Expressen's review of "Shine"

Expressen's music critic Måns Ivarsson wrote this review of Frida's solo album "Shine" 1984.

You are a coward, Frida!
Ooops - the best songs on Frida's second "international" soloalbum is written by Swedes. By Björn and Benny. And by Frida herself.
     It's not exactly the result you expect when Frida went into a studio in Paris together with the producer Steve Lillywhite, the best rock producer at the moment. The musicians are all well renowned Americans and Brits. But I still think that the best songs are written by Frida and Björn and Benny.
     With one exception though, the absolute best track of the album is the title track "Shine", which you probably have heard already since it was released as a single. On this track the fabulous sound builder Lillywhite gets to play around a melody and a refrain that suits his talent. Apart from that track most of the album doesn't.
     The songs are simply not good enough and I can't help wondering what the schlagerexpert Stikkan Anderson really thought about all these songs without good refrains and hooks.
     Frida has big ambitions and she wants to be a tough "rock chick". It's possible this album will grow on me if I listen to it another 30 times or so, but right now it feels like Frida has made it very hard for herself.
     However, it's an experience to listen to Lilleywhites production. He makes Frida sound like she's singing on a stormy pier or a Scottish moor. The music is full of cool sounds - gunshots, bagpipes - you name it.
     Lillywhite has worked with giants like U2, Big Country and Peter Gabriel. Big Country's Stuart Adamson has contributed with a song which probably would have sounded exactly the same if his group had recorded it. "Twist In The Dark" reminds you a lot of Peter Gabriel's music. But both Big Country and Peter Gabriel would only have used this track as a B-side on a single.

     "One Little Lie" is a fairly fast pop song while "The Face" and "Come To Me (I Am Woman)" reminds you of simple pop schlagers.

More own songs

It's when you hear pointless tracks like "Comfort Me" that ends the album you start to wonder why Frida didn't dare to write more songs herself. Her own "Don't Do It" is a beautiful and romantic song and something Linda Ronstadt could have recorded. Straight, honest and memorable.

     Björn and Benny's "Slowly" carries the signs of ABBA. A majestic thing which reminds me of their song "Andante, Andante".

     "Shine" has a fantastic, dazzling surface, but in the long run it can't hide the flaws of this album: there aren't enough good songs. That's just how it is.

Comments

[Thomas]

Thanks as always Micke. It was very interesting to read. And I think that this reporter is absolute right.

Sometimes I wished that Frida would have never met Lillywhite. This album had to flop. It feels as a it never was made for Frida. Ok, there are some songs that are ok alltough f. ex. I never found the entrance to songs as "Twist in the dark".

If this 2nd international solo album would have been produced by someone who understood Frida and it would became a success I am sure that Frida would not have stopped her career.

But it happened and it is silly to have such thoughts...

Thomas

[Elizabeth]

I truly agree with Thomas. I don't think she surrounded herself with good advisors in the music industry after Björn and Benny - I even thought that Phil Collins did a sloppy job producing her album (although Frida did shine on several tracks on that album).
Frida has an amazing, unique voice. She got started in big band and jazz - her voice is so suited for this genre. My highest wish is that she will make a jazz album. Just listen to her sing "My Man"- just brilliant.

[Bernd Scheiber]

Dear Mikory!

Great to see the original EXPRESSEN article of the "Shine" review from 1984! It is really strange, but for me "SHINE" was always a very special album. I cannot say why, but for me "SHINE" is much more Frida than the "Something`s Going On" album. And to call it as a flop it is relative......it did sell good in Sweden and some other nordic countries.
When I listen to "SHINE" today, it still sounds so fresh and modern and I feel, that in 1984, FRIDA was too fast with that new and modern sound.....she took many steps forward with that sound but I always loved the whole album and also the photo session so very much!

Thank you for the original EXPRESSEN review!
BERND

[Kate]

I agree with Bernd, SHINE is not that awfully bad. Au contraire, even today it still sounds interesting unlike most of the 80s material (it's only my opinion) and much fresher than SGO, except for IKTSGO maybe.

Though I would really enjoy if Frida had played with her amazing voice a bit more...

Fridas weakest album in my opinion , it showed in its very limited success.

[johnsteven warren]

Thankyou for the review Mikory,I have always thought Shine was an exsperimental album in some respects VERY modern and unique and was a dareing album for Frida as Frida used her voice for more modern pop songa i love this sound,Today some songs from this album still sound as fresh as they did in 1984,There arent many artists who have such a unique vocal range and such diverse musical styles too there portfolio!
Regards JS

[Conrad]

It was a bad album and the main reason was Frida herself. She tried to be a singer she wasn't: a kind of Bat Benetar. Someting's going on was better but again not great. When I watch her dvd I notice that she isn't critical of her solowork at all. Fact is that her musical identity isn't very strong.

[Tony]

I really thought that "Shine" was a great album and it still sounds great today. "Twist In The Dark" is a tremendous track and Frida's vocal is fantastic. I really think that "The Face" is very under-rated. It has a subtle sixties styling under the modern sheen and the singing is first rate.

For me, the wrong singles were chosen. I would have opted for "One Little Lie" followed by "Come To Me (I Am Woman)" - a song I'm no longer fond of, but it had the most commercial potential at the time.

I'm fascinated that people dismiss Frida's interest in doing something different to the ABBA sound: "Twist In The Dark", "Comfort Me", "The Face" from this album and "I Got Something", "Tell Me It's Over" and "I Know There's Something Going On" from the first album show that Frida had the balls to step away from the pop safety net. Commercial success is not always the same as artistic success. The woman can SING.

I relaly hope that the album she is rumoured to be working on is a bit more interesting than "The Sun Will Shine Again".

[Conrad]

Tony, come to me I am woman was released as a single f.e. in Holland and it was a big flop. We will see if this new album of hers will have the same succes as My Colouring Book. I don't think so.

[Tony]

Now I KNOW we're all too grown up to let this turn into a tedious Agnetha-versus-Frida crapathon. I'm sure Frida (and her collaborator of choice) is concerned about an artistically satisfying album. She's not exactly on skid row. I also doubt that Frida would be thinking "bloody hell, my new album had better at least equal the sales of My Colouring Book or the world will end."

[Thomas]

Well, for sure there was a time when Frida and Agnetha were hard rivals regarding her releases but this time for sure is over since many many years. I also think that the success of an album is not that important anylonger. The fun is what counts and without this Frida would not have record "The sun will shine again" or Agnetha "My colouring book".

And I think also that we dont have to fight now if "Shine" was a good or bad album - regarding the sales for sure it was a disaster and for sure the record companies did a lot of mistakes (esp. in England f. ex.).

And that tastes are different shows that Tony writes that "The sun will shine again" was not interesting - for me it was / is one of Frida`s most emotional songs.

Thomas

[Tony]

You're exactly right, Thomas. The fact that we all have different tastes - even as ABBA fans - is what keeps things fresh and interesting.

I don't believe in equating sales with quality, though. If that were the case, "The Birdy Song" would be *better* than, say, "The Day Before You Came"... So I'm irritated by the implication that if Frida's new album is not as (commercially) successful as "My Colouring Book" then she might as well not bother. One might as well say "will it be as successful as 'Back to black' or 'Ray of light'? Agnetha and Frida have not been colleagues for 25 years. To see them *still* as rivals is a disservice to both women and, in general, childishly petty.

As for "The Sun Will Shine Again" - I agree again: Frida's vocal is very emotional. What is good about that is that she does not "over sing" it - she gets to the heart of the song with no big melodrama. I can see why it means a lot to Frida but, personally, I think she has more interesting material. I am thrilled that she may be working again, though.

[henk]

The sun will shine again is crap!!

[Kate]

Whatever Frida and Jon do, it will be interesting because it's gonna be NEW material ;)

[Henk]

Kate, it all depends on the material. I rather hear an excellent album with covers than a new album with weak material.

[Kate]

Have you ever heard what Jon Lord does, Henk? ;)

[Kate]

...speaking about covers... well, in fact it's easy to make an album of covers in 21-st century - lots of people do - because you choose the songs which are already hits and your only task is not to spoil them too much. I like what, say, Eric Clapton has done with Robert Johnson material, it's all very professional and "Eric had a lot of fun" but I prefer the originals because they sound more authentic (if you know who R.J. is and what he's famous for, you'll understand what I mean).

On the other hand, as a die-hard jazz fanatic, I would be delighted to hear an album of jazz covers by Frida but I also understand that she probably doesn't want to step into the same river twice as she had her share of covers with her early records (1967-1972) and Ensam (1975).

Though Ensam is a different story: the originals were recorded roughly the same period (Life on Mars - 1971, Most Beautiful Girl - 1973, Send In The Clowns - 1973, Wall Street Shuffle - 1974) and nobody knew at that time - except for Benny, maybe, with his incredible flare - if they were to become classics.

Thus, I'd rather hear a weak (weak?) album of new material than yet another bunch of dusty covers which I most probably know by heart.

Finally, speaking about true classics, let's remember one great version of IKTSGO made by Bomfunk MC and Jessica Folker, and considered one of the best BF's efforts along with Freestyler.

BOT, Shine was well ahead of the 80s, everybody says it now, so it's only the matter of time when it gets covered by new gen musicians :)

[Henk]

Bla, bla, bla. Kate you are wrong! Did you see the last Frida interview. I think there won't be a new album at all. She was so sad about a lot of things: show buz isn't her world anymore. So keep on dreaming ...I will put My colouring book in my cd player in a moment. A fine album.........

And Shine wasn't ahead of it's time````; it's a tycical 80 ties album, dated and a big flop.

[Kate]

Dear Henk, you can think whatever you want and linger in whatever illusions you like but I'd love to see your face when Frida's new album appears in, say, 2009 ;))

Frida isn't sad at all, hey, open up your eyes! She is as active as ever going to most of the Mamma Mia openings, giving interviews and taking part in all kinds of charity concerts, driving around in her beautiful dark-green Bentley :)) As for the showbiz, well, do you know who's sponsoring Mamma Mia and who's the patron of Zermatt Unplugged Music Festival, huh? ;)

Speaking about 2008, I saw the interview with Mr Drucker: Frida is in perfect mood, as funny and relaxed as ever. Moreover, she speaks perfect English (though with charming Swedish accent) AND, though French is really hard to get orally, she understands it all needing no lousy interpreter or whoever. I believe she could answer in French as well but she just wanted to be fluent, that's why she answered in English. God, Frida knows five languages and she's 62! I wish I could speak so many languages being her actual age.

My Colouring Book IS a fine album and I like it very much but I think it's Agnetha's farewell, it just has this sad-sad feeling about it.... There won't be any more albums nor singles from her, that's for sure.

As for Shine... well, don't you think you're cleverer than professional musicians who said it WAS ahead of its time for at least 10 years ;)

[Henk]

Kate, get some therapy and wake up in the reality. We will never see a record by Frida or Agnetha. It's over and believe me I know it.........
Can;t tell you why, sorry...

[Kate]

Well, we'll see ;)

[Tony]

Jeez... Like I said before, it is great that we all have different tastes - it keeps things interesting. I still fail to see how commercial success (or lack thereof) is the same as quality. So "Shine" didn't set the charts alight? Ho hum. Many great albums didn't chart and remain much loved classics (e.g., Dusty Springfeild's "Dusty In Memphis" was a commercial 'flop' at the time).

While I was truly delighted that Agnetha was working again, PERSONALLY, I found "My Colouring book to be a bit disappointing. I love about half of it. The rest I could happily live without.

But that is a personal taste issue and many Agnetha fans may be infuriated that I had the temerity to voice mine.

But what is with this ability for uninformed "fans" to "just know" that someone will never record again? Why, after all these years, are people STILL whipping up the sad and stupid Agnetha versus Frida fan rivalry? It make the fans seem like a bunch of weirdos. What is this sad need to use the relative *commercial* failure of, say, "Shine" to illustrate the *artistic* merits of "My Colouring Book". It makes no sense.

If either (or better yet, both) women were to record again that should be a matter for rejoicing. Agnetha and Frida are both smart and intelligent ladies. I dread to think that they would see these "discussions"... :-s

[Henk]

That's our tony, the giy from the abbaforum...a fridafan...one of the few.....

[Tony]

Yes, Henk, I am, as you say, a "Fridafan". I love her artistic choices and her music bring me pleasure. I'm sure that you - clearly an Agenthafan - get the same kind of pleaure from Ms. Faltskog's recodings. Which is fantastic, isn't it?

[Tony]

Yes, Henk, I am, as you say, a "Fridafan". I love her artistic choices and her music bring me pleasure. I'm sure that you - clearly an Agenthafan - get the same kind of pleaure from Ms. Faltskog's recordings. Which is fantastic, isn't it?