Ransom Note is the debut and only studio album by Australian indie-pop group Dear Enemy. Ransom Note peaked at No. 15 in Australia.
| Ransom Note | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1984 | |||
| Studio | Sunset Sound Factory | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Capitol, EMI Music | |||
| Producer | Peter McIan | |||
| Dear Enemy chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Ransom Note | ||||
| ||||
The album produced two top forty singles in Australia, including "Computer One", which also reached number 59 on the Billboard US Mainstream Rock chart in March 1984.[1]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
Michael Sutton from AllMusic said "Dear Enemy sounds confused throughout much of Ransom Note, yearning for synth pop while developing an unfortunate crush on radio-friendly mainstream rock. Ron Martini's raspy vocals have an affecting tone on 'Computer One' and 'A Bit of Your Heart'; however, on other tracks it resembles the slick, empty voice of John Parr." Sutton continues "On 'All Through the Night', Dear Enemy can't decide if they want to be Ultravox or an arena band. 'On the Line' aims for Robert Palmer's hard-driving pop but crashes into a heap of clichés. 'The Good Life', 'Talking to You' and 'Restless' would be listenable if 'Computer One' hadn't shown that Dear Enemy was capable of writing better material."[2]
Cash Box magazine said "This techno-pop collection of up-beat rockers might debut on the modern music playlists but is bound to appeal to AOR and Top 40 radio audiences as well. Musically the band is tight, especially keyboardist Martin Fisher, who provides a background melody for Ron Martini's energised vocals and the intricate weaving of the guitars of Les Barker and Chris Langford. Particularly noteworthy are the space age 'Computer One', the mainstream 'Talking to You' and the high voltage 'On the Line'."[3]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Computer One" | Martin Fisher, Chris Langford | 4:43 |
| 2. | "The Good Life" | Les Barker | 4:28 |
| 3. | "Talking to You" | Peter Leslie | 4:24 |
| 4. | "All Through the Night" | Langford | 6:05 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kids on the Street" | Langford | 3:26 |
| 2. | "On the Line" | Langford | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Restless" | Langford | 3:59 |
| 4. | "Bit of Your Heart" | Langford | 3:40 |
| 5. | "Day to Day" | Langford | 3:44 |
Personnel
edit- Peter Leslie – bass, backing vocals
- Ian Morrison - drums
- Chris Langford - backing vocals
- Les Barker - backing vocals
- Martin Fisher - keyboard, backing vocals
- Ron Martini - lead vocals
- Peter McIan - producer
Charts
edit| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[4] | 15 |
References
edit- ^ "Billboard - Dear Enemy Chart History - Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard.com. Billboard. Archived from the original on January 10, 2019. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "Ransom Note on AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
- ^ "Album Reiews" (PDF). Cash Box. 11 February 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 8 December 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). Sydney: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988.