| Café Bleu | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 16 March 1984 | |||
| Recorded | October 1983 – January 1984 | |||
| Studio | Solid Bond and CBS, London | |||
| Genre | Sophisti-pop[1][2] | |||
| Length | 43.57 | |||
| Label | Polydor Geffen (USA) | |||
| Producer | ||||
| The Style Council chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Café Bleu | ||||
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Café Bleu is the official debut album released by the English bandthe Style Council. It was released on 16 March 1984,[3] onPolydor Records, produced byPaul Weller withPeter Wilson. It followed four non-album singles in the UK, the first three of which (and their B-sides) were released outside the UK as the albumIntroducing The Style Council in North America, Australasia, Japan and some European countries. The album was mainly recorded at Solid Bond Studios (owned by Weller) except for the strings which were recorded at CBS.[4]
Café Bleu included a large number of extra musicians, known as Honorary Councillors, includingTracey Thorn andBen Watt fromEverything but the Girl. The album represented a huge shift away from Weller's previous groupThe Jam and towards incorporating his favoured elements of classicsoul,jazz andrap. The album received mixed reviews on its release, but became the band's biggest success on theUK Albums Chart, spending 38 weeks on the chart.[5] The singles "My Ever Changing Moods" and "You're the Best Thing" both reached the top 10 on theUK Singles Chart.[5] The single version of "My Ever Changing Moods" is a different recording to the album version.
Café Bleu was renamedMy Ever Changing Moods in the United States to capitalise on the success of the single of the same name, and featured a slightly different track listing.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Number One | 4/5[7] |
| Q |  [8] |
| Record Collector | [9] |
| Record Mirror | [10] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [11] |
| Smash Hits | 8+1⁄2/10[12] |
| Sounds | [13] |
| Spin | [14] |
| Uncut | 7/10[15] |
Contemporary critics were divided.Sounds dismissed the record as "dispensable dross", while others were more favourable.[16] InSmash Hits the album was given a8+1⁄2 rating out of 10, Peter Martin writing: "Paul [Weller] clearly wants to win fans not on reputation but on musical worth. Me I never liked the Jam but this,c'est magnifique."[12]
In a retrospective review,Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic found thatCafé Bleu, although being indicative of "the group's fatal flaw – a tendency to be too eclectic and overambitious", is nonetheless "one of their better efforts", praising Weller's "solid soul-tinged pop songs, including 'My Ever Changing Moods,' 'Headstart for Happiness,' 'You're the Best Thing,' and 'Here's One That Got Away.'"[6]
Café Bleu was included in the book1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[17]Treble included it in a 2014 list of 10 essentialsophisti-pop albums, saying that while it does not feature synthesisers like the other albums on the list, "a mix ofblue-eyed soul, jazz, and modern influences (for the time at least) made this record a sophisticated, progressive piece of pop."[2]
All songs written byPaul Weller, except where noted.
Side one
Side two
Additional track listing
| US LP track listing (My Ever Changing Moods) | |
|---|---|
The US LP, retitledMy Ever Changing Moods, drops two tracks ("Me Ship Came In!" and "Council Meetin'"), adds one ("A Solid Bond in Your Heart"), and substitutes an extended version of "My Ever Changing Moods" for the shorter UK LP version. Side one
Side two
^ Certain releases of theMy Ever Changing Moods album include the single version of "You're the Best Thing" (4:18) instead of the full-length album version (5:45) originally featured onCafé Bleu. However, there is no indication of the different version anywhere on the album jacket (as the album sleeve for these editions ofMy Ever Changing Moods still lists a song length of 5:45, and the saxophone solo that adorns the single version is uncredited in the liner notes).[18] | |
| US cassette track listing (My Ever Changing Moods) | |
|---|---|
The cassette contains the complete US LP. and also restores the two dropped tracks, "Me Ship Came In!" and "Council Meetin'". Side one
Side two
| |
with:
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[19] | 27 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[20] | 43 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] | 16 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[22] | 23 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[23] | 6 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[24] | 41 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[25] | 2 |
| USBillboard 200[26] | 56 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[28] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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