Before After | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 6 September 2005 (UK and US) | |||
Genre | Synth-pop | |||
Label | Ninthwave | |||
Producer | Heaven 17 | |||
Heaven 17 chronology | ||||
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Singles from Before After | ||||
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Before After is the seventh studio album by the English synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in September 2005, on the label Ninthwave, nine years after their previous album, Bigger Than America .
The album reached #6 on the Billboard Magazine Club Play Chart in April 2006. In September 2008, the band's cover of Blue Öyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper" was featured on the American dark fantasy television series True Blood. A number of remixes of tracks from the album have appeared on online digital services such as iTunes and Amazon.com. It was the final album to feature founding member Ian Craig Marsh, who made the decision to retire from music in 2007.
When Heaven 17 released Bigger Than America in 1996, it was their first album of new material in eight years. The band intended to release a follow-up in quicker succession and began working on more dance-orientated material approximately a year or so after Bigger Than America. The band worked on a number of backing tracks and later provided their manager and other contacts in the music industry with CDs of twelve tracks they intended to develop further. However, the reception towards these proved to be "kind of lacklustre" and the band decided to discard the tracks and start from scratch. Although a couple of the original backing tracks were later salvaged for Before After, the band concentrated on writing new material. Once completed, a rough mix of the album was sent to various record companies in the effort to get a deal, but nothing came to fruition. After the album was given a proper mix, the band sought record company interest again. Although the band received a few offers, negotiations fell through and the band eventually decided to release Before After independently. [1] The band had 100 limited edition copies pressed, which were due to be sold via their official website, but an agreement was then made with small, independent labels for the release of Before After in the UK, Europe and US. [2]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [3] |
Upon its release, Fiona Mckinlay of musicOMH wrote: "If this comeback is Heaven 17's attempt at making synth-based music cool again, it's not going to work. Heaven 17 are musically so dated that it's hard not to chuckle. It's soulless old school dance music for robots and people too hammered to notice." [4] Stephen Schnee of AllMusic described the album as "sound[ing] like Heaven 17 with a fresh outlook". He commented: "With these tracks, the band sounds rejuvenated without losing sight of where it came from. In essence, this is another classic H17 album that will sound just as good 20 years from now as Penthouse and Pavement or How Men Are do today." [3]
All songs written and composed by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh, and Martyn Ware.
Track marked with an asterisk (*) does not appear on the US release, although it is mentioned in the booklet.
Heaven 17 is an English new wave and synth-pop band that formed in Sheffield in 1980. The band were a trio for most of their career, composed of Martyn Ware (keyboards) and Ian Craig Marsh (keyboards), and Glenn Gregory. Although most of the band's music was recorded in the 1980s, they have occasionally reformed to record and perform, playing their first ever live concerts in 1997. Marsh left the band in 2007 and Ware and Gregory continued to perform as Heaven 17.
Travelogue is the second full-length studio album released by British synthpop group The Human League, released in May 1980. It was the last album with founding members Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, as they would leave to form Heaven 17 later that year.
Penthouse and Pavement is the debut studio album by English synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in September 1981, on the label Virgin.
The Luxury Gap is the second studio album by the English synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in April 1983, on the Virgin label. It is the band's best-selling album, peaking at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart – eventually becoming the 17th best-selling album of the year – and being certified platinum by the BPI in 1984.
How Men Are is the third studio album by the English synthpop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in September 1984, on the label Virgin. The album peaked at No. 12 in the UK and was certified Silver by the BPI in October 1984.
Ian Craig Marsh is an English musician and composer. He was a founding member of the electronic band the Human League, writing and playing on their first two albums and several singles, until leaving in 1980 to form the British Electric Foundation and later Heaven 17.
Pleasure One is the fourth studio album by the English synthpop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in November 1986, on the label Virgin. It was the band's last studio album chart entry within the UK Top 100.
Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho is the fifth studio album by English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in September 1988 by Virgin Records, the band's last album for the label.
Naked as Advertised is the eighth studio album by the English synthpop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in 2008, on the label Just Music, three years after their previous album, Before After. The album contained re-workings of tracks such as "Temptation" along with versions of Martyn Ware songs best known from his time with the Human League, including "Being Boiled" and "Empire State Human", as well as a cover of The Associates' hit "Party Fears Two". Following the departure of Ian Craig Marsh in 2007, this is the first Heaven 17 album with the band consisting of the duo of Glenn Gregory and Ware.
Bigger Than America is the sixth studio album by the English synthpop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in September 1996, on the label Eye of the Storm, eight years after their previous album, Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho.
"(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" is a song by British synth-pop band Heaven 17. It was their debut single, released on 6 March 1981, also acting as the lead single from their debut studio album, Penthouse and Pavement (1981). It was a minor hit in the UK in 1981, despite being banned by the BBC. It was also a minor dance hit in the US. It developed from an instrumental, "Groove Thang", that Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh created earlier that year for Music for Stowaways, an album they released under the British Electric Foundation name.
"Trouble" is a song by the British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1987 as the second and final single from their fourth studio album Pleasure One. It was written and produced by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware. The song peaked at No. 51 in the UK and spent four weeks on the chart. It was a bigger success in Germany where it reached No. 17.
"Come Live With Me" is a song by the British synthpop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1983 as the fourth single from their second album The Luxury Gap. It was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and produced by Marsh and Ware and Greg Walsh. "Come Live with Me" peaked at number 5 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for eleven weeks. It would be the band's last UK top 10 hit until the Brothers in Rhythm remix of "Temptation" in 1992.
"Contenders" is a song by the British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1986 as the first single from their fourth studio album Pleasure One. It was written and produced by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware. The song reached No. 80 in the UK and spent four weeks on the chart. It also reached No. 6 on the U.S. Billboard Dance/Club Play Singles Chart.
"Crushed by the Wheels of Industry" is a song by the British synthpop band Heaven 17, released in 1983 as the fifth and final single from their second studio album The Luxury Gap. It was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and produced by Marsh and Ware and Greg Walsh. It reached No. 17 in the UK and spent seven weeks on the chart. It would be the band's last Top 20 hit in the UK until 1992's "Temptation ".
"Sunset Now" is a song by the British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1984 as the first single from their third studio album How Men Are. It was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and produced by Marsh and Ware and Greg Walsh. It reached No. 24 in the UK, remaining on the charts for six weeks on. A music video was filmed to promote the single.
"This Is Mine" is a song by the British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1984 as the second single from their third studio album How Men Are. It was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and produced by Marsh and Greg Walsh. The song reached No. 23 in the UK, remaining in the charts for seven weeks. It would be the band's last Top 30 single until 1992's "Temptation "
"...(And That's No Lie)" is a song by the British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, which was released in 1985 as the third single from their third studio album How Men Are. The song was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh and Martyn Ware, and produced by Ware and Greg Walsh. It reached number 52 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for five weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single.
"The Foolish Thing to Do" is a song by the British synthpop band Heaven 17 and featuring American singer Jimmy Ruffin. It was released in 1986 as a non-album single. The song was written by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh, Martyn Ware and Nick Plytas, and produced by Marsh and Ware.
"The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu)" is a song by British new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in 1982 as the fifth and final single from their debut album Penthouse and Pavement. It was written by Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory, and produced by Ware and Marsh.