Description
Love Liberty Disco is the eighth full-length studio album by the Australian established but US based pop/rock band Newsboys, released on Sparrow Records in November 1999. It was the Newsboys’ first album for Sparrow Records. The album was produced by band member Peter Furler.
If you’ve considered these Aussies all glitz, glam and spinning drum kits, or maybe you consider them hopelessly lost without Steve Taylor‘s production and songwriting prowess, take note: The band’s eighth record – a radical left turn from arena rock to shimmering, restrained pop that you can dance to – is the most pleasant surprise of 1999. (Read: It spent an entire Friday in my CD player on infinite repeat, and I was still ready for more on Saturday.)
Love Liberty Disco is an apropos album title given the preponderance of polyester-decade arrangements. Whether or not this was considered risky by the Sparrow suits and ties, the hard-rock-to-pet-rocks experiment was a genius move. In fact, the 10 songs feel like 10 distinct hit singles, back to back – a delightful mix of hook-filled melodies, pitch-perfect harmonies, dance-oriented tunes, moving ballads and even a smattering of Radiohead-ish sound effects.
But despite the aforementioned superlatives, probably the most impressive characteristic of Love Liberty Disco is that no outside Svengalis added their musical stamps. Singer Peter Furler was at the production helm – and wrote the whole thing with bassist Phil Joel (except for the unabashed danceable title track, which was a full-band effort).
«Beautiful Sound», «Forever Man» and «Good Stuff» are triumphant and happy, yet lack any hint of bluster. The giddy «Say You Need Love» is Electric Light Orchestra on 78-speed. (The sonic anomaly is «I Would Give Everything», a tune that sounds tailor-made for The 77s.) The most memorable track, though, is the most mellow. «I Surrender All» is but a few guitar chords, barely whispering drums and Furler crooning a heartfelt prayer to God, the kind of praise & worship song you wouldn’t mind hearing for a half hour straight.
So kick up a platform shoe or two for the members of Newsboys, who took a big chance when the sensible course would have been to recycle their already successful sound. Instead, they’ve come up with perhaps the best record they’ve ever made. [Dave Urbanski, CCM, December 1999]
When lead singer John James left and the band decided to take over the production chair from the brilliant Steve Taylor, many predicted that the team would tumble from their huge US popularity. In fact ‘Step Up To The Microphone‘ produced four US Christian radio number one hits. Now the band are back with their eighth set and it’s a fine one, playing to all the band’s strengths, hooky choruses, some biting guitar rhythms and a sound that is made for maximum pop radio plays. The title track does indeed have some disco elements, like that Chic-like guitar rhythm and a fussy string arrangement, without ever being a dance floor opus. And «Good Stuff», with a decidedly funky groove, even features a bit of scratching to lend bite to a modern rock cut. But it’s the Bealle-esque ballad «Beautiful Sound» which is the stone killer on this set, a haunting song exploring the paradoxes of a faith where “to have found you and still be looking for you” yet leaves us with a determination “to be chasing you like you were chasing me.” The band apparently went into the studio with a staggering 40 songs, so not surprisingly the ones that made it to this set are all strong. Clearly the Australian/US pop rockers have more sanctified hits to give us. [Tony Cummings, Cross Rhythms, February 2000]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-liberty-disco/723403913)
CD tracklist:
01. Beautiful Sound 3:46
02. Love Liberty Disco 3:45
03. For Every Man 3:13
04. Good Stuff 2:59
05. Everyone’s Someone 5:14
06. Say You Need Love 3:18
07. I Would Give Everything 3:22
08. Break 3:20
09. I Surrender 4:12
10. Fall On You 2:30
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and CD by Sparrow Records.
A full-page advertisement for Newsboys’ Love Liberty Disco was featured in the December 1999 issue of CCM Magazine.
“Love Liberty Disco” (MUSIC VIDEO)
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