Expecting to Fly (album)

Last updated

Expecting to Fly
Bluetones Expecting To Fly.jpg
Studio album by
Released12 February 1996 (UK)
Recorded1995
Studio Ridge Farm
Genre Britpop, indie pop, jangle pop
Length53:45
Label Superior Quality, A&M
Producer Hugh Jones
The Bluetones chronology
A Bluetones Companion
(1995)
Expecting to Fly
(1996)
Return to the Last Chance Saloon
(1998)
Singles from Expecting to Fly
  1. "Bluetonic"
    Released: 2 October 1995
  2. "Slight Return"
    Released: 22 January 1996
  3. "Cut Some Rug" / "Castle Rock"
    Released: 29 April 1996

Expecting to Fly is the debut studio album by the Bluetones. It was released on 12 February 1996, knocking Oasis's (What's the Story) Morning Glory? off the number-one spot in the UK Albums Chart for a week. The album is certified Platinum by the BPI. Its singles were "Bluetonic", "Slight Return" and "Cut Some Rug".

Contents

A 2 CD Expanded Edition of the album was released on 9 March 2009.

Production

The majority of Expecting to Fly was recorded at Ridge Farm Studios in mid 1995, except for "Talking to Clarry", which was done in late 1995. Hugh Jones produced the sessions, and mixed the recordings with engineer Helen Woodward. The album was later mastered by Geoff Pesche. [1]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
NME 8/10 [4]
The Philadelphia Inquirer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]

Sam Taylor in Q wrote, "Perhaps the most accomplished rock debut album since The Stone Roses in 1989, Expecting to Fly avoids the usual primitive drive of first recordings, in favour of technical brilliance and adventurous songwriting... a classic rock album." [6] List journalist Brian Donaldson likened The Bluetones to "a Squeeze for the 90s", and noted that the record has "excellence exhibited throughout". [8] David Sinclair of Rolling Stone called the album "an accomplished and varied collection of guitar-based tunes with a solid charm rooted in the best traditions of English alternative pop—no more, but certainly no less." [7]

Melody Maker placed it at no. 19 on their list of 1996's Albums of the Year.[ citation needed ] NME ranked the LP at no. 11 in their 1996 critic poll.[ citation needed ]

Commercial performance

Expecting to Fly entered the UK Albums Chart at number one on first-week sales of 82,000. [9] The album was certified platinum by the BPI in March 1998 for sales of 300,000. [10]

Track listing

All tracks written by Morriss, Chesters, Devlin, Morriss, except where noted. [1]

  1. "Talking to Clarry" – 6:52
  2. "Bluetonic" – 4:08 (Morriss, Chesters, Devlin, Morriss, Mitchell)
  3. "Cut Some Rug" – 4:32
  4. "Things Change" – 5:38
  5. "The Fountainhead" – 4:35
  6. "Carnt Be Trusted" – 3:50
  7. "Slight Return" – 3:21
  8. "Putting Out Fires" – 6:22
  9. "Vampire" – 4:32
  10. "A Parting Gesture" – 4:40
  11. "Time & Again" – 5:09

Collector's edition disc 2

  1. "A Parting Guesture" (R1 The John Peel Show, 1994)
  2. "Cut Some Rug" (R1 The John Peel Show, 1994)
  3. "Bluetonic" (R1 The Mark Radcliffe Show, May 1995)
  4. "Are You Blue or Are You Blind?" (R1 The Mark Radcliffe Show, May 1995)
  5. "Fountainhead" (R1 The Mark Radcliffe Show, May 1995)
  6. "Time & Again" (R1 The Mark Radcliffe Show, May 1995)
  7. "Driftwood" (R1 The Evening Session, July 1995)
  8. "Can't Be Trusted" (R1 The Evening Session, July 1995)
  9. "Are You Blue or Are You Blind?" (Sound City 1995 Bristol)
  10. "Cut Some Rug" (Sound City 1995 Bristol)
  11. "Can't Be Trusted" (Sound City 1995 Bristol)
  12. "Bluetonic" (Sound City 1995 Bristol)
  13. "Time & Again" (Sound City 1995 Bristol)

Personnel

Personnel per booklet. [1]

Charts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hootie & the Blowfish</span> American alternative rock band

Hootie & the Blowfish is an American rock band formed in Columbia, South Carolina, in 1986. The band's lineup for most of its existence has been the quartet of Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim Sonefeld. The band went on hiatus in 2008 until they announced plans for a full reunion tour in 2019 and released their first new studio album in fourteen years, Imperfect Circle.

<i>14:59</i> 1999 studio album by Sugar Ray

14:59 is the third studio album by American rock band Sugar Ray, released on January 12, 1999. The album shows the band moving into a more mainstream pop rock sound, due to the success of their single "Fly" off their prior album Floored, and its title self-deprecatingly references the "15 minutes of fame" critics claimed the band was riding on. It entered the top 20 on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 17 and being certified quadruple-platinum by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Bluetones</span> English indie rock band

The Bluetones are an English indie rock band, formed in Hounslow, Greater London, in 1993. The band's members are Mark Morriss on vocals, Adam Devlin on guitar, Mark's brother Scott Morriss on bass guitar, and Eds Chesters on drums. A fifth member, Richard Payne, came on board between 1998 and 2002. The band was originally named "The Bottlegarden".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sundays</span> English rock band

The Sundays were an English alternative rock band, formed in the late 1980s, who released three albums throughout the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon B.</span> American R&B singer

Jonathan David Buck is an American R&B singer, songwriter and record producer. His debut album Bonafide (1995) spawned the hit singles "Pretty Girl" and "Someone to Love", the latter of which reached the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated at the Grammys Awards for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The following year, he co-wrote the single "Say You'll Be There" for the Spice Girls. His second album Cool Relax (1997), was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Cool Relax included the hit singles "Are U Still Down" and "They Don't Know". His third album, Pleasures U Like (2001) reached the top ten on the Billboard 200 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dodgy</span> English rock band

Dodgy are an English rock band formed in Hounslow in 1990. The band rose to prominence during the Britpop era of the 1990s. They are best known for their hits "Staying Out for the Summer", "If You're Thinking of Me", and "Good Enough". "Good Enough" was their biggest hit, reaching No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. They released their latest album, What Are We Fighting For, in September 2016.

<i>Jollification</i> 1994 studio album by the Lightning Seeds

Jollification is the third album by English rock band the Lightning Seeds. All songs were written by Ian Broudie, with contributions on some tracks from Alison Moyet, Ian McNabb and Terry Hall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Morriss</span> Musical artist

Mark James Morriss is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the frontman for The Bluetones. He is the older brother of bandmate and bass player/illustrator Scott Morriss. He has released four solo albums, worked with Matt Berry's band The Maypoles and sung lead vocals on The Helicopter of the Holy Ghost project. When not touring with the Bluetones, he regularly plays solo acoustic shows across the UK.

<i>Science & Nature</i> (The Bluetones album) 2000 studio album by The Bluetones

Science & Nature is the third album by The Bluetones. It was released on 15 May 2000 on Universal Records. Its offspring singles were "Keep the Home Fires Burning" and "Autophilia". "Mudslide" was released as an EP.

<i>The Bluetones</i> (album) 2006 studio album by The Bluetones

The Bluetones is the fifth album by the eponymous band, released on 9 October 2006.

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

Rush was a Canadian progressive rock band originally formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. For the overwhelming majority of its existence, the band consisted of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart. The band achieved this definitive form when Neil Peart replaced original drummer, John Rutsey, in July 1974.

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

The discography of Canadian-American singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette comprises 10 studio albums, three live albums, six compilation albums, two extended plays, 46 singles, 12 promotional singles, six video albums, and 41 music videos. She has sold more than 85 million albums worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut Some Rug/Castle Rock</span> 1996 single by the Bluetones

"Cut Some Rug" / "Castle Rock" is a double A-side single by English indie rock band the Bluetones, released as the third single from their 1996 debut album, Expecting to Fly. The single reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart. Both tracks were included on the band's 2006 compilation, A Rough Outline: The Singles & B-Sides 95 – 03.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slight Return</span> 1996 single by the Bluetones

"Slight Return" is a song by English indie rock band the Bluetones, released as the second single from their 1996 debut album, Expecting to Fly. Re-released as a solo single on 22 January 1996, it was originally issued as a double-A-side with "The Fountainhead" the previous year. "Slight Return" peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart and is the band's highest-placing single. Bluetones frontman Mark Morriss said that the title of the song was initially a nickname, but as he was not good with naming songs, it eventually became the official title.

<i>A New Athens</i> (album) 2010 studio album by The Bluetones

A New Athens is the sixth studio album by English rock band The Bluetones. It was released on 31 May 2010 on CIA Recordings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Cash albums discography</span>

The albums discography of American singer Johnny Cash spans his lengthy career, from 1954 to 2003. It includes the release of 97 albums, most of them for Columbia Records. Over the years, Cash also collaborated with many of the industry's most notable artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Diggins</span> English singer-songwriter

Jay Diggins is an English singer-songwriter. He is best known for his work with John Parish and for turning down an opportunity to appear on the hit BBC One show The Voice. Height: 6’2

Mark Crew is a songwriter, record producer, and mix engineer based in London, known for his work with Bastille, Lovejoy, Rag'n'Bone Man, and the Wombats.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Expecting to Fly (booklet). The Bluetones. Superior Quality Recordings. 1996. BLUECD 004/540 475-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. AllMusic review
  3. Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195313734.
  4. Robinson, John (10 February 1996). "The Bluetones: Expecting to Fly". NME .
  5. DeLuca, Dan (4 August 1996). "A guide to the explosion in pop music that's got the British all excited". The Philadelphia Inquirer .
  6. 1 2 Taylor, Sam (April 1996). "The Bluetones: Expecting to Fly". Q . p. 105.
  7. 1 2 Sinclair, David (5 September 1996). "The Bluetones: Expecting to Fly". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 10 May 2008.
  8. Donaldson, Brian (23 February 1996). "Bluetones: Expecting to Fly". The List (273): 46. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  9. Sexton, Paul (16 March 1996). "A&M's Bluetones 'Expecting To Fly'". Billboard . Vol. 108, no. 11. p. 117. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  10. "Newsfile: Robbie Goes Twice Platinum". Music Week . 14 March 1998. p. 5.
  11. "Charts.nz – The Bluetones – Expecting to Fly". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  12. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  13. "Swedishcharts.com – The Bluetones – Expecting to Fly". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  14. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  15. "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1996". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2021.