By Odeisel
1986 was a pivotal year. The first computer virus, Brain, came into existence, setting the stage for more than few headaches. The Voyager space probe made first contact with Uranus (no jokes, please), and Pixar first opened for business. There were a slew of bombings and social upheaval, unrest in Libya (sound familiar) and the Chernobyl disaster. 25 years later we know now what we didn’t know then: It was a bitching year for music. As such we will be celebrating the biggest releases of ’86 with a series called Quarter Back Classic. First up: Billy Ocean’s Love Zone.
Billy Ocean was a phenomenon during the early 80s. The Trinidadian-born Englishman was almost an anomaly: a British R&B singer. While the Beatles and other bands had already proven that the UK could rock, there wasn’t much in terms of soul coming from that side of the pond until Ocean, who had four top 20 British singles before America had even heard of him. He began to gain momentum as a songwriter and score his first big hit with “Caribbean Queen” which won him a Grammy in ’84 and set the stage for his biggest album Love Zone.
Love Zone was commercially successful, spawning the classic ballad “There’ll Be Sad Songs(To Make You Cry)” and “When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get Going,” which became the theme song to the Michael Douglass vehicle, The Jewel of the Nile. The song opened the album awash in synthesizer and digital bass rhythm. The steady, infectious melody and the campy background vocals (both male and female) was infused with just the right amount of 80’s corn.
He slowed it down on the title track with its funk guitar rhythm. “Don’t you believe that I want you, I need you here in my arms,” Billy belts, letting his love know that he’s the safest place she could ever be. That soft sentiment continued on “Without You,” with its subtle accents and slow-build. Once Ocean had you, he had no intention of letting you go.
The emotional crescendo of the album was reached with the keyboard- driven “There’ll Be Sad Songs.” Ocean hits high notes and shows his range more than on any song in the set. Billy manages a resolute masculinity, tinged with vulnerability that does not stray to Suckerville; a balance not easily managed without melodrama. The strings do all the lifting in that department.
The pace picks up with “Bitter Sweet” with all the elements of post-disco funk. The age-old story of broken-hearted guy who can’t get over the chick who gave them the runaround is in full effect here. It’s a welcome pace change from the heaviness that preceded it. “It’s Never Too Late To Try Again” sounds like a number of 80’s contemporary tracks including “Sexual Healing” or Gregory Abbot’s “Shake You Down,” but it’s a nice middle ground between the sentiment of the early part of the album and “Bitter Sweet” in terms of tempo.
“Showdown” gets up tempo and clubbish while “Promise Me” takes us back to the figurative love zone with its idyllic mentions of everlasting love. Ocean sings the hell out of the track on the lower end of his range and the track constantly moves with strings, cymbal clashes and horns taking turns riding with the steady drum. The album closes out with “Love Is Forever,” a track serving as Billy Ocean’s summation of what the album is at its core: the belief in love, despite the distractions and obstacles that serve to throw it off track.
Love Zone was a masterwork of sentimental pop/R&B. It resonated with listeners because of its purity and its catchiness. The big singles called to different parts of the human spirit and Ocean was able to use emotion with a scalpel instead of a sledgehammer. 25 years later, the album still stands as a testament to heart without diverting listeners with panty dropping antics.
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