singer Mark Shaw later recruited a new Then Jerico lineup in the late ’90s and released a third album, but it’s “The Big Area” which catches them at their pinnacle.

AOR connoisseurs already have this little gem in their collection (as on many places recalls lite AOR bands of the era, specially Canadian), so if you want to re-discover it or you never heard Then Jerico, this remastered reissue is more than a commendable purchase.

01 – Big Area
02 – What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)?
03 – You Ought To Know
04 – Song For The Broken Hearted
05 – Darkest Hour
06 – Reeling
07 – Where You Lie
08 – Sugar Box
09 – Helpless
10 – Underfire

Mark Shaw (vocals)
Rob Downes (guitar)
Scott Taylor (guitar)
Jason Stainthorpe (bass)
Steve Wren (drums)
Belinda Carlisle (guest vocals)

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