Album · Modern English
Ricochet Days by Modern English
Ricochet Days is an album by Modern English, released in 1984. 1 song from it has charted on rock radio countdowns, with 1 countdown appearance in total. The biggest is “Hands Across the Sea”, on 1 list with a best position of #383.
Ricochet Days, Modern English's third album, came out in 1984 through three doors at once: 4AD at home in Britain, Vertigo in Canada and Sire in America. It followed After the Snow, and Hugh Jones produced it, polishing the Colchester band's sound until it gleamed. The Joy Division shadow of their early days has mostly lifted; what's left is widescreen new wave, Robbie Grey's voice floating over washes of keyboards and a rhythm section built for big rooms.
"Hands Across the Sea", which sits beside "I Melt with You" among the songs the band is best remembered for, is the grand gesture here, all outstretched arms and chiming uplift. In America the album crept to number 93 on the Billboard 200. AllMusic's Alex Ogg later gave it a mixed notice, crediting Jones's production and a few sturdy hooks but hearing the start of a slide toward generic synth-pop.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs from Ricochet Days on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hands Across the Sea | 1 | #383 | – | 1988 |
Only songs that appear on at least one countdown are listed. Release data from MusicBrainz.