Boy Meets Girl's George Merrill and Shannon Rubicam wrote Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know" and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)," so they understand how important a foundation is to adult contemporary pop -- without something to pull the listener along, the songs become just flash and keyboard flutter, platitudes about love and loss. And while Reel Life suffers a little bit from the over-synthesized instrumentation of its era, Boy Meets Girl more often than not pushed the right melodic buttons on this, their biggest album. "Bring Down the Moon" and "Stay Forever" are particularly strong, while the hit single, "Waiting for a Star to Fall," is just a classic. "Trying to catch your heart is like trying to catch a star" -- the urgency as it drives toward its chorus is a clinic for durable songwriting. (It's no surprise that European house producer Mylo based an entire song around a single phrase from "Waiting for a Star to Fall.") "One Street Dream" and "Is Anybody out There in Love" make good use of Boy Meets Girl's coed vocal setup, and "No Apologies" gives Rubicam a chance to show off about halfway through, right before the too-saccharine sax solo. Reel Life rides that line, pairing its feel for songwriting in a 1970s soft rock style to a synthetic 1980s slickness. But ultimately it's the quality of the songs that wins out, making Reel Life one of the better lite rock entries of the era. ~ Johnny Loftus
Recording information: Greenstreet Studios, New York, NY; Mad Dog Studios, Venice, CA.
Director: Ria Lewerke.
Photographer: Michael Tighe.
Unknown Contributor Roles: George Merril; George Merrill.
Personnel: George Merrill (vocals, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, drum programming, sampler); Joe Turano, Shannon Rubicam, Susan Boyd (vocals); John Goux (guitar, electric guitar, dulcimer, drums); John Morton (guitar); Eric Williams (mandolin); Gary Herbig (oboe); Andy Snitzer (saxophone, alto saxophone); Larry Williams (alto saxophone); George Merril (piano, synthesizer, drum programming, sampler); Denny Fongheiser (keyboards, synthesizer, drums); Joe Mardin (synthesizer, programming); Richard Gibbs (synthesizer, sampler, sound effects); Thomas Hart (synthesizer); Kerry Hatch (bass synthesizer); Michael Jochum (drums, bongos, cymbals, percussion, sound effects); Tomas Hart (programming).
I found them Interesting Yet Relaxing!!! "Waiting for the star to fall" is just one of the highlights of the 80's here, the rest of the tracks are quite cool. I consider this band a must to all the collectors outhere. Jay of Dgte. City Submitted by jay (Dubai-United Arab Emirates) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 3 found this helpful.
Timeless Nostalgia This album personifies the late 1980's. I have listened to this album over and over again and have never gotten tired of it. One great thing is that you can actually understand the words and sing along to it. I have memorized the entire album. My only regret is that Boy Meets Girl is not making any more albums anymore. Overall, a great album! A must-buy! Submitted by Anthony (Fairfax, VA, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 2 of 4 found this helpful.
This is what 80's is about!!!! Having only been 6 years old when this came out, I still remember it like it was yesterday. What can I say, this music is just awesome in it's own right, but it brings back very fond memories as well for me personally. I can listen to it over and over and it never gets old. A must have have for anyone who likes 80's or is just looking to kick back and enjoy some relaxing music. Waiting for a Star to Fall justifies the purchase alone!! Submitted by Matthew (Geneseo, IL, USA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful.
absolutly fantastic this is one of the best albums i own
Submitted by smitherl (England) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo 1 of 2 found this helpful.
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