Ransom Note (album)

Ransom Note is the debut and only studio album by Australian indie-pop group Dear Enemy. Ransom Note peaked at No. 15 in Australia.

Ransom Note
Studio album by Dear Enemy
Released	February 1984
Studio	Sunset Sound Factory
Genre	Rock synth-pop
Label	Capitol, EMI Music
Producer	Peter McIan
Dear Enemy chronology
Ransom Note (1984) The Best of Dear Enemy (Ransom Note & Beyond) (1999)
Singles from Ransom Note
"Computer One"/"Day to Day" Released: October 1983 "The Good Life"/"On the Line" Released: February 1984 "Kids on the Street"/"Talking to You" Released: June 1984

The album produced two top forty singles in Australia, including "Computer One", which also reached number 59 on the Billboard US Mainstream Rock chart in March 1984.^[1]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic

Michael Sutton from AllMusic said "Dear Enemy sounds confused throughout much of Ransom Note, yearning for synth pop while developing an unfortunate crush on radio-friendly mainstream rock. Ron Martini's raspy vocals have an affecting tone on 'Computer One' and 'A Bit of Your Heart'; however, on other tracks it resembles the slick, empty voice of John Parr." Sutton continues "On 'All Through the Night', Dear Enemy can't decide if they want to be Ultravox or an arena band. 'On the Line' aims for Robert Palmer's hard-driving pop but crashes into a heap of clichés. 'The Good Life', 'Talking to You' and 'Restless' would be listenable if 'Computer One' hadn't shown that Dear Enemy was capable of writing better material."^[2]

Cash Box magazine said "This techno-pop collection of up-beat rockers might debut on the modern music playlists but is bound to appeal to AOR and Top 40 radio audiences as well. Musically the band is tight, especially keyboardist Martin Fisher, who provides a background melody for Ron Martini's energised vocals and the intricate weaving of the guitars of Les Barker and Chris Langford. Particularly noteworthy are the space age 'Computer One', the mainstream 'Talking to You' and the high voltage 'On the Line'."^[3]

Track listing

Side A

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Computer One"	Martin Fisher, Chris Langford	4:43
2.	"The Good Life"	Les Barker	4:28
3.	"Talking to You"	Peter Leslie	4:24
4.	"All Through the Night"	Langford	6:05

Side B

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Kids on the Street"	Langford	3:26
2.	"On the Line"	Langford	3:15
3.	"Restless"	Langford	3:59
4.	"Bit of Your Heart"	Langford	3:40
5.	"Day to Day"	Langford	3:44

Personnel

• Peter Leslie – bass, backing vocals
• Ian Morrison - drums
• Chris Langford - backing vocals
• Les Barker - backing vocals
• Martin Fisher - keyboard, backing vocals
• Ron Martini - lead vocals
• Peter McIan - producer

Charts

Chart (1984)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[4]	15