Archive
SCRITTI POLITTI
Landmark set on LP, the full realisation of its driven creators’ talent
Cupid & Psyche 85 (reissue, 1985)
UMC
8/10
Green Gartside established his literate pop star reputation on Scritti Politti’s second, spawning three elegant Top 20 singles along the way. The seductive synth reggae of “The Word Girl” is arguably the most straightforward and radio-friendly of the hits, but it’s the sublime, twisted disco of “Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)” that cemented the band’s dramatic shift from their DIY squat-punk beginnings on Rough Trade before they were wooed by Virgin’s marketing muscle, while “Absolute” flirted with the melodic funk of commercially minded Prince. Despite recording sessions in London and New York stretching over two full years, it’s a cohesive collection that enriched the pop grammar of the times.