Eye of the Hurricane was the 3rd studio album by The Alarm recorded in the summer of 1987 and released worldwide on Monday 9th November 1987. The original press releases and newsletters from The Alarm fan club stated a release date of 19th October 1987 but this appears to have been delayed. In 2000 Mike Peters remastered these original recordings as part of the Alarm 2000 collection, this was an extended version including tracks from the b-sides of the singles released and also non album singles and has 21 tracks.

(Images supplied by Stephen Rav)

The David Leonard remix of The Alarm’s Rain In The Summertime, was released on October 5th 1987 and was a huge success. The same was expected of the album and on 9th November 1987 Eye Of The Hurricane, which featured 10 brand new tracks (6 tracks mixed by David Leonard and 2 by Porter/Platt), was released worldwide by IRS records. Due to distribution issues in the UK, the album only entered the charts at number 23. This was one problem The Alarm could have done without – Alarm2000 Box Set liner notes


Eye Of The Hurricane initially entered the UK Album charts at 23 on 14th November 1987
UK Official Albums chart positions
14th November 1987 – Enters at number 23
21st November 1987 – Drops to number 46
28th November 1987 – Drops to number 79
5th December 1987 – Drops to number 99
Leaves the Top 100 official UK albums charts

Eye of The Hurricane 1987 Release
Musicians & Credits
Mike Peters – Lead Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Harmonica
Dave Sharp – Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Vocals
Eddie Macdonald – Bass, Bass Synth, Keyboards, Vocals
Nigel Twist – Drums, Drum Programming [Linn programming], Vocals
Mark Taylor – Piano, DX7 Synthesizer
Chris Stanton – Piano, Hammond Organ

Vinyl Album Track listing
Folklore Side
1. Rain In The Summertime
2. Newtown Jericho
3. Hallowed Ground
4. One Step Closer To Home
5. Shelter
Electric Side
6. Rescue Me
7. Permanence In Change
8. Presence Of Love
9. Only Love Can Set Me Free
10. Eye Of The Hurricane


Eye Of The Hurricane magazine advert from Music Week 24th October 1987 provided by Alex Mish Dani

Eye Of The Hurricane magazine advert from Musician March 1988 provided by Stephen Rav

Reviews
Q Magazine by Robert Sandall (1987)
Their first album in two years is touted as showing these four Welshmen exploring their Celtic roots. Turns out though that what they’ve really been exploring is how to sound like their old mates U2. In particular the new single Rain In Summertime could have been an outtake from Joshua Tree. Not only has vocalist Mike Peters got his Bono imitation off pat but song titles like Jericho and Hallowed Ground strike a note of cod religiosity which is an obvious poor relation of U2’s. At least they don’t model themselves on The Clash any more, but with three albums down, The Alarm are no nearer establishing an identity of their own. (2 stars)

CirckleKJ – Webblog Published 2017
THE ALARM ‘EYE OF THE HURRICANE’ @ 30
Originally released in October 1987, Eye Of The Hurricane is one of The Alarm’s most celebrated & best selling albums and features the perennial Rain In The Summertime, along with live classics Rescue Me, Shelter and One Step Closer To Home. Following a series of landmark Alarm gigs in both the USA (Spirit Of ’86 Concert in California – April ’86) & UK (Wembley Stadium – July ’86), Mike Peters returned home to Wales and spent the rest of the year travelling through and re/discovering his home country, from North to South, East to West and back again, all the while creating new music and lyrics while filming everything he surveyed with a basic VHS VideoCam recorder. Coinciding with the death throes of the industrial era and the beginnings of the new information age, Mike’s travelog would ultimately give rise to an air of self discovery and identity renewal for a band in need of a new dawn and at the same time, documenting the rebirth of a nation ready to throw down the shackles of it’s past
In 1987 I saw a video on MTV by this band called The Alarm for a song entitled “Rain In the Summertime”. The voice of Mike Peters froze me in my tracks. I loved it, and filed it away in my head to acquire later. Fast forward to November, 1988. I had just started dating a girl who was a metalhead, like me, but also had a deep affinity for bands like Depeche Mode, U2, and yes, The Alarm. I was at her house one day after school, all set for a hot make-out session when I saw it…in her wall-mounted tape case (remember those??) was a tape: The Alarm- Eye of the Hurricane! Naturally I turned on the charm and when I left the tape case was in my denim jacket pocket, and the tape was where? In the trusty Walkman, that’s where!! I took longer than normal to ride home that day because I was listening to sheer greatness
The album opens up with one of my favorite songs even now, the aforementioned “Rain In the Summertime”, a song that was always my go-to whenever I was upset, pissed, or depressed, and it still works for me. The guitars of Dave Sharp are so fluid it actually reminds me of the rain, and no matter where I am or what I am doing, I am transported back in time whenever I hear it, and I end up smiling. It’s magical. “Newtown Jericho” is next, with decidedly dark subject matter for something so melodic. One thing The Alarm faithfully did on each album was address the plight of the working man, and “Hallowed Ground” is one of their finest examples of this. When they sing about no work on the docks, you can see it
Powerful stuff, as was the mostly piano-driven “One Step Closer to Home” about a wayward young man. This is one I cut my vocal teeth to when I was first learning how to sing. Mike Peters’ voice has always been real, true, and full of emotion. When he sings it, you FEEL it, and that was the case with this one. And when the band comes crashing in later, the hairs on the back of my neck still stand up. It’s a song I used in my warm-ups for years, and if I am ever foolish enough to take the mic again, I will go right back to this one. And then “Shelter” closes out side one on a rocking note. We open side two with one of the most powerful Alarm songs I have ever felt in my heart, my mind, and my soul. That song is “Rescue Me”, and believe me, when this one was in my headphones I was pedaling like a goddamn Tour De France cyclist it got me so amped up!
Now this may be hard for you all to believe, but I was, and I still am, a love song junkie. When they are done just right, they actually melt this old Iceman’s heart and on this album we get TWO. In a row. “Permanence In Change” and “Presence of Love” both made their way onto the many love song mix tapes I was famous for in high school and college despite my unwavering assurances of “No, baby. These songs are yours and yours alone” to whoever was foolish enough to give me their heart back then. The thing is, I actually MEANT it at the time. God, I fell in love so easily back then. If you want examples of songwriting perfection, then look no further. The line, “And your name is forever written” still gets to me 25 years later
“Only Love Can Set Me Free” is a great anthem of unwavering hope and optimism, while closer “Eye of the Hurricane” carries us away on a wave of wistfulness and longing, showing the versatility of this band that never got its due. Dogged by comparisons to The Clash early on, then U2 starting with this record, The Alarm were never able to rise above the ranks of college radio darling for most of their career back then. That always upset me and pissed me off because of what lay not only on Eye of the Hurricane but the previous albums: real human emotions laid bare and out there for the entire world to see and feel. Some of us got it. Some didn’t. But ultimately this album stands the test of time. I remember buying it for my friend Jennifer for her Sweet Sixteen. When she looked puzzled, I simply said, “Just listen to it.” It wasn’t long before she was almost as in love with them as I was. Almost. I was pretty damn obsessed

The album produced three singles
Rain In The Summertime – 5th October 1987
Rescue Me – 30th November 1987
Presence Of Love – 8th February 1988


Eye Of The Hurricane 2000 – Remaster
In 2000 Eye Of The Hurricane was remastered by Mike Peters with remastering engineering by Gary Butler at RTS Liverpool. This was released by Twenty First Century Recording Company on CD, catalogue number 21C013. Originally only available as part of the collection box set, catalogue number 21C018. It was later made available for sale at gigs as a single disc

Alarm 2000 Track Listing
1. Electric
2. Newtown Jericho
3. Rain In The Summertime
4. Rose beyond The Wall
5. Hallowed Ground
6. One Step Closer To Home
7. Shelter
8. Folklore
9. Eye Of The Hurricane
10. Permanence In Change
11. Presence Of Love
12. Word On Fire
13. Time To Believe
14. Only Love Can Set Me Free
15. Rescue Me
16. A New South Wales
17. Elders And Folklore
18. My Land Your Land
19. Pastures Of Plenty
20. Rescue Me (Tearing The Bonds Assunder Mix)
21. Rain In The Summertime (Thunder Mix)

Reviews
Cross Rhythms Website Reviewed by Steve Best – January 2002
After completing the ‘Strength’ tour in 1986 with a couple of dates at Wembley Stadium as guests of Queen, the wheels appeared to fall off for the band. Internal problems due to a combination of family problems, management difficulties and (self-confessed) weaknesses led to a near-split. The resulting album in 1987, produced by John Porter, but remixed – with little or no involvement by band members – by David Leonard (although the Porter mixes appear here for the first time) had the potential to be patchy and, like the mood of the band, fractured. However, there are some notable gems such as “Rain In The Summertime”, “One Step Closer To Home” and “Only Love Can Set Me Free”, and the original Porter remixes sound more organic and in your face.

(Page updated 21/10/2023)