(Translated from my original Italian text by ChatGPT and Piero Scaruffi)
When he was leading the Orange Juice, the young Edwyn Collins had been one of the pioneers of "twee pop," which, in reaction to the spikes of punk, set the trend for well-behaved, clean-cut youth.
Edwyn Collins debuted as a solo artist with Hope And Despair (Demon, 1989), a respectable album distinguished by intimate ballads like You're Better Than You Know and The Beginning Of The End. Collins drew on a calm vocal register and a solid knowledge of rock classics.
It was nonetheless Hellbent On Compromise (Demon, 1990), which acknowledged his love for American music (both country and soul), that revitalized him. The only novelty was the arrangements, almost symphonic (sometimes overly intricate), giving more space to tender meditations such as Now That It's Love and It Might As Well Be You.
Official recognition came with the concept album Gorgeous George (Virgin, 1994), influenced by 1960s soul: alongside the international hit A Girl Like You, Collins crafted two excellent soul tracks, If You Could Love Me and the title track, and allowed himself bitterly autobiographical confessions like The Campaign For Real Rock and North Of Heaven.
I'm Not Following You (Setanta/Epic, 1997) indulges perhaps excessively in that soul-derived kitsch, arranged with heavy doses of electronic keyboards (Keep On Burning, The Magic Piper Of Love), bordering on disco (Seventies Night). The Collins capable of imitating old folksingers (No One Waved Goodbye) and classic rockers (Downer) is relegated to the background.
(Original English text by Piero Scaruffi)
Largo (First World, 2001) is a collaboration with Ministry's drummer
Bill Rieflin on piano.
A Casual Introduction (Setanta, 2003) is a career anthology of both
Orange Juice and Edwyn Collins solo albums.
