By DAVID BRINNpaul young 248.88(photo credit: )
Eighties nostalgia doesn't get any more wistful than Paul Young. Rather than the trendy spikiness of fellow Brit new wave-era ravers like Spandau Ballet, Go West or Bananarama, the 52-year-old crooner's music was firmly anchored in the classic r&b and soul of Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye.
That's why his hits like "Every Time You Go Away" (a knockoff of like-minded blue-eyed soul colleagues from across the sea, Hall & Oates) and Gaye's "Wherever I Lay My Hat is My Home" aren't painful to listen to today.
In fact, fans who attend one of Young's three shows in Israel - Jan. 29 at Tel Aviv's Hechal Hatarbut, Jan. 30 at Haifa's Congress Center and Jan. 31 back in Tel Aviv at Reading 3 - might be surprised to discover what fine vocal form Young is in, considering the voice problems that have plagued him, contributing to his disappearance from the charts in the 1990s.
"I used to overwork, and it caused a muscular strain. It's been greatly exaggerated, and I'm fine. I just need to be careful," he said by phone earlier this month from London, where he enjoys his two passions of music and cooking.
Lately, Young's been touring with some of the other '80s survivors like former Spandau Ballet frontman Tony Hadley and Go West's Peter Cox.
"It's been great, really good fun. We didn't get to see much of each other back then. We might bump into each other at a TV studio or something, but we were all so busy then touring and recording," said Young. "So, to now actually get to spend some time with other people who had relatively the same experiences I did in the '80s has been great."
Now, you too, can experience the '80s. Spandex optional.
Tickets cost from NIS 149-239 and can be ordered at, (03) 521-5200 and (04) 866-2244.
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