Eternally Yours (album)

Last updated

Eternally Yours
Eternally.jpg
Studio album by
the Saints
ReleasedMay 1978
RecordedLate 1977
Studio Roundhouse, London
Genre Punk rock
Length36:02
Label Harvest (UK & Australia)
Sire (original US release)
Captain Oi! (1999 UK CD reissue)
EMI Music Australia (Australian 2004 Reissue)
4 Men With Beards (2011 US LP reissue)
Producer Chris Bailey & Ed Kuepper
The Saints chronology
One Two Three Four
(1977)		Eternally Yours
(1978)		 Prehistoric Sounds
(1979)

Eternally Yours is the second album by Australian punk rock band the Saints, released in 1978. Produced by band members Chris Bailey and Ed Kuepper, the album saw the band pursue a bigger, more R&B-driven sound, augmented by a horn section. The album also saw the introduction of bass guitarist Algy Ward, who replaced the band's previous bass player, Kym Bradshaw in mid-1977.

Contents

Background

The album was originally titled International Robots, and recording initially commenced at Wessex Studios. The tapes from these sessions (which have since been released as bonus tracks on the 2007 reissue of the album) reveal the songs in a stripped-down form more similar to the band's previous recordings. The sessions also include "Champagne Misery", which was not released until 2000's Wild About You compilation.

Chris Bailey later said, "For me, it's our first proper release because (I'm) Stranded was just a load of demos. Although we still had the same energy as the first album, the added horn section seemed to confuse people and the record sort of disappeared." [1] In another interview, Bailey stated, "When people talk to me about the early Saints in hallowed terms, I find it a little bit amusing, because when I think about something like 'Lost & Found' or 'Misunderstood', I kind of think that's crap." [2]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [3]
Christgau's Record Guide C+ [4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Great Alternative & Indie Discography 6/10 [6]
Hi-Fi News & Record Review A/B:1/1* [7]
MusicHound Rock Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [8]
The Rolling Stone Record Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]

Reviewing Eternally Yours at the time of its release, Roadrunner said, "Their English experience has done them the world of good: they are musically tighter without losing any of the fast and furious punch that is the trademark, but it's their lyrics that have really developed." [11] Robert Christgau, however, was more critical in his assessment, writing: "the lyrics are received protest, the tempos have slackened, and if those horns are somebody's idea of a joke I am not amused." [4]

Retrospective reviews of the album have been far more positive. Writing for AllMusic, Mark Deming reflected that while the album "didn't sound like a standard-issue punk album in 1978, [...] it's stood the test of time much better than most of the work of punk's first graduating class." [3] "With consistency and tasteful variety (handling sharp acoustic ballads as well as the standard burners)," wrote Trouser Press , "the LP is deservedly regarded as a punk classic". [12] The album is listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [13]

The album has continued to receive praise from numerous musicians as well. According to Byron Coley, Mike Saunders of Angry Samoans-fame had once declared that Eternally Yours "was the only album that deserved to have a lyric sheet". [14] John Robb of The Membranes described the album as "one of the classic hidden gems of the punk canon", adding, "The band married Ed Kuepper's Wall of Sound guitars and Chris Bailey's fantastic sneering vocals with the fattest, baddest horn section and made it work." He claims the album was a "new template" for future punk releases. [1] Tim Sommer, writing for The New York Observer , called it "not only one of the best albums to come out of the whole first wave of punk, it’s also one of the best albums of the decade." [15] Mark Lanegan of Screaming Trees-fame included the album on his list of 12 "must-have" CDs, comparing it to a "greatest-hits record." [16] Kurt Cobain included the song "Know Your Product" amongst his top 50 records of all time. [17] [18]

Track listing

All tracks composed by Ed Kuepper and Chris Bailey; except where indicated.

Side A
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Know Your Product" 3:15
2."Lost and Found" 3:50
3."Memories Are Made of This" Ed Kuepper 2:20
4."Private Affair" 2:05
5."A Minor Aversion" 3:07
6."No, Your Product" 4:07
Side B
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Perfect Day" 2:30
2."Run Down" 2:32
3."Orstralia" Ed Kuepper 2:24
4."New Centre of the Universe" 2:21
5."Untitled" 2:47
6."(I'm) Misunderstood" 2:46
7."International Robots" 1:58
Total length:36:02
2007 reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
1."Orstralia" (The International Robot Sessions) 
2."Lost and Found" (The International Robot Sessions) 
3."The Ballad" (The International Robot Sessions. Early version of "Memories Are Made of This") 
4."This Perfect Day" (The International Robot Sessions) 
5."Run Down" (The International Robot Sessions) 
6."A Minor Aversion" (The International Robot Sessions) 
7."Champagne Misery" (The International Robot Sessions) 
8."Private Affair" (The International Robot Sessions) 
9."No, Your Product" (The International Robot Sessions) 
10."New Centre of the Universe" (The International Robot Sessions) 
11."River Deep Mountain High" (The International Robot Sessions) 
12."Untitled" (The International Robot Sessions) 
13."(I'm) Misunderstood" (The International Robot Sessions) 
14."Do the Robot" (The International Robot Sessions) 
All Tracks:copyright Saints Music\Mushroom Music

Personnel

The Saints

Additional musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart (1978)Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) [19] 86

Related Research Articles

Punk rock is a music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced short, fast-paced songs with hard-edged melodies and singing styles with stripped-down instrumentation. Lyricism in punk typically revolves around anti-establishment and anti-authoritarian themes. Punk embraces a DIY ethic; many bands self-produce recordings and distribute them through independent labels.

<i>Damaged</i> (Black Flag album) 1981 studio album by Black Flag

Damaged is the debut studio album by the American hardcore punk band Black Flag. It was released by SST Records in December 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Saints (Australian band)</span> Australian rock band

The Saints were an Australian rock band formed in Brisbane, Queensland in 1973. Founded by singer-songwriter Chris Bailey, drummer Ivor Hay, and guitarist-songwriter Ed Kuepper, they originally employed fast tempos, raucous vocals and a "buzzsaw" guitar sound that helped initiate punk rock in Australia and identified them with the greater international movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed Kuepper</span> Australian musician

Edmund "Ed" Kuepper is a German-born Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the punk band The Saints in 1973, the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns and the grunge-like The Aints!. He has also recorded over a dozen albums as a solo artist using a variety of backing bands. His highest charting solo album, Honey Steel's Gold, appeared in November 1991 and reached No. 28 on the ARIA Albums Chart. His other top 50 albums are Black Ticket Day, Serene Machine and Character Assassination. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1993 he won Best Independent Release for Black Ticket Day and won the same category in 1994 for Serene Machine.

<i>Pink Flag</i> 1977 studio album by Wire

Pink Flag is the debut studio album by English rock band Wire. It was released in November 1977 by Harvest Records. The album gained Wire a cult following within independent and post-punk music upon its initial release, later growing to be highly influential on many other musicians.

Alasdair Mackie "Algy" Ward was an English punk rock and heavy metal bass guitarist and singer. He began his career in 1977, as a bassist for the Australian band the Saints. Afterwards, he joined The Damned, before founding Tank in 1980. Tank were part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement.

<i>Germfree Adolescents</i> 1978 studio album by X-Ray Spex

Germfree Adolescents is the 1978 debut album of English punk rock band X-Ray Spex. It contained the UK hit singles "The Day the World Turned Dayglo", "Identity" and "Germ Free Adolescents" which reached No. 18 in November 1978. Upon release, the critics noted it wasn't all new material: five songs on the twelve tracks had already been released on A-sides and B-sides of singles.

<i>Is This Real?</i> 1980 studio album by Wipers

Is This Real? is the debut studio album by the Portland, Oregon-based punk rock band Wipers, originally released on vinyl in January 1980 by Park Avenue Records.

Laughing Clowns, sometimes written as The Laughing Clowns, were a post-punk band formed in Sydney in 1979. In five years, the band released three LPs, three EPs, and various singles and compilations. Laughing Clowns' sound is free jazz, bluegrass and krautrock influenced. The band formed to accommodate Ed Kuepper's growing interest in expanding brass-driven elements he had brought to The Saints' third album, Prehistoric Sounds, and by adopting flattened fifth notes in a rock and roll setting while using a modern jazz styled band line-up.

"This Perfect Day" is a single by punk band The Saints . It was produced by Chris Bailey and Ed Kuepper and recorded and mixed at Roundhouse and Wessex Studios, London, in 1977.

<i>The Modern Lovers</i> (album) 1976 studio album by the Modern Lovers

The Modern Lovers is the debut studio album by American rock band the Modern Lovers. It was released on Beserkley Records in 1976, though the original tracks had been recorded in 1971 and 1972. Six of the original tracks were produced by John Cale. The album pointed towards alternative music genres such as punk rock, new wave and indie rock.

<i>(Im) Stranded</i> 1977 studio album by The Saints

(I'm) Stranded is the debut album by Australian punk rock group The Saints which was released by EMI on 21 February 1977. Their debut single, "(I'm) Stranded", was issued ahead of the album in September 1976, which Sounds magazine's reviewer, Jonh Ingham, declared was the "Single of this and every week". "Erotic Neurotic" was the second single, which was released in May 1977 and the group relocated to the United Kingdom.

<i>Album – Generic Flipper</i> 1982 studio album by Flipper

Album – Generic Flipper is the debut studio album by the noise rock band Flipper. It was released in June 1982 by Subterranean Records. It is also referred to as Album, Album: Generic, Generic Flipper and just Generic. It was issued on CD for the first time by American Recordings in 1992 and later deleted. In 2008, the rights reverted to Flipper, and the album was reissued on December 9, 2008, by Water Records. Former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, who joined Flipper in 2006, contributed liner notes to the new reissue.

<i>Prehistoric Sounds</i> 1978 studio album by The Saints

Prehistoric Sounds is the third album by the Australian punk rock group The Saints, released in 1978 via Harvest. This was the final album to feature founding lead guitarist, Ed Kuepper, who left the band shortly after its release. In October 2010, the album was listed in the top 50 in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums with their debut, (I'm) Stranded, at No. 20.

<i>The Monkey Puzzle</i> (The Saints album) 1981 studio album by The Saints

The Monkey Puzzle is the fourth album by the Australian music group the Saints released in 1981. It was the first album to be released after Ed Kuepper left the band.

<i>Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow</i> 1980 EP by The Saints

Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow is a 7" extended play released in March 1980 by Australian Punk band The Saints. It was produced by the group's singer-guitarist, Chris Bailey using the pseudonym L. Lambert. It is their first release after founding guitarist, Ed Kuepper, had left the band. The Saints line-up for the EP was Chris Bailey on lead vocals and guitar; C. Barrington on guitar; Cub Calloway on guitar; Ivor Hay on drums; and Janine Hall on bass guitar. A 12" version with an additional track, "Miss Wonderful", was issued on the French label, New Rose.

<i>Fire of Love</i> (album) 1981 studio album by the Gun Club

Fire of Love is the debut album of the American rock band the Gun Club, released in 1981 on Ruby Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(I'm) Stranded (song)</span> 1976 song by The Saints

"(I'm) Stranded" is the debut single released by Australian punk rock band the Saints. Issued in September 1976, it has been cited as "one of the iconic singles of the era", and pre-dated vinyl debuts by contemporary punk acts such as the Sex Pistols, Buzzcocks, The Damned and The Clash. In 2001, it was voted among the Top 30 Australian Songs of all time by APRA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Bailey (musician, born 1956)</span> Australian musician (1956–2022)

Christopher James Mannix Bailey was an Australian singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He was the co-founder and singer of rock band the Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Know Your Product</span> 1978 single by The Saints

"Know Your Product" is a song written by Ed Kuepper and Chris Bailey of Australian rock band The Saints. Released in February 1978, it was the second single from the group's second album, Eternally Yours. Noted for its unusual mix of prominent brass with a punk rock guitar sound, the track has been described as a "pile-driving surge of raw soul power and one of the greatest singles from the punk rock period."

References

  1. 1 2 Robb, John (2012). Punk Rock: An Oral History. PM Press. p. 414. ISBN   9781604860054.
  2. ↑ Walker, Clinton (1984). The Next Thing. Kenthurst, New South Wales: Kangaroo Press. p. 23. ISBN   0-949924-81-4.
  3. 1 2 "Eternally Yours – the Saints". AllMusic .
  4. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (31 October 1977). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  5. ↑ Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. ISBN   9780857125958.
  6. ↑ Strong, M. C. (Martin Charles) (6 July 1999). The great alternative & indie discography. Edinburgh : Canongate. ISBN   9780862419134 – via Internet Archive.
  7. ↑ "Review: The Saints — Eternally Yours" (PDF). Hi-Fi News & Record Review (magazine). Vol. 34, no. 12. Croydon: Link House Magazines Ltd. December 1989. p. 147. ISSN   0142-6230. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021– via World Radio History.
  8. ↑ Gary Graff, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1st ed.). London: Visible Ink Press. ISBN   978-0-7876-1037-1.
  9. ↑ Marsh, Dave; Swenson, John (Editors). The Rolling Stone Record Guide, 1st edition, Random House/Rolling Stone Press, 1979
  10. ↑ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly, eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. ISBN   0679737294.
  11. ↑ Robertson, Donald (June 1978). "Platter Batter". Roadrunner . p. 15.
  12. ↑ "Saints". Trouser Press. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  13. ↑ Dimery, Robert, ed. (2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (revised and updated ed.). Universe Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7893-2074-2.
  14. ↑ SPIN. SPIN Media LLC. May 1988.
  15. ↑ Sommer, Tim (23 June 2015). "For Your (Re)Consideration: Defining Punk and the Total Genius of the Saints". The New York Observer . Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  16. ↑ "Mark Lanegan lists 12 must-have CDs". EW.com. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "Top 50 by Nirvana [MIXTAPE]". Archived from the original on 18 October 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  18. ↑ Cross, Gaar, Gendron, Martens, Yarm (2013). Nirvana: The Complete Illustrated History. p. 60. ISBN   978-0-7603-4521-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 263. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
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.