Hand Cut

Hand Cut is the third studio album by the British pop group Bucks Fizz. It was released on 1 March 1983 and features the UK top 20 hits, "If You Can't Stand the Heat" and "Run for Your Life".

Hand Cut
Studio album by
Bucks Fizz
Released1 March 1983
Recorded1982-83
GenrePop
Length40:44
LabelRCA
Producer
Bucks Fizz chronology
Are You Ready
(1982)		 Hand Cut
(1983)		 Greatest Hits
(1983)
Singles from Hand Cut
  1. "If You Can't Stand the Heat"
    Released: November 1982
  2. "Run for Your Life"
    Released: March 1983
  3. "You Love Love"
    Released: May 1989

Overview

Hand Cut continued the group's success, which had been building for two years since their Eurovision win.

The first single from the album was "If You Can't Stand the Heat" in November 1982, which became their fourth consecutive top ten hit in the UK charts.[1] This was followed in March 1983 by "Run for Your Life", which reached UK#14.[2][3] Along with this came the album's release, which received favourable reviews and became their third UK top 20 album.[4] Remaining on the chart for three months, Hand Cut was certified silver by the BPI.[5] The album also coincided with a successful 40 date UK tour.

Despite this, the group's management were concerned that the singles hadn't performed as well as the ones on their previous album and took the decision not to release any further singles from Hand Cut. Realising that their fans were now slightly older, they made a move for a more adult market - a factor which would remain for the rest of the group's recording career, but would ultimately provide their downfall. The following single became the hard edged "When We Were Young", which in the Summer of 1983 returned Bucks Fizz to the top ten, and a Greatest Hits compilation followed.[6]

Some time after the group had fallen out of vogue, their record company, RCA made one last attempt to revive fortunes by releasing a single taken from this album six years after its release. The song was the ballad "You Love Love".[7] Somewhat predictably it failed to chart and remains the group's last ever UK single release.

Other notable tracks from the album include "10,9,8,7,6,5,4" which was later covered by another Eurovision-winning group, Herreys. While today, fans of the group bemoan the lack of a third single from the album and cite "I'd Like to Say I Love You" as the perfect choice, which was voted in a poll as the group's all-time best song.[8]

Hand Cut was released on compact disc for the first time in June 2004.[9] In 2008, alternate versions of tracks "Run for Your Life", "If You Can't Stand the Heat", "I'd Like to Say I Love You" and "You Love Love" were featured on The Lost Masters 2 - The Final Cut compilation.

Reception and reviews

As with the previous album, Hand Cut received many good reviews in the media. Smash Hits gave the album a 7 out of 10 rating, but thought that the over production was sometimes overpowering and preferred the quieter songs on the album (referencing "Where the Ending Starts"). The review stated that the album was well-produced however, saying it was "...another busy Andy Hill-directed epic. The trademarks are all here: ferocious production, terrific drum sound and booming choruses".[10] Record Mirror claimed that "Run for Your Life" was too similar to a previous single "My Camera Never Lies", but did state that the group were now making "exceedingly good pop music". Writing for Irish magazine, RTÉ Guide, reviewer Brendan Martin gave the album a positive review, saying "Hand Cut follows the formula of their previous albums. There are two singles along with a selection of good pop songs".[11] The New Straits Times gave the album a largely negative review saying that it was "overly clean, lacking a rough hewn edge". It did however single out two tracks which rose above "the mundane", namely "10,9,8,7,6,5,4" and "If You Can't Stand the Heat" calling them "catchy".[12]

NME gave "Run for Your Life" a particularly good review, saying that the group were at their peak and singling out praise to producer, Andy Hill. Member Mike Nolan has listed track "You Love Love" as the best of their own songs.[13]

In 2017, Classic Pop magazine reviewed the album positively, saying that it was "state-of-the-art pop", mentioning tracks "10,9,8,7,6,5,4" and "Running Out of Time".[14]

Track listing
Side One
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."Run for Your Life"Andy Hill / Ian BairnsonAndy Hill4:12
2."10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4"Steve Glen / Matthew James / Bill EdwardsBrian Tench with Bobby G4:29
3."I Do It All for You"Andy Hill / Alan CoatesAndy Hill3:58
4."Where the Ending Starts"Andy HillAndy Hill3:57
5."Surrender Your Heart"Bobby GBrian Tench with Bobby G4:09
Side Two
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
6."If You Can't Stand the Heat"Andy Hill / Ian BairnsonAndy Hill3:35
7."I'd Like to Say I Love You"Warren HarryAndy Hill4:30
8."You Love Love"Andy SellsAndy Hill3:40
9."Shot Me Through the Heart"Andy Hill / Nichola MartinAndy Hill4:25
10."Running Out of Time"Andy Hill / Ian BairnsonAndy Hill3:45
2004 Reissue Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
11."If You Can't Stand the Heat" (12" version)Andy Hill / Ian BairnsonAndy Hill5:39
12."Stepping Out" (B-side of "If You Can't Stand the Heat")Bucks FizzBucks Fizz3:28
13."When the Love Has Gone" (Extra track on 12" of "When We Were Young)Andy Hill / Nichola MartinAndy Hill5:50
14."London Town" (Extended Club Mix)Andy HillAndy Hill6:38
15."Identity" (B-side of "London Town")Bucks FizzBobby G2:40
16."When We Were at War" (B-side of "Rules of the Game)Bucks FizzBobby G6:00
17."Pinball Wizard / Hot Stuff / Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? / Knock on Wood / Rockin' All Over the World" (hidden track)Pete Townshend / Pete Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer, Keith Forsey / Rod Stewart, Carmine Appice / Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper / John FogertyBucks Fizz5:50

Personnel

[15]

Bucks Fizz
  • Bobby G - Lead vocals on "I'd Like to Say I Love You", "Shot Me Through the Heart", "When the Love has Gone", "London Town" and "When We Were at War"
  • Mike Nolan - Lead vocals on "Surrender Your Heart", "Stepping Out" and "Identity"
  • Jay Aston - Lead vocals on "Where the Ending Starts" and "Running out of Time"
  • Cheryl Baker - Lead vocals on "You Love Love"

Musicians

Production
  • Recorded at Mayfair Studios, Utopia Studios, Power Plant Studios, R.G. Jones Studios, Comforts Place Studios
  • Andy Hill - Producer
  • Brian Tench - Producer on "10,9,8,7,6,5,4" and "Surrender Your Heart"
  • Bobby G - Producer on "Identity" and "When We Were at War". Co-producer on "10,9,8,7,6,5,4" and "Surrender Your Heart"
  • Bucks Fizz - Producer on "Stepping Out"
  • Brian Tench, Martin Webster, John Hudson - Engineers
  • Dean Murphy - Executive Producer of CD re-issue

Design
  • John Thornton - Photography and Cover design concept
  • Andrew Christian - Design and art direction
  • Gered Mankowitz - Inner sleeve photography [16]

Chart performance
Release date Single title UK Chart position
November 1982 "If You Can't Stand the Heat" 10
March 1983 "Run for Your Life" 14
May 1989 "You Love Love" -
Release date Album title UK Chart position
March 1983 Hand Cut 17
June 2004 Hand Cut (re-release) -
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References
  1. Official Charts. "If You Can't Stand the Heat". Retrieved 2008-08-12.
  2. Official Charts. "Run for Your Life". Retrieved 2008-08-12.
  3. Ian Bairnson. "Writer/Guitarist's website with song clips". Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  4. Official Charts. "Hand Cut, UK album Official Charts Company". Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  5. BPI. "Certified awars - Search Bucks Fizz". Archived from the original on 2009-09-24. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  6. Ian bairnson. "Guitarist's website (Greatest Hits)". Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  7. Raffem. "Bucks Fizz history - 1989". Retrieved 2008-07-18.
  8. Early years. "Bucks Fizz fan's Top 40". Archived from the original on 2008-10-12. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  9. BMG. "Promotion for album Re-issue". Archived from the original on June 5, 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
  10. Ian Birch, Smash Hits Magazine, Album reviews, March 1983
  11. Brendan Martin, RTÉ Guide, Album reviews, March 1983
  12. "New Straits Times - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2017-04-30.
  13. Look-in. "Mike Nolan Profile, 1983". Retrieved 2008-12-19.
  14. Lester, Paul (October 2017). "Never mind the Bollocks, here's the Fizz". Classic Pop magazine. No.33: pg58.
  15. Album sleeve notes
  16. Raffem. "Inner sleeve photograph taken by Gered Mankowitz". Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2008-07-18.
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