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| org. vinyl cover |
release date: Oct. 1989
format: vinyl (AGOLP 16) / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Mike Hedges, The Beautiful South
label: Go! Discs - nationality: England, UK
Track highlights: 1. "Song for Whoever" (4 / 5) (live) - 3. "From Under the Covers" - 4. "I'll Sail This Ship Alone" - 7. "You Keep It All In" - 9. "Oh Blackpool"
Studio debut album by The Beautiful South consisting of the two former members of The Housemartins Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway with Dave Rotheray on guitar, Sean Welch on bass, and with Dave Stead on drums fulfilling the quintet. Hemingway formerly played drums but here, together with Heaton, he is one of the band's two leading vocalists. Also keyboardist Damon Butcher took part as studio musician - a role he would stick to with the band's forthcoming albums without ever becoming a full member. Brianna Corrigan (vocals) contribute on this, she would become a full member on the following two albums. The style is a mix of pop soul and pop / rock mostly referred to as sophisti-pop. Some tracks are closer to the style of The Housemartins but the majority of songs are build on piano and brass instead of guitars. Where Heaton and Hemmingway's former band seemed trapped within a 'pop' frame, having had fine successes playing more traditional love songs, The Beautiful South are more social- and political-minded.
The front cover art by Czech photographer Jan Saudek was apparently too strong for the British retail chain Woolworths, who refused to sell the album until an alternative cover was made. Knowing a little about the founding humour of the band, the alternative cover depicts a stuffed toy rabbit and a teddy bear, which of course should not be able to disturb anyone. The "Fluffy Toy Cover" was issued a few months later - still in '89. Also an alternative cover featured on the North American first issue, which only featured the photo of the smoking man by Saudek.
[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]
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