With the release of this debut album in 1983, Paul Young was immediately hailed as an intriguing synthesis of the old and the new. Blessed with a classic blue-eyed-soul voice, in the Bobby Hatfield/Daryl Hall tradition, Young pays homage to R&B tradition with respectful covers of Marvin Gaye's "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" and Booker T and the MG's' "Iron Out the Rough Spots." Laurie Latham's sparkling, wide-screen, gimmicky production, however, is absolutely of-the-moment.
Young's originals are quirky and New Wave-influenced. His choice of covers is unexpected (to say the least), including Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and three songs by Jack Lee--of LA's pop-punk Nerves--among them the exquisite hit single, "Come Back and Stay." In retrospect, NO PARLEZ certainly sounds like a product of the early '80s. But Young's voice and those inescapable pop hooks are timeless.
Professional Reviews
Record Collector (magazine) (p.104) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[C]lassy polished 80s pop given real soul courtesy of Young's warm throaty voice and a quirky choice of source material..."
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