At their flirtation with fame they were more aligned with groups like The Associates but the songs - When I Dream, Reward, Treason - we're great pop songs and Julian was very easy on the eye but as a 15 year old boy you could say you were a Teardrops fan and not get beaten up for it.
To my recollection, the teeny-bop audience had pretty much stopped noticing Julian after Passionate Friend and definitely by the time Colours Fly Away was released. Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet & Adam and the Ants were far more obviously rapacious in chasing that market. And wore far more makeup. By 1984 Julian was largely forgotten. I wasn't at all shocked by the cover of Fried, I thought it was simply quite playful. I was more shocked by the eschewing of synths and new technology in general, especially on WSYM, I hadn't been exposed to such a change in direction by an artist before.
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