It feels as though a great weight has lifted from everyone's shoulders with this album. We've had the indie debut. We've had the surprise pop follow up. What next? More into the same space as Duran and Boy George, or a return to the roots? It turns out that 'why not both?' is the answer. There's a relaxed feel to Here Comes the Rain Again that tells you that the band are in control, and will, frankly, do whatever they please. And what you get is a number one album. It's a perfect start though - not trying to ape Sweet Dreams too much, but with enough quirk to maintain your interest, and those oblique lyrics, almost there with The Blue Nile.

Razorblade Smile, that's a blast from the past. Great lift. Though it seems on looking it's a fairly broad reference.

Right By Your Side is straight out of the Lionel Richie playbook, and I mean that as a huge compliment. Just great party music for those 80s hipsters in wide trousers and big white tees. I would definitely have taped this off the chart rundown. In fact, it's almost strange that I don't have any Eurythmics really. Right on my era, the Scottish link, insanely popular. Maybe I saw them as just too chart. The Smiths had already begun their inexorable march, I suppose.

Who's That Girl was the big hit I guess, though by now they are all big hits I think. This was everywhere - people fascinated by the haircut for whatever reason. And there was some small confusion with the Madonna (?) film (or song?) of the same name which came out at around the same time. This is maybe the closest to Sweet Dreams? With the repeated 'tell me' riff at the end. I love the little tinkling piano line right there at the close.

This was an era where LPs were vehicles for three or four songs I guess, unless you were Pink Floyd or The Cure or whatever. From a pop POV, you just had hit, hit, hit, then a lot of other songs. I'm never sure whether a song like The First Cut would have been a huge hit if it had received the same airplay as Right By Your Side. Who can say. Ultimately, this album ends with something of a long fade. But what a start.