''Cover Plus'' is the third album by English singer

Hazel O'Connor Hazel Thereasa O'Connor (born 16 May 1954) is a British singer-songwriter and actress. She became famous in the early 1980s with hit singles " Eighth Day", " D-Days" and " Will You?" She also starred in the 1980 film '' Breaking Glass''. Caree ...

, released in August 1981 by Albion Records. The album charted at number 32 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. It was reissued on CD with bonus tracks on 17 November 2017 by

Cherry Red Records Cherry Red Records is a British independent record label founded in Malvern, Worcestershire by Iain McNay in 1978. The label has released recordings by Dead Kennedys, Everything but the Girl, The Monochrome Set, and Felt, among others, as w ...

Background

On the back of the success of the ''Breaking Glass'' film and

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

'','' O'Connor released her first 'proper' album ''

Sons and Lovers ''Sons and Lovers'' is a 1913 novel by the English writer D. H. Lawrence. It traces emotional conflicts through the protagonist, Paul Morel, and his suffocating relationships with a demanding mother and two very different lovers, which exert ...

'', produced by

Nigel Gray Nigel Gray (1947 – 30 July 2016) was an English record producer. His album credits include ''Outlandos d'Amour'' (1978), ''Reggatta de Blanc'' (1979), and ''Zenyatta Mondatta'' (1980) for the Police, ''Kaleidoscope'' (1980) and '' Juju'' (1981 ...

. Despite including the Top-Ten hit "

D-Days "D-Days" is a song by British singer-songwriter Hazel O'Connor, released in March 1981 as a single from her second album, ''Sons and Lovers''. The single was produced by Nigel Gray and remixed for single release by Tony Visconti, who had produce ...

", the album failed to chart. This came as somewhat as a surprise, with O'Connor wanting to move on from the acting success of Kate in the film. Yet the album followed the same format of ''Breaking Glass'' album and in some parts it seemed as though she was trying too hard and coming over "a bit melodramatic and actor-ish vocally". Therefore, it was with some caution that O'Connor approached ''Cover Plus''.

Content

The album was produced by

Tony Visconti Anthony Edward Visconti (born April 24, 1944) is an American record producer, musician and singer. Since the late 1960s, he has worked with an array of performers. His first hit single was T. Rex's " Ride a White Swan" in 1970, the first of man ...

, who had produced ''Breaking Glass'', and combines several cover songs with original compositions, many of which were autobiographical. The cover artwork, by Edward Bell suggests O'Connor was moving away from the "peroxide punk look in favour of a more Bowie-esque style". Four singles were released from the album. The title track "(Cover Plus) We're All Grown Up" is about being discovered playing doctors and nurses and is also about a loss of innocence. It peaked at number 41 on the UK Singles Chart. The only other single to chart was a cover of The Stranglers' " Hanging Around", which peaked at number 45 in the UK. "Men of Good Fortune" is a cover of a song by

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

and was also given away with the ninth issue of '' Flexipop!'' magazine in August 1981. The last single released was "That's Life", which was written in the style of

Édith Piaf Édith Giovanna Gassion (19 December 1915 – 10 October 1963), known as Édith Piaf (), was a French singer and lyricist best known for performing songs in the cabaret and modern chanson genres. She is widely regarded as France's greatest popu ...

and is a song about having no regrets over a broken romance. At the time of the release of the singles and the album,

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

were still promoting ''Breaking Glass'', with " Will You?" released in May 1981 and "Calls the Tune" released in January 1982, which may have affected the commercial performance of ''Cover Plus''. "Ee-I-Addio" is a reworking of O'Connor's 1979 debut single "Ee-I-Adio" about childhood domestic abuse. The title comes from the

nursery rhyme A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and other European countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. Fr ...

The Farmer in the Dell "The Farmer in the Dell" is a singing game, nursery rhyme, folksong, and children's song. It probably originated in Germany and was brought to America by immigrants.I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Singing Game'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1985) ...

". The original version is also included on the extended edition of the album. "Not for You" is about refusal to make promises in a personal relationship that could affect her own ideals of freedom. "Animal Farm (We Will Be Happy?)" is a take on the

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

George Orwell Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950) was an English novelist, poet, essayist, journalist, and critic who wrote under the pen name of George Orwell. His work is characterised by lucid prose, social criticism, opposition to a ...

. "Runaway" is about O'Connor's experience of running away to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

when she was 16. Another cover on the album is " Do What You Gotta Do", written by

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He achieved success at an early age, winning the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the age of 21. During his career, he established himself as one of Am ...

. O'Connor switches the genders around so that it is sung from her perspective. The reissue's bonus tracks include "Time is Free", which was the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

to the single release of "D-Days" from ''Sons and Lovers''. Recorded a year before ''Cover Plus,'' it is more punky than the rest of the album. The next track, "White Room" was the B-side to "Cover Plus (We're All Grown Up)" and is softer and more folky, a style O'Connor would move into in later years. The final three bonus tracks are foreign language versions of album tracks: a rather fitting version of "That's Life" in French, as well as "Dawn Chorus" also in French, and "Not for You" in German.

Reception

Reviewing the album for ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'', Lynn Hanna wrote "Everything she's done so far has had that sense of something slight, sensationalised. On 'Cover Plus' this problem is compounded by her habit of picking on the most serious subjects and turning them into trite, often plain silly, observations with an added gloss of unconvincing melodrama. To take a thing like wife-beating and the whole horrible subject of family discord, called it 'Ee-I-Addio' and add a real kiddie chorus smacks of offensive emotional trickery rather than real hard heartbreak. By the same token 'Animal Farm (We Will Be Happy)' is a pointless treatment of George Orwell's celebrated political fable delivered in portentous tones that are insultingly empty." Red Starr, reviewing for ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'', wrote "No place for the sensitive this, as the utterly artless Hazel O'Nonotagain over-acts her way through another batch of spectacularly awful self-penned songs... plus a couple of equally hamfisted cover versions." The reviewer did however say that "her band are pretty good and she can knock out a reasonable tune." However, reviewing the album for ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

'', Simon Tebbutt was much more positive, writing that the songs are "about her own life and experiences but don't somehow smack of the self indulgence and introspection I've come to associate with some many "me" writers. The lyrics might look flat on paper but take on an added dimension when coupled with the music. Even the covers of other people's work come over as felt rather than merely recited." Tebbutt concluded that the album "is certainly more sophisticated than what's gone before. There is a kind of muted feel about it but, like everything, if you like Hazel O'Connor you'll like it. I was never sure before if it was the music or the personality, but this album gives you a clearer idea of both."

Track listing

2017 bonus tracks:

Personnel

Musicians *

– vocals * Wesley Magoogan – saxophone,

lyricon The Lyricon is an electronic wind instrument, the first wind controller to be constructed. Invented by Bill Bernardi (and co-engineered by Roger Noble and with the late Lyricon performer Chuck GreenbergIngham (1998) p.184) of Shadowfax, file ...

, backing vocals * Eddie Case – drums, electronic drums, backing vocals * Neil O'Connor – guitar, backing vocals * Andy "Roots" Qunta – keyboards, backing vocals * Steve Kinch – bass guitar, backing vocals * Delaney Visconti, Jessica Visconti, Nicholas Donovan (as the Kids);

Mary Hopkin Mary Hopkin (born 3 May 1950), credited on some recordings as Mary Visconti from her marriage to Tony Visconti, is a Welsh singer best known for her 1968 UK number 1 single " Those Were the Days". She was one of the first artists to be sign ...

, Lizzie Donovan (as the Mums) – additional backing vocals Technical * Gordon Fordyce, Chris Porter – engineers * Edward Bell – sleeve artwork * Arranged by Hazel O'Connor,

and Megahype (the backing band) * Recorded and mixed at

Good Earth Studios Dean Street Studios is a commercial recording studio located at 59 Dean Street, Soho, London, England. History The premises are first known to have been used as a film studio in the 1950s, which then became Zodiac Studios. In 1977 producer Ton ...

, London, May–June 1981

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1981 albums Albums arranged by Tony Visconti Albums produced by Tony Visconti New wave albums by English artists