Seal (1991 album)

Last updated

Seal
Seal - Seal (1991 first album) CD album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Seal
Released20 May 1991
RecordedNovember 1990 – April 1991
Genre
Length52:17
Label
Producer Trevor Horn
Seal chronology
Seal
(1991)		 Seal
(1994)
Singles from Seal
  1. "Crazy"
    Released: 26 November 1990 (UK) [1]
  2. "Future Love Paradise"
    Released: 22 April 1991 [2]
  3. "The Beginning"
    Released: 8 July 1991 (UK)
  4. "Killer"
    Released: 4 November 1991 (UK) [3]
  5. "Violet"
    Released: 17 February 1992 (UK)

Seal is the eponymous title of the debut studio album by Seal, released in 1991. It contains the singles "Crazy", "Future Love Paradise", "The Beginning", "Killer" and "Violet". The album debuted at number one in the UK and went on to win Best British Album at the 1992 Brit Awards. Seal's following album, released in 1994, was also named Seal . It is usually referred to as Seal II.

Contents

There are two versions of the album, with minor and major differences in three songs. [4] The shorter version of "Wild" is more rock-based and heavy than the original. The shorter version of "Violet" contains no dialogue within the singing. Track lengths of both versions are given for each song affected. The only way to tell the difference is the CD Matrix; the Pre-Mix matrix is 903174557-2; the Remixed CD has the same Matrix but with .2 at the end (903174557-2.2). "Killer" is a re-recorded version of the UK number one single by Adamski, which also features Seal on vocals.

Many of the songs (including various ZTT mixes) were featured in the Greg Stump 1991 film Groove Requiem in the Key of Ski.[ citation needed ] Later Seal tracks appeared in other Stump films as well. The track "Killer" was also featured on the American crime series Homicide: Life on the Street and was included on the 2-disc soundtrack album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [5]
Chicago Tribune Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [6]
Entertainment Weekly A [7]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
NME 7/10 [9]
Pitchfork 7.4/10 [10]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Select 2/5 [13]
Vox 8/10 [14]

In Melody Maker , critic Push wrote that although "some of the ideas could be called pretentious and others sound a tad MOR", Seal showcases "Seal's passionate and emotional nature, a rare fusion of strength and sensitivity". [15] Vox 's Isabel Appio praised the album's "textured vocals, sophisticated hooks and full and fascinating orchestral arrangements", [14] while Q 's Mat Snow deemed it "a fine debut" which "promises even better vibes to come." [11] Stephen Dalton of NME found Seal "remarkable for its coherence, confidence and sheer character." [9]

Andrew Harrison was unimpressed in Select , panning Seal as "tastefully dull" while describing Seal himself as "so New Age it makes your eyes water". [13] Robert Christgau named "Crazy" the album's sole highlight, designating it as a "choice cut" in The Village Voice . [16]

Retrospectively, AllMusic reviewer MacKenzie Wilson credited Seal and producer Trevor Horn for the overall sound of Seal, which she said stood out amidst "the early-'90s mediocrity of post-hair metal and manufactured synth bands." [5] Writing for Pitchfork , Philip Sherburne stated that despite its occasionally "asinine" lyrics, "you don't come to Seal for poetry; you come for that voice and the way it navigates Horn's productions". He noted the album's origins in the early 1990s UK rave scene and found that it "drew sustenance from the spirit of that volatile era", calling it "idealistic, unfocused, and beautiful in its innocence." [10]

Track listing

All lyrics and music written by Seal, except where noted.

  1. "The Beginning" (Seal, Guy Sigsworth) – 5:40
  2. "Deep Water" – 5:56
  3. "Crazy" (Seal, Sigsworth) – 4:47 or 5:57
  4. "Killer" (Adam Tinley, Seal) – 4:10 or 6:24
  5. "Whirlpool" – 3:56 or 3:51
  6. "Future Love Paradise" – 4:20
  7. "Wild" (Seal, Sigsworth) – 5:19 or 5:28
  8. "Show Me" – 5:59
  9. "Violet" (Seal, Sigsworth) – 8:06 or 8:31

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Seal
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [37] Gold35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria) [38] Gold25,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [39] Gold100,000*
Canada (Music Canada) [40] 3× Platinum300,000^
France (SNEP) [41] Gold100,000*
Germany (BVMI) [42] Gold250,000^
Netherlands (NVPI) [43] Gold50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ) [44] Gold7,500^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [45] Platinum50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [46] 2× Platinum600,000^
United States (RIAA) [47] Platinum1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<i>Wish You Were Here</i> (Pink Floyd album) 1975 studio album by Pink Floyd

Wish You Were Here is the ninth studio album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on 12 September 1975 through Harvest Records in the UK and Columbia Records in the US, their first for the label. Based on material Pink Floyd composed while performing in Europe, Wish You Were Here was recorded over numerous sessions throughout 1975 at EMI Studios in London.

<i>On Every Street</i> 1991 studio album by Dire Straits

On Every Street is the sixth and final studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 9 September 1991 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The follow-up to the band's massively successful album Brothers in Arms, On Every Street reached the top of the UK Albums Chart and was also certified platinum by the RIAA.

<i>Killers</i> (Iron Maiden album) 1981 studio album by Iron Maiden

Killers is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden. It was first released on 2 February 1981 in the United Kingdom by EMI Records and on 11 May in the United States by Harvest and Capitol Records. The album was their first with guitarist Adrian Smith, and their last with vocalist Paul Di'Anno, who was fired after problems with his stage performances arose due to his alcohol and cocaine use. Killers was also the first Iron Maiden album recorded with producer Martin Birch, who went on to produce their next eight albums until Fear of the Dark (1992).

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Queen album) 1981 greatest hits album by Queen

Greatest Hits is a compilation album by the British rock band Queen, released worldwide on 26 October 1981. The album consisted of Queen's biggest hits since their first chart appearance in 1974 with "Seven Seas of Rhye", up to their 1980 hit "Flash". There was no universal track listing or cover art for the album, and each territory's tracks were dependent on what singles had been released there and which were successful. In 1992, the US version of the album Classic Queen was released following the band's rekindled popularity in the nation.

<i>Live Killers</i> 1979 live album by Queen

Live Killers is a double live album by the British rock band Queen, released on 22 June 1979. The album was recorded live during the European leg of Queen's Jazz Tour, between 26 January and 1 March 1979.

<i>Live at Wembley 86</i> 1992 live album by Queen

Live at Wembley '86 is a double live album by the British rock band Queen. It was recorded live on Saturday 12 July 1986 during the Magic Tour at Wembley Stadium in London, England. The album was released on 26 May 1992, with a companion DVD released in June 2003.

<i>Best 1991–2004</i> 2004 greatest hits album by Seal

Best 1991–2004 is a 2004 compilation album by Seal, released by Warner Bros. Records. Several different versions of this album were released: one as a single disc containing Seal's greatest hits; a second with an additional disc of 13 acoustic versions of Seal's greatest hits; a third which included a DVD-Audio disc plus the two The Ultimate Collection discs; a fourth with surround sound mixes of both The Ultimate Collection discs and a collection of music videos as well as the DVD-Audio disc; a fifth, available only for France, containing the single disc of hits along with the track "Les Mots", a duet with French singer Mylène Farmer, as a bonus track.

<i>Seal</i> (1994 album) 1994 studio album by Seal

Seal is the second eponymous studio album by British singer Seal. The album was released in 1994 on ZTT and Sire Records and features the worldwide smash hit single "Kiss from a Rose".

<i>Crazy World</i> (Scorpions album) 1990 studio album by Scorpions

Crazy World is the eleventh studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released on 6 November 1990. The album peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard 200 chart for albums in 1991. That same year, the song "Wind of Change" reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and "Send Me an Angel" reached No. 44 on the same chart. It also has the only Scorpions track to credit bassist Francis Buchholz as a writer, "Kicks After Six". This album was the band's first album in a decade and a half to not be produced by Dieter Dierks.

<i>Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl</i> 2004 British film

Queen on Fire – Live at the Bowl is a DVD/live album by the British rock band Queen released on 25 October 2004 in Europe and on 9 November 2004 in the US. It was recorded live at the Milton Keynes Bowl, Buckinghamshire, England, on 5 June 1982 during the Hot Space Tour. A DVD was also released with the complete concert and bonus material, such as band interviews and tour highlights.

<i>Five Live</i> (George Michael and Queen EP) 1993 EP by George Michael and Queen

Five Live is an EP released in 1993, featuring five tracks, performed by George Michael, Queen, and Lisa Stansfield. "Somebody to Love" and "These Are the Days of Our Lives" were recorded at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, held on 20 April 1992, at Wembley Stadium.

<i>St. Elsewhere</i> (album) 2006 album by Gnarls Barkley

St. Elsewhere is the debut album by American soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006, in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006, in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a digital download in the US iTunes Store. St. Elsewhere debuted at No. 20 on the US Billboard 200, and peaked at No. 4. It topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart for 39 non-consecutive weeks in 2006 and 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crazy (Seal song)</span> 1990 song by Seal

"Crazy" is a song written by English singer-songwriter Seal and English songwriter Guy Sigsworth. It was produced by Trevor Horn and released by ZTT Records in November 1990 on Seal's debut album, Seal (1991). The song became his first commercial hit, reaching No. 2 in the United Kingdom, while becoming his first top ten single in the United States. It has since been covered by several artists, including Alanis Morissette, whose version was released as a single from her 2005 compilation album, The Collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killer (Adamski song)</span> 1990 single

"Killer" is a song by British DJ and record producer Adamski. It was written by Adamski and British singer-songwriter Seal, who also provided vocals. It was released in March 1990 by MCA Records as the first single from Adamski's second album, Doctor Adamski's Musical Pharmacy (1990), and reached number one on the UK Singles Chart. The single spent four weeks at the top in May and June 1990 and sold over 400,000 copies in the UK, earning it gold certification. It also reached number one in Belgium and Zimbabwe and number two in the Netherlands and West Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal discography</span>

English singer and songwriter Seal has released ten studio albums, four live albums, two compilation albums, forty-three singles and four video albums.

<i>This Is the Life</i> (Amy Macdonald album) 2007 studio album by Amy Macdonald

This Is the Life is the debut studio album by British singer-songwriter Amy Macdonald, released on 30 July 2007. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart on 13 January 2008 and sold over 900,000 copies in the UK as of February 2017, awarding the album a certification of 3× Platinum.

<i>Soul</i> (Seal album) 2008 studio album by Seal

Soul is the sixth studio album by British singer Seal, which was released on 10 November 2008. The album was produced by David Foster, and co-produced, engineered and mixed by Jochem van der Saag. It is made up of cover versions of eleven soul music classics.

<i>Hits</i> (Seal album) 2009 greatest hits album by Seal

Hits is a 2009 compilation album by Seal, released by Warner Bros. Records. It is Seal's second compilation album following 2004's Best 1991–2004. The album was released on two formats, a one-disc standard edition featuring 19 tracks and a two-disc deluxe edition with 34 tracks. Both versions of the album included two new songs, "I Am Your Man", composed by Ashford & Simpson and previously recorded by Edwin Starr, Bobby Taylor & The Vancouvers and The Four Tops, and "Thank You Fa Lettin' Me Be Myself" by Sly & The Family Stone.

<i>Soul 2</i> 2011 studio album by Seal

Soul 2 is the eighth studio album by British soul/R&B singer Seal. The album was released on 4 November 2011. Like its predecessor, Soul (2008) the album consists of soul classics, and it was produced by David Foster, Jochem van der Saag, and long-time collaborator Trevor Horn. It was preceded by the lead single, "Let's Stay Together" on 30 September 2011.

<i>Havoc and Bright Lights</i> 2012 studio album by Alanis Morissette

Havoc and Bright Lights is the eighth studio album by Canadian-American singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette, first released in Japan on August 22, 2012. The album is her first release on Collective Sounds, and in the US by RED Distribution and marks her first release away from Maverick Records, her label since 1995. It was produced by Guy Sigsworth and Joe Chiccarelli, the former having produced her previous album, Flavors of Entanglement (2008).

References

  1. ↑ "Crazy BPI". Archived from the original on 7 February 2009.
  2. ↑ "Seal singles".
  3. ↑ "Seal singles".
  4. ↑ "Seal (Debut album) remixed/edited version". Futureloveparadise.co.uk. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  5. 1 2 Wilson, MacKenzie. "Seal [1991] – Seal". AllMusic . Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  6. ↑ May, Mitchell (18 July 1991). "Seal: Seal (Sire)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  7. ↑ Linden, Amy (16 August 1991). "Seal". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  8. ↑ Hochman, Steve (14 July 1991). "Seal, 'Seal,' Sire". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  9. 1 2 Dalton, Stephen (25 May 1991). "Seal: Seal". NME . p. 52.
  10. 1 2 Sherburne, Philip (17 October 2021). "Seal: Seal". Pitchfork . Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  11. 1 2 Snow, Mat (July 1991). "Seal: Seal". Q . No. 58.
  12. ↑ Hunter, James (2004). "Seal". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p.  723. ISBN   0-7432-0169-8.
  13. 1 2 Harrison, Andrew (July 1991). "Seal: Seal". Select . No. 13. p. 73.
  14. 1 2 Appio, Isabel (July 1991). "Seal Clubbin'". Vox . No. 10. p. 79.
  15. ↑ Push (25 May 1991). "Flipping Good". Melody Maker . p. 34.
  16. ↑ Christgau, Robert (3 March 1992). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  17. ↑ About Chrissy Shefts
  18. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  19. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Seal – Seal" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Seal – Seal" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  21. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Seal – Seal" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  22. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1991. 42. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  23. ↑ "Charts.nz – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  24. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  25. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  26. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Seal – Seal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  27. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  28. ↑ "Seal Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
  29. ↑ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1991". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  30. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1702". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  31. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1991". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  32. ↑ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  33. ↑ "Top Selling Albums of 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  34. ↑ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1991". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  35. ↑ "1991 Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 11 January 1992. p. 21. Retrieved 24 May 2022– via World Radio History.
  36. ↑ "Top Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 16 January 1993. p. 10. Retrieved 24 May 2022– via World Radio History.
  37. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1992 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  38. ↑ "Austrian album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  39. ↑ "Brazilian album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil.
  40. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Seal – Seal". Music Canada.
  41. ↑ "French album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in French). InfoDisc.Select SEAL and click OK. 
  42. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Seal; 'Seal')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  43. ↑ "Dutch album certifications – Seal – Seal" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.Enter Seal in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1992 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  44. ↑ "New Zealand album certifications – Seal – Seal". Recorded Music NZ.
  45. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Seal')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  46. ↑ "British album certifications – Seal – Seal". British Phonographic Industry.Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Seal in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  47. ↑ "American album certifications – Seal – Seal". Recording Industry Association of America.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.