Tracklist
The Grooves- 1Unknown Soldier (Can't Get to Heaven)
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Liner Notes
Roger Chapman and the Shortlist's Mail Order Magic first appeared on Line Records in Germany in 1980. The UK edition followed on Kamera (KAM 001) in 1981.
Album Reviews3
Reviews gathered with this release and kept on the album page rather than in the general Press Archive.
Mail Order Magic — AllMusic review
Retrospective review. Patrick Little sets Mail Order Magic against a difficult background: punk and new wave had changed the British market, Chapman’s label was failing, money was tight and the sessions moved between studios. Terry Barham and Paul Smykle were brought in to shape the scattered recordings into a finished album.
Little considers the result remarkably strong. The hard-edged material suits Chapman’s voice, particularly “Unknown Soldier,” while the Shortlist moves convincingly through R&B and more experimental territory. His conclusion is that Chapman would later find a more comfortable career, but seldom material quite as forceful or convincing.
Mail Order Magic and Mango Crazy — 2004 reissue reviews
Reissue review. Reviewing the 2004 Mystic CDs together, Joe Geesin gives Mail Order Magic three stars and Mango Crazy four.
Mail Order Magic
Geesin hears strong writing, dark and moody passages and an early-1980s new-wave edge around Chapman and Geoff Whitehorn. The changing tempos give the record variety, with echoes of Alex Harvey and the gentler end of Dire Straits. His verdict is positive but qualified: enjoyable and often absorbing, though not consistently gripping.
Mango Crazy
The new-wave influence is stronger, but Chapman’s voice is particularly well suited to it. Geesin finds the songs more purposeful than those on the earlier album and praises the wider band around Whitehorn, Steve Simpson, Boz Burrell and the keyboard players.
Moth to a Flame — box-set review
Box-set review. The review presents Moth to a Flame as a strong account of Chapman’s first solo phase: Chappo, Live in Hamburg and Mail Order Magic, expanded with BBC material, demos, outtakes and further live recordings.
Particular praise goes to Mail Order Magic. Despite the label and recording difficulties surrounding it, the album is described as powerful and packed with memorable Chapman material. The additional Hamburg performance is rougher than the official live album, but that lack of polish is treated as part of its excitement rather than a weakness.
All Pressings6
Every known issue, variant, reissue, and repress across all countries and formats. Identical catalogue entries with multiple Discogs listings are grouped into a single row.
Gallery6 images
Covers, labels, inserts, and press material across all pressings. Click any image to view full-size.
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