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Act was a short-lived collaboration between synthmeister Thomas Leer and German pop diva Claudia Brucken. The pair followed up their modest four-track 1987 record Snobbery and Decay with the somewhat pretentious, half-baked concept album Laughter, Tears and Rage. At their best, Act comes close to approximating the dark-edged techno-pop sound of the Eurythmics, as on the opening "Absolutely Immune" and the blustery "Gestures." Better yet, the record's final track, "Theme from Snobbery and Decay" (taken from the band's first album), with its cutting commentary on Robin Leachery and its sweeping string arrangement by David Bedford, bears echoes of those kings of synth satire, the Pet Shop Boys. But most of the album chokes on its own goth-pop ambitions, allowing Brucken free rein to milk every available ounce of angst out of her strident vocal solos while Leer loses himself in a murky electronic purgatory of his own design. But if a small handful of mildly tuneful techno-pop is enough to hold your interest, make sure you find the American edition of Laughter, Tears and Rage, which contains a cover of the Smiths' "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" that is missing from the European version.
© Evan Cater /TiVo
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Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, Composer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Author
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Trevor Horn, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Greg Walsh, Producer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Johnny Marr, ComposerLyricist - Thomas Leer, Producer - MORRISSEY, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Producer
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, Composer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Author
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Thomas Leer, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Michael Dempsey, ComposerLyricist - Claudia Brucken, Producer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Thomas Leer, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Producer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - David Bedford, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Andrew Lloyd Webber, ComposerLyricist - Tim Rice, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist - Chris Senior, Piano, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, Composer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Author
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Grace Slick, ComposerLyricist - Stephen Lipson, Producer - Act, MainArtist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist - Chris Senior, Piano, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
DISC 2
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, Composer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Author
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Trevor Horn, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Thomas Leer, Composer, Producer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Author, Producer
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Trevor Horn, Remixer, StudioPersonnel - Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, Composer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Author
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Heff Moraes, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
DISC 3
Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Greg Walsh, Producer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Trevor Horn, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Johnny Marr, ComposerLyricist - Thomas Leer, Producer - MORRISSEY, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Producer
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, Composer, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Author, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, Composer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Author
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Johnny Marr, ComposerLyricist - Thomas Leer, Producer - MORRISSEY, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Producer
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Greg Walsh, Producer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, Composer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Author
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, Composer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Author
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Andrew Lloyd Webber, ComposerLyricist - Tim Rice, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Thomas Leer, Composer, Producer - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, Author, Producer
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Stephen Lipson, Producer - Thomas Leer, ComposerLyricist - Act, MainArtist - Claudia Brucken, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2004 Universal Music Operations Limited
Album review
Act was a short-lived collaboration between synthmeister Thomas Leer and German pop diva Claudia Brucken. The pair followed up their modest four-track 1987 record Snobbery and Decay with the somewhat pretentious, half-baked concept album Laughter, Tears and Rage. At their best, Act comes close to approximating the dark-edged techno-pop sound of the Eurythmics, as on the opening "Absolutely Immune" and the blustery "Gestures." Better yet, the record's final track, "Theme from Snobbery and Decay" (taken from the band's first album), with its cutting commentary on Robin Leachery and its sweeping string arrangement by David Bedford, bears echoes of those kings of synth satire, the Pet Shop Boys. But most of the album chokes on its own goth-pop ambitions, allowing Brucken free rein to milk every available ounce of angst out of her strident vocal solos while Leer loses himself in a murky electronic purgatory of his own design. But if a small handful of mildly tuneful techno-pop is enough to hold your interest, make sure you find the American edition of Laughter, Tears and Rage, which contains a cover of the Smiths' "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" that is missing from the European version.
© Evan Cater /TiVo
About the album
- 3 disc(s) - 51 track(s)
- Total length: 03:50:59
- Main artists: Act
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: ZTT Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 1988 ZTT Records Limited This Compilation ℗ 1988 ZTT Records Limited
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