Press Information 

Cupid & Psyche 85 

Warner Bros press release 
Author unknown

'Cupid & Psyche 85' is the debut album on Warner Bros Records from Scritti Politti, one of the most talked about, challenging and creative British musical exports in recent memory. The nine-song selection is ample proof that the substantial word-of-mouth preceeding the release of 'Cupid & Psyche 85' was something more than idle speculation. Bolstered by an alluring taste of things to come - in the form of 'Wood Beez'/'Absolute', a maxi-single released late last year that went on to become a substantial dance hit - expectations for Scritti Politti's American debut ran high. If anything, 'Cupid & Psyche 85' has far exceeded those expectations.

After gaining widespread attention in their native UK - as much for theorizing about pop music as for fashioning it - the first edition of Scritti Politti (a trio) earned equally extensive critical and popular praise with the release, in 1981, of a string of stunningly original singles including 'Sweetest Girl', 'Faithless' and 'Asylums In Jerusalem'. Their English debut album, 'Songs To Remember', was a Top Twenty hit, and although it was available in the US only as an import, its unique and innovative approach to pop consolidated the group's reputation as an astute, savvy and decidely unconventional creative force with progressive audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. Shortly after the release of 'Songs To Remember', Scritti Politti reduced its line-up by two-thirds, leaving a core of one, namely a man by the name of Green.

Green had, in fact, relocated to New York by this time and was busy constructing a new musical assemblage with the assistance of co-conspirators as diverse a Nile Rodgers, Miles Davis, bassist Marcus Miller and Lou Reed drummer Fred Maher. The work was to prove only a warm-up for further, and more expressive, musical forays.

Green spent the spring and summer of 1983 between Connecticut beaches and New York studios, writing, rehearsing and carefully mapping his next move. His long-dreamed goal of working with renowned producer Arif Mardin was realized when the producer heard a sample of Green's on-going musical experiments and was sufficiently impressed to suggest a collaboration. Moving to a Broadway apartment, Green immediately began work on a new Scritti Politti album, assembling a supporting musical cast that included Mardin, drummer Fred Maher, keyboardist David Gamson and a host of others including Paul Jackson Jnr., Robbie Buchanan and Will Lee.

The result is 'Cupid & Psyche 85', a galvanizing, complex and instantly accessible collection of original compositions, the hits 'Wood Beez', 'Absolute' and 'Hypnotize', as well as such Scritti Politti mystical dance offerings as 'Flesh And Blood', 'Small Talk' and 'Lover To Fall'. Recorded in New York and London, 'Cupid & Psyche 85' contains three Mardin-produced songs, with the rest being helmed by Green in association with David Gamson and Fred Maher.

'Cupid & Psyche 85' may well be the most adventurous melding of pop consciousness, rhythm and mystery in this, or any other musical season. For once the rumours were right - Scritti Politti is the name to watch. And the music to hear.