Dead Or Alive - Sophisticated Boom Boom

Dead or Alive's 1984 debut album, Sophisticated Boom Boom, is an eclectic and transitional record that marked the band's shift from a post-punk sound to synth-driven dance-pop. Reviews are mixed, highlighting its raw, energetic style and charismatic frontman Pete Burns, while also noting that it doesn't represent the polished pop sound that would bring the band major success later on.The album reflects Dead or Alive's transition from their darker, goth-influenced roots to the Hi-NRG dance sound that later defined their career. Critics have differing opinions on this mix, with some seeing it as a positive display of the band's power and energy, while others find the results inconsistent. Pete Burns' charisma is a focal point, but the album's material can be "unforgivably stiff" at times, especially in the cover of "That's the Way (I Like It)". 

"Misty Circles" along with "The Stranger," are highlighted as a standouts. Record Collector describes Burns' vocals as an "out-and-proud Ian Curtis finding his inner diva". Co-written by guitarist Wayne Hussey (later of The Mission), several tracks (including "Misty Circles") showcase his guitar work within a dance-pop context.

Review by Ned Raggett

Whether or not Dead or Alive was the first synth-goth band in history is a bit open to debate, but they were unquestionably in on the ground floor somewhere. Burns and his crew created a weird sort of landmark with Sophisticated Boom Boom, though ultimately it's a bit more memorable as being the dry run for later successes as opposed to being fully notable on its own. By this time, the murky gloom of earlier singles was starting to give way to a more freely mainstream approach, though the combination of Burns' outrageous appearances and his utterly over-dramatic singing style helped ensure they never went down totally easy on the charts. Pretty much everything on the album came from somewhere else: the squiggly early-'80s keyboards/beat neo-disco production, the occasional blasts of clattering drums, the gang shout choruses, and the overall air of sex, sex, and more sex. If anything was the role model, clearly Duran Duran's massive success had gone to Burns' head, from the dry slap-bass to the synth melodies. The end result was nicely assembled, though, and the help of the Kick Horns on brass, Zeus B. Held's production, and Tim Palmer's engineering resulted in a nice sounding package. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the best effort comes via the cover of "That's the Way (I Like It)," even though the end result is unforgivably stiff in comparison to the original. Burns himself, meanwhile, is the understandable centerpiece to everything, rolling his "r"'s, hyping himself just by breathing, and finding ever more ways to project and project again. As for what it's all about, the song titles make that much clear: "What I Want," "Do It," "You Make We Wanna." It's terribly amusing in context to hear Wayne Hussey's guitar playing crop up, as on "Misty Circles" -- the eventual feel of his work in both the Sisters of Mercy and the Mission is there, just in a quite different setting.

This reissue includes bonus tracks and 12-inch mixes

Ripped to MP3

1. I'd Do Anything 4:12

2. That's the Way (I Like It) 3:43

3. Absolutely Nothing 4:19

4. What I Want 5:26

5. Far Too Hard 4:31

6. You Make Me Wanna 2:54

7. Sit on It 3:07

8. Wish You Were Here 5:20

9. Misty Circles 3:39

10. Do It 3:55

11. Selfish Side 2:34

12. The Stranger 4:49

13. Misty Circles (Dance Mix) 9:09

14. What I Want (Dance Mix) 6:12

15. I'd Do Anything (Megamix) 5:21

16. That's The Way (I Like It) (Extended Version) 5:51

17. Keep That Body Strong (That's The Way) 3:37