Nik Kershaw 'Human Racing' ~ A Review

An album 28 years in wait to fully realized its sound in all its digital glory after its first release in 1984. The album is all but forgotten except for its most ardent fans and admirers.



Ah, nineteen-eight-four. The year of Big Brother, newspeak, doublethink, the Thought Police and a world divided into three parts. Also, an unknown singer-songwriter would enter into the music scene which was then dominated by a genre known as new romantics or new wave. The so-called second british invasion- pop music driven by keyboards. Nicholas David Kershaw or better known as Nik Kershaw released his debut album, 'Human Racing' in that same year.

I was in secondary school at the time. A good friend said to me one morning before school starts that he had just listened to a new single. Ah the so-called cliched 'good old days' talk again. A time where all the care of the world rest on music, football and where to find good-looking girls. And so here he was, arguing with another friend about this song, saying how good it was while this other boy were dismissing his comments. Later, i got the chance to listen to that song. That song was of course his first single 'I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me'. It was good. But another song from the album would be my favourite. I would even say it was the quintessential pop anthem of the 80's, 'Wouldn't It Be Good'.

The remastering had given the whole album a more pronounced low-end. Nik has seen to it that the songs are not only brighter but the lower register is given due consideration. Of all the remastered albums i had, from the excellent Beatles remastered to early U2 albums, audio reproduction of this one ranks among the best. It managed to bring out the bass notes which were really flimsy on the original. Highs were crisp without sounding dull or too bright. No noticeable saturation in the sound is observed so i assumed audio compression is kept at appropriate level. There is an equal level of bass and trebles without one being more prominent than the other as is usual in many remastered discs of past works. Extended listening even at high volume doesn't cause ear fatigue.

'Dancing Girls' starts the album off. Creative use of synthesizer, interesting drum pattern and the subject matter of a man tired of the ways of the world imagining better days 'inside his head' makes this a nostalgic piece.

The now unforgettable guitar strain of 'Wouldn't It Be Good' opens the next song. The melody makes this the strongest piece. The bassline anchors the song well making it more urgent and adding to the sense of pathos in the lyrics. The song works because of and also in spite of, its emotional appeal. Listening to it in a down mood almost always make a person project the same emotion on himself of which the song tries to evoke. When one is feeling optimistic it had the same effect of lifting the mood.

Then came a sequence of songs which seem light on the surface and does not take themselves seriously. 'Drum Talk' has interesting drums and funny percussion effects. Then came 'Bogart'. Inspired by Humphrey Bogart no less with inferences to Bogart's famous film noir 'The Big Sleep'. It could be about a man who is insecure when it comes to keeping a relationship with a woman. The opening synth sets the hook but it was the guitar riffs at the end which sets the tone of this song.

The whistled end of 'Bogart' segues into 'Gone To Pieces'. Another seemingly silly piece with some distorted 'hot-air balloon' vocals which never fails to put a smile on the face.

The second half of the album opens with 'Shame On You'. Much better than 'Gone' again because of the very interesting percussion and vocal effects. And equally a fun listen as pop music should be.

Up to this point, with the possible exception of 'Wouldn't It Be Good', one may think the songs and the album is just lightweight pop fluff. Only close and repeated listening reveals its maturity beyond just pop music.

'Cloak And Dagger' follows. The song is about the true state of the world we lived in. Things remains the same. Consisting of two parts- the half-spoken part representing the powers that be and the sung part which is the ordinary people. Intelligent lyrics frames its chorus. And the spoken part always builds up to the catchy chorus like a mass awakening of sort for the people. A masterpiece this.

'Faces' is a slow burn and is the weakest track of the whole. 'I Won't Let The Sun Go Down On Me' is the song which brings back memories of those school days. It was different from the rest of the synth-pop tunes when it was first heard. Still a fine song now though it had lost its 'novelty' due to the somewhat dated synth sound. "Human Racing', a commentary on the human condition closes the album with a down note. Hope is saved for a future record perhaps.

It is only in retrospect that I see this album for what it is. A social commentary on human nature in modern times interspersed with a great sense of humour. A gentle reminder not to take ourselves so seriously and at the same time taking a serious look at issues that surrounds us.

Nik has made a serious album while not taking himself seriously. The production and sound of the album has become a little dated today, yet it gives an old-school charm reminiscent of music from a bygone era where brass instruments figure prominently besides new technology like the synthesizer. But still more important is the songs doesn't take itself seriously.

Nik's debut is not a classic but it is still a very good record. His best work would come much later. Meanwhile, this debut has something to say and it said it well enough to warrant a listen another 28 years into the future.

A short summary of the accompanying second disc of remixes and B-sides. There are a lot of 12" remix of almost all the song from the album proper. While that will surely satisfy fans like me, only a handful of those remixes are worth repeated listening. The special brass mix of 'Shame On You' is so much better than the original. The brass section (trumpets) give the song an added exuberance making a good song so much better. 'Drum Talk' also benefits from additional percussion effects and a more tribal, raw drumming. And 'Cloak And Dagger' is excellent performed live. The second disc is not a necessity but it does enhance the listening experience. Did I mentioned the sound quality of both discs are top notch too? Nik has done a good job overseeing the remastering of the original 1/2" tapes.

'The Riddle' remastered next?

Rating: 8.5/10

The interview by SDE with Nik Kershaw on the release of the re-mastered album HERE.

Aung San Suu Kyi Nobel Peace Prize Speech

On the radio this morning, I had the chance to listen to her Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 20 years after receiving it. Her voice is steady, yet firm intonation and had a sort of peaceful feeling to it.

Her reference to buddhist philosophy specifically the Four Noble Truths, the six great dukkha, and especially the passage about 'perfect' peace is an eye-opener.

The Struggle

“The battles that must be fought may never be won in our lifetime. And there will always be new battles to define our struggle. Resistance to tyranny and evil is never ending. It is a way, rather, of defining our brief sojourn on the planet. Revolt, is the only acceptable definition of the moral life. Revolt, is “a constant confrontation between man and his obscurity. …It is not aspiration, for it is devoid of hope. That revolt is the certainty of a crushing fate, without the resignation that ought to accompany it.” A living man can be enslaved and reduced to the historic condition of an object, But if he dies in refusing to be enslaved, he reaffirms the existence of another kind of human nature which refuses to be classified as an object.” ~ Albert Camus.

~~~~~~~

i had an appointment yesterday afternoon. i drove there using an old familiar road. During the trip however i saw something not quite familiar. In the middle of the road there is a row of purple flowers with long, thin stalks stretching for quite a distance. It must have been planted there by the local authorities.

It must have been so ordinary that no one would have noticed them. i was thnking of something when they caught my sight. The rows of flowers were being blown by the wind. They were swaying back and forth at the same time and in the same pattern like so many delicate hands waving at all the passersby. It was such a mesmerizing sight to behold that should i be walking by i would have stopped everything and watch them. A child would have surely sees this, i thought.

In this ordinariness is the struggle of a plant against nature. If they were to struggle the wind would have break their bodies easily. Their struggle consists therefore to not struggle. Of course they don't have the consciousness to know this. For them, it is a mechanical, in-built mechanism of survival.

i'd read the above passage by Camus many times over and finally there is a glimmer of understanding. Therein lies the essence of his philosophical idea of 'Absurdism'.

On the surface of it, this short passage give the idea it is about a call to arms, to take action against tyranny and evil.

Only in reflection and a little thought does one sees the truth behind it. No, this is not a call for action, at least not action in the physical sense. It is a call to understand the human condition. To take a look around and try to understand the world as it is, objectively. To look into the self with no delusion and belief of any kind. Only then will one see the world today for what it is - a cruel place to lived for so many people. But it is only what it is today because we make it what it is.

The world has exists this way for as long as humans has been on this planet. A study of history will easily validates this. Part of the meaning of life, or more precisely according to Camus, the only 'constant' of life is the struggle against tyranny for it can be observed almost everywhere if one cares to look.

What is sad in this, is that good, "moral" people have no certainty of winning this struggle. The old adage "good always triumphs over evil" is just a saying to make us not give up hope. Hope is the only thing makes us keep up the fight.

But when we understand the struggle against tyranny is part of what it means to live, a different kind of hope is to be found. Perhaps then we will realize that even though we may not win in the end we will find that only by living in this way will we really have lived this life. We may not like to hear this but to live in any other way would be to live as a slave, in the full sense of the word.

Being free is the condition we are in before we chose to come here. A person who realized this will always struggle against tyranny. And some say with the coming age of enlightenment, more people will come to this realization. Still, everyone is subject to certain laws which we will have to learn before we can progress. So it must remain that humanity will not progress without learning its lessons. And it is not technological progress that is meant.

~ This post is dedicated to Paula, an admirer of Camus' work, mentor-friend, and who has more wisdom than this writer.