0898

1992 release from The Beautiful South. This was my first encounter with The Beauties, and it was love at first listen. This is one of those rare albums where it is easy to state that there is not a single bad cut. Rich melodies, solid hooks, and dry British humor up the wazoo. Luckily the playfulness of Choke developed into something a little more constructive, just in time for Brianna Corrigan to get fed up with the lyrics and leave the group.

An unexpected highlight of this album is the surreal beauty of the artwork by David Cutter. The cover features terrapins with women's faces for shells, and the interior artwork illustrates scenes such as a tennis court garden of arms with racquets, a man squeezing water from himself, a handshake conducted by severed arms, and a literal beefhead.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5. This album is, for many, a high point of the band's career. If you are unfamiliar with The Beautiful South, give this record a listen. This record got me through high school in ways The Cure or Nine Inch Nails couldn't even begin to reach by lighting a path that would become well tred in the years to come: optimistic cynicism.

Track list:

1. Old Red Eyes is Back
2. We Are Each Other
3. The Rocking Chair
4. We'll Deal With You Later
5. Domino Man
6. 36D
7. Here It Is Again
8. Something That You Said
9. I'm Your No. 1 Fan
10. Bell-Bottomed Tear
11. You Play Glockenspiel, I'll Play Drums
12. When I'm 84

All songs by Paul Heaton and David Rotheray

Highest UK chart position: 4

personnel (if anybody can decipher some of these, that'd be jolly. /msg me, please):

• Nomad Wanderer
• Castle Rotheray
• Soulful Turd
• Nutty Drummer
• Didier Bouffant
• Jah Marble
• Rumble Fish
• Chuff
• Cheeseboard Thompson: management
• Sparky, Coggy, and Barmy Ragamuffin: merchandise
• Fruitbowl: promotion
• Ben Watt: lighting
• Jon Kelly: producer
• thanks to Roy the St. Bernard -- "Respect due!"
• David Cutter: illustrations

Formerly one of a number of special dialling codes in the UK, used to indicate premium rate telephone lines.

These numbers have now been phased out, and replaced with numbers starting "090". "080" numbers are now reserved for those lines which are either free to call, or fixed at the local or national rate irrespective of your proximity to the exchange being called.