Rain Forest: Paul Hardcastle

Album: Rain Forest

Artist: Paul Hardcastle

Year: 1985

Songs of Note: Rain Forest, Panic, Sound Chaser

Rocking one of the most awesomely 80's album covers ever is Paul Hardcastle with "Rain Forest". What more could you want, the fro is tight, the keyboard is featured prominently, and the green bars that were associated with computer worlds are all there. Of course this could only be a instrumental album. To really enjoy this you need to be paying close attention to really get the most out of your listening experience. For me, the electronic sounds made me think of video game music, specifically Mega Man. Some of the effects sounded a lot like the protoman whistle.

The tracks here either had a large influence on or were influenced by early hip-hop. I'm guessing it was hip-hop that had the influence because this was released in 1985. There are a lot of drum machines and synthesizers throughout. The standout tracks for me incorporate the electronic instruments and place them in the context of real songs, not using these electronic instruments just for the sake of using them. "Rain Forest" is probably one of the best known songs. At least that's what I can gather from my google search. I don't think it stands out anymore than some of the other tracks. My personal favorite was "Panic". It starts out with some record scratching a guitar riff and transitions into a synthesizer sound that reminded me of Big Boi's "Shutterbugg". Some vocal synthesizer sounds are sprinkled throughout.

I don't know much about Paul Hardcastle but this record shows that he was ahead of his time. I can appreciate the music but I don't think I need to listen to it again.