Gold by Barbara Dickson, 1985

Gold was a compilation album released by Barbara Dickson on the 18th November 1985. Featuring the hit song ‘I Know Him So Well’ with Elaine Paige from the musical Chess, the tracklist combines covers and original songs, peaking at no’ 11 in the UK Albums Chart
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It’s not often that I pick up multiple versions of an album at a similar time, but it did happen with Gold a few months ago, on vinyl and cassette. You might wonder why you’d want to listen to an album through different mediums, but each offers a difference experience, especially vinyl, and I love the tactile nature of having various forms of physical media.

The first song that captured me from this album is ‘Another Good Day For Goodbye’, a beautiful soft-rock ballad. You could almost be there, dry ice unfurling across the stage, as Barbara sings about heartbreak in a tone not dissimilar to Heart. The next track, ‘Touch Touch’, qualifies as another 80s banger that will be stuck in your head for days, and I think ‘Rising Water’ is lovely too.
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This is a record that is definitely defined by its covers - we get a beautiful rendition of ‘Missing You’ by John Waite, and Barbara’s voice is made for ‘What Is Love’ by Howard Jones, navigating that chorus riff with ease. One surprise was a cover of ‘Soldiers’ by ABBA too, a song of theirs that isn’t as well known but worthy of being highlighted. There’s even a rendition of ‘A Day In The Life’ by the Beatles, which Barbara infuses with emotion.
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Gold is a demonstration of how wide-ranging Barbara’s talent is, from a theatre track we all know and love her for, to gentle love songs and covers that could easily be her own songs. She’s just finished her final tour, her latest album released in December 2023, and signed merchandise is available on her website.