Heaven and the Sea

Heaven and the Sea
Studio album by Pete Shelley
Released	1986
Recorded	September 1985 – May 1986
Genre	Pop, pop punk, dance, pop rock
Label	Mercury
Producer	Stephen Hague
Pete Shelley chronology
XL1 (1983) Heaven and the Sea (1986) Buzzkunst (2002)

Heaven and the Sea is an album by the English musician Pete Shelley, released in 1986. ^{[1] [2]} He supported it by opening for the Bangles on a North American tour as well as playing solo shows. ^{[3] [4] [5]} "Waiting for Love" was the first single. ^[6]

Production

The album was produced by Stephen Hague. ^[7] Shelley wrote all of its songs, which he recorded between September 1985 and May 1986, using a Boston studio belonging to the Cars for much of the work. ^{[8] [9]} He recorded for so long and with so many musicians that he elected to forgo credits. ^[10] Shelley wanted to combine pop hooks with depressing lyrics on many of the songs. ^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
All Music Guide to Rock	[11]
Alternative Rock	5/10 [12]
The Great Indie Discography	6/10 [13]
Record-Journal	A− [14]
The Sault Star	3/5 [15]
Uncut	7/10 [16]

The Chicago Tribune called the album "potent Brit Pop", stating that Shelley displays "less Buzzcock bite and an increasing amount of romantic melodicism." ^[17] The Kingston Whig-Standard noted the "mildly energetic vocals churning out synth dance numbers". ^[18] The Chicago Sun-Times panned the production by Hague. ^[19]

The News & Daily Advance said that the album "continues his tradition of synthesized pop punk and catchy tunes." ^[20] The Calgary Herald dismissed Heaven and the Sea as "a pleasant but pointless diversion". ^[21] The Edmonton Journal said that Shelley had "beef[ed] up his minimalist disco". ^[7] In 2025, Uncut labeled it "slick pop-rock". ^[16]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Waiting for Love"
2.	"On Your Own"
3.	"They're Coming for You"
4.	"I Surrender"
5.	"Life Without Reason"
6.	"Need a Minit"
7.	"Never Again"
8.	"My Dreams"
9.	"Blue Eyes"
10.	"You Can't Take That Away"
11.	"No Moon..."

References

1. Naysmith, Stephen (8 December 2018). "Pete Shelley". The Herald. Glasgow. p. 16.
2. Dessau, Bruce (July 1986). "Album Reviews". Blitz. No. 43. p. 21.
3. MacInnis, Craig (31 July 1986). "Club and Concert Quickies". Toronto Star. p. D1.
4. Cromelin, Richard (18 August 1986). "Shelley Goes Flat". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 3.
5. Wheatcroft, Howard (18 April 1986). "Shelley's eye for a trend". Event. The Northern Echo. p. III.
6. "Search for a Shelley". Manchester Evening News. 4 April 1986. p. 10.
7. Metella, Helen (7 August 1986). "Shelley adds quirky hooks to revival of dance music". Edmonton Journal. p. C6.
8. Kinghorn, Peter (8 May 1986). "Pete can't quit the stage". Evening Chronicle. Newcastle. p. 12.
9. Kirk, Chris (September 1986). "In Through the Out Door". Spin. Vol. 2, no. 6. p. 11.
10. Scott, Jane (22 August 1986). "An old new waver on the road again". The Plain Dealer. pp. 37, 40.
11. All Music Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). Backbeat Books. 2002. p. 1001.
12. Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Miller Freeman Books. p. 233.
13. Strong, Martin C. (2003). The Great Indie Discography (2nd ed.). Canongate. p. 18.
14. Zebora, Jim (19 October 1986). "Britain's Shelley captivates". Record-Journal. p. E2.
15. Halverson, Jim (26 July 1986). "Records". Starlight. The Sault Star. p. 8.
16. Martin, Piers (June 2025). "Witness the Change". Uncut. No. 339. p. 44.
17. Brogan, Daniel (25 July 1986). "New albums". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 70.
18. Burliuk, Greg (2 August 1986). "Heaven and the Sea Pete Shelley". Magazine. The Kingston Whig-Standard. p. 1.
19. McLeese, Don (22 August 1986). "Pete Shelley is back...". Weekend Plus. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 3.
20. Stallsmith, Pamela (11 July 1986). "Hot July Releases". The News & Daily Advance. p. B1.
21. Muretich, James (19 July 1986). "Pete Shelley: Heaven and the Sea". Calgary Herald. p. D4.