Year of the Dragon Modern Talking BMG, 2000 Buy it online  Tracks 1: China In Her Eyes (Album Version) 2: Don't Take Away My Heart 3: It's Your Smile 4: Cosmic Girl 5: After Your Love Is Gone 6: Girl Out of My Dreams 7: My Lonely Girl 8: No Face No Name No Number 9: Can't Let You Go 10: Part Time Lover 11: Time Is On My Side 12: I'll Never Fall In Love Again 13: Avec Toi 14: I'm Not Guilty 15: Fight For the Right Love 16: Walking In The Rain of Paris 17: Fly to the Moon 18: Love Is Forever 19: China In Her Eyes (bonus) Reviewed by Monica Stark	It's possible for a North American born after 1960 to have come of age not having heard of Modern Talking. However, on most of the other continents on this planet, Modern Talking were as big as the Beatles or the Bee Gees ever were. The only thing that made a bigger entertainment news splash than their highly publicized 1987 breakup was their mightily hullabalooed return on 1998's Back for Good. The group formed in Berlin as Modernes Gespräch when producer and composer Dieter Bohlen teamed with then 20-year-old vocalist Bernd Weidung, already a flyer with a couple of early albums partly written by Bohlen. Before the release of the duo's first album -- the hopefully entitled The First Album -- the duo had anglicized the group's name to Modern Talking and Weidung has likewise changed his own moniker to Thomas Anders. The First Album was not an immediate hit in the group's native Germany, but when it popped, it popped huge. Recorded and released in 1984, the album didn't take until the beginning of 1985 but when it did, the single "You're My Heart, You're My Soul" would go on to be one of the group's most popular songs. It vaulted Modern Talking onto the charts and -- perhaps ultimately more importantly -- positioned them among the fathers of EuroDance, though they'd likely balk at the description. The team was prolific and other albums followed quickly: Let's Talk About Love and You Can Win if You Want later in 1985; Ready for Romance and In the Middle of Nowhere in 1986; Romantic Warriors and In the Garden of Venus in 1987. By the time this last was released, however, the team had split -- the rift apparently inspired by a disagreement over a woman. Since the fan base Modern Talking had built in North America was largely within the gay community, this news was likely met with some dismay on the western side of the pond. All of the albums featured the duo's EuroDisco sensibility. The music of Modern Talking is mostly happy -- even songs with names with blues potential like "After Your Love is Gone" and "Can't Let You Go" are bright, energetic and supremely danceable. This last, of course, accounts for Modern Talking's success. Whatever else you can say about Dietor Bohlen and Thomas Anders, you can always dance to their music. Even in 2000, Modern Talking brings back the frenetic and fertile Berlin club scene of the mid-1980s. Think Club Dance. Think Dance Pop. Think practically prehistoric Electronica. This is Modern Talking. Any evolution you might be witnessing on Year of the Dragon is purely coincidental. It's happened, sure, but the changes seem to be more due to technology (it's easier to make electronica now than it was in 1983) than the growth of Modern Talking as musicians. This isn't a bad thing: in fact, it was sort of predictable. Both men had gone on to more or less successful solo careers in the decade-plus that they didn't record together. Without real inside knowledge, it seems highly likely that Modern Talking's motivation for getting back together looked a lot like the Eagles' reason: their fans missed them. And they had a lot of fans. That kind of motivation doesn't engender musical progression. In fact, quite the opposite. If it's not broken... and there were a lot of people pretty anxious to get their hands on new music by Modern Talking. The notable exception is the bonus track on Year of the Dragon. This version of "China In Her Eyes" features some really sterling rap riffs by Eric Singleton over what otherwise seems to be identical to the album version of the song. For the most part, however, Year of the Dragon is classic Modern Talking: bubbling, romantic eletronica. Prepare the dance floor and get out the gold body paint, Year of the Dragon is intended to make you move. | August 2000 Monica Stark is a freelance writer and editor.	All of the albums featured the duo's EuroDisco sensibility. The music of Modern Talking is mostly happy -- even songs with names with blues potential like "After Your Love is Gone" and "Can't Let You Go" are bright, energetic and supremely danceable. This last, of course, accounts for Modern Talking's success. Whatever else you can say about Dietor Bohlen and Thomas Anders, you can always dance to their music.