Alphaville first rose to prominence with the smash debut "Forever Young" album in 1984. But it was their 1986 release, "Afternoons in Utopia" that really provided one of New Wave's high-water marks.

From the sparkling "Dance With Me", to the haunting "Afternoons in Utopia", to the driving anthem that is "Jerusalem", this CD provides one super track after another.

"Sensations" seems to get better with each listen, the catchy "Red Rose" is a kinetic romp of sound, and of course no one could forget the dance favorite "Universal Daddy".

No real flaws in this album, no filler, just one last blast in the 80s for Alphaville, before switching gears with their next offering "The Breathtaking Blue".

"Afternoons in Utopia" is required listening for all fans of New Wave. Definitely worth the price!

I actually bought this CD in 1986 when I was 17, so it's a bit difficult to give an impartial view without incorporating the powerful emotions invoked by memories of my late teenage years. So what?! To me this is the most musically interesting and engaging album in my collection. Marian's singing is glorious and the lyrics set your imagination on fire, depicting a world of love and fantasy; introducing symbols and characters that often re-appear in later Alphaville songs.

I've heard it said that many talented bands produce their finest work on their second album. Whether or not this is true, I do believe it is the case here that Alphaville's most cohesive collection of musical genius came in the form of Afternoons in Utopia.

Forever Young was a tough act to follow, but the boys from Munster deliver and then some with "Afternoons." The album combines powerful melody, synthesizer mastery, classical influence, and SOUL -- a combination that blows away all other synth bands, and, for that matter, all other bands. Few albums contain such diversity of styles, yet remain whole throughout.

Run don't walk to purchase what you too will become convinced is the best album ever recorded.

Afternoons in Utopia being their second album is a very good album. However, Forever Young was such an amazing debute album that they were bound to create something less then and this exactly what happened. Songs like Afternoons in Utopia, and Dance With Me are very nice tracks. However, their first album spawned so many more hits. Yet this is a very good album filled with 80's music and the cover is so much better then the first album. I would rather have a photo of the band then some strange art that you can not make heads or tails our of. 4 Stars is not a slight and this is a well produced album with great lyrics, vocals, and beats that just does not meet the high standards of their debute album.

Alphaville is very much a European band for those who appreciate the Euro- techno style. Having penned the classic "Forever Young,(a mainstay at 80's highschool reunions) this album is for the classically inclined. One not need to listen for more than a few minutes through this CD to find Beethoven all over it. Marion Gold calls it a "space opera", so opera is how it should be heard. Each song bleeds into the next with wonderful relation to the following track. This is an album for those who enjoy studying music; the top 40 conoseur will find it boring and drab. If you want a musical challenge, give this album a chance. It certainly goes down as one of my favorite "desert island discs".By far the greatest recording Alphaville ever recorded!