RAH stands for Richard Anthony Hewson, who was the driving force behind the RAH Band. In fact, he was its only member; he’s just good at lots of instruments!
He makes a certain funky style of electronic music, and “Messages From The Stars” is a testament to his one man jam skills.
It’s an electro-funk banger, which sounds both quintessentially 80s and surprisingly modern.
The bassline struts confidently through the song, with some sweet keyboard noodling overlaying the astral riffs and soulful vocals. Interestingly, those vocals are done by his wife Liz. Clearly a power couple…
The song seems to anticipate the G-Funk of the 90s, with its distinctly Parliament-esque squeals and rhythmic prowess.
It’s a essentially a dance song, with its sing-a-long vocals and powerful rhythm section. But the song has enough complexity, and enough laid back spacey-ness, to render it an enjoyable relaxing listening experience.
Lyrics wise, it’s not light years ahead of its time, but the singing is stellar, and it gets it point across. It’s simple and unfussy, and about love.
The song was released in 1983 on the album Going Up, but also as a single, which was recently reissued in 2017 having become highly sought after.
Sounds of the future!