Group (the) - I Hear I See I Learn

Name: The Group
Album: I Hear I See I Learn
Year: 1984
Style: New Wave, Anthemic Rock
Similar Bands: The Alarm, Big Country, Thomas Dolby, Gang of Four
"One-Word" Review: Vast  Frozen Tundra Soundscapes
Based Out Of: Not really sure...my guess is UK or maybe Germany.
Label: Jive, Artista

I Hear I See I Learn (1984)

1. American 3:45
2. She's 19 3:14
3. Iron Chain 4:25
4. Private Future 4:19 / 
5. Talk to Myself 3:28
6. Victims of Circumstance 4:42
7. Turn of the Century 3:32
8. Republic 4:12

Album Rating (1-10): 6.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Nigel Green - Producer, Engineer, 
• Ian Martin - Guitar, Lead Vox, Lyrics (X-Effects. The Celibate Rifles, Phil Saatchi)
• Julie Fletcher - Drums, Percussion, Vox (State Of Play)
• Jon Astrop - Bass, Vox, Percussion, Keys, Sleeve Design (Absolute Elsewhere, X-Effects, Precious Wilson, Gang of Four, Absolute Elsewhere, Millie Jackson, Horsetheives)
• Anjali Dutt - Asst Engineer, Missile Command
• Dean Garcia - Percussion (Curve, BOFC, Blurred City Lights, Eurythmics, Inkraktare, KGC, Morpheme, STFU, Slant, SPC ECO, State of Play, Black Holes, Chronologic, Europeans, Secret Meeting)
• Eddi Reader - Vox (Fairground Attraction, Outbar Squeek, Academy of Fine Popular Music, Language, Matt Fretton, Waterboys, Thomas Dolby, Gang of Four, Levellers, Jools Holland)
• Ben Barson - Keys (Bette Bright & The Illuminations, Clive Langer & the Boxes, Nick Lowe, Gabrielle, Kate Bush )
• Cameron Eccles - Mgmt
• Chris Goreham - Recording Engineer
• Bryan "Chuck" New - Recording Engineer
• Pete Harris - Assistance with Fairlight
• Harry Metcalfe - Photos

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this generically named The Group, but based on the cover (particularly their faces and the outfits on the standing two members) and the year (1984), I'm going to guess that this is some sort of jangly pop, with a cold edge...maybe something electronic, too.

Album Review: Read that Julie & Dean are married percussionists, and have 2 children also in bands. Jon Astrop played bass on 4 Gang of Four tracks on Hard in '83, and is now an artist. But not much out there on this band, perhaps because of their SEO unfriendly name. I don't even really know where they are from, after trying to go through comments on youtube videos, i am deducing that they are either from the UK (Jon Astrop is British) or maybe Germany. They follow suite of the cold sweeping soundscape, anthemic rock genre that sounds like they are musically describing a non-developed tundra landscape you'd imagine in Northern Ireland or Russia. The chorus of Turn of the Century sounds a lot like Thomas Dolby

Stand Out Track: Iron Chain

Links:
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7 youtube tracks