After having released their two first albums In Silence (1981) and Small Mercies (1983) on the Norwegian indie label Uniton, Fra Lippo Lippi decided to finance and release their next album, Songs, themselves. This found them taking up a bank loan before heading off to Abba's Polar Studio in Stockholm. If the evolution from the Joy Division/The Cure elements of In Silence to the keyboard based Small Mercies was a big step, the same can be said about the further development leading up to Songs, the most obvious aspect being a stronger focus on catchy tunes and more structured songs. Although the acoustic piano was a key part of Small Mercies, it was even more evident on Songs, especially as the original recording was completely without guitars. This gave the album a personal signature at a time that favoured digital synths and gadgets. Songs was released on their own Easter Productions label in 1985 and sold a respectable 5000 copies in Norway alone without marketing or singles, receiving a large amount of critical homage and ending up at the top of many album of the year polls. The album was picked up by Virgin UK, and with a brand new song and some added guitar to a couple of tracks, it was released internationally in 1986 to great acclaim both in the UK and elsewhere. However, what we have here is the original edition from 1985. Next up (FLL by now a duo of Kristoffersen and Sorensen) would be Light and Shade (1987), recorded in Los Angeles with Walter Becker from Steely Dan in the production chair. After parting company with Virgin, they released two more studio albums, The Colour Album in 1989 and Dreams in 1991.

'A-Ha have captured attention for a while, but Fra Lippo Lippi may very well capture your heart.' - New Musical Express.
'Should make your best alter ego weep with unabashed elation. Marvellous.' **** ½ - Sounds.
'It's a delight to hear music which rests solely on strength of voice, strength of melody and strength of sentiment.' **** ½ - Record Mirror.
'This is the real McCoy: reflective, gentle songs.' - Music Week.

Per Oystein Sorensen - Vocals, piano. Rune Kristoffersen - Bass, keyboards. Morten Sjoberg - Percussion. Erik Häusler - Sax.[info sheet from distr.]