Published on Dec 5, 2019
Paul Young was one of the pioneers of ’80s English pop. Here we hear/see him at the top of his game. In the early ’80s he was consistently moving up in popularity and of course the charts. Nineteen eighty-five finds Young absolutely peaking. He just scored his biggest hit with “Every Time You Go Away” and things looked bright.
There is very little when it comes to Paul Young on video. This concert shows Young on stage and marks a historic time in his life. Young looks very confident and sounds great. Despite the voice problems he sometimes faced, this show went on without a glitch. Many of the Rockpalast shows made their way into videotape trading circles, but this one never did. In fact, very few people knew of this show. It’s great to finally get all of this treasure in the best possible quality available.
Paul Young has a great charisma here and gives a great show. He has a really good band with him, and it all flows together nicely. The show itself is a great production with some outlandish 1980s wardrobe. It was a bigger-than-life time, and it is well reflected here. This may cause the show to be considered dated, but it is certainly great to revisit. And for those who never got to see Young in his prime, this is your candy store moment.
It seems like everything in Paul Young’s career was leading up to this very moment. After 1985, he never did have much chart success. Young continued to release records, but they went mostly unnoticed, and never generated another such momentum. More recently, Young, went back to be little bit more present on the live circuit. And he’s truly a perfect addition to any of the ’80s nostalgia packages. But it’s really what these songs represent to individual listeners. We catch Young here at his absolute best in a moment of time where he was simply untouchable. If you were there you know what an amazing time it was.