Holding Back the River

Last updated

Holding Back the River
Holding Back The River.jpg
Studio album by
Wet Wet Wet
Released30 October 1989
Recorded1988–1989
Genre
Length48:58
Label Mercury
Producer Wet Wet Wet
Wet Wet Wet chronology
The Memphis Sessions
(1988)		Holding Back the River
(1989)		 Wet Wet Wet: Live
(1990)
Singles from Holding Back the River
  1. "Sweet Surrender"
    Released: 18 September 1989
  2. "Broke Away"
    Released: 27 November 1989
  3. "Hold Back the River"
    Released: 26 February 1990
  4. "Stay with Me Heartache"
    Released: 30 July 1990
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Number One Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Smash Hits 8.5/10 [7]

Holding Back the River is the second studio album released by Scottish pop rock quartet Wet Wet Wet. Released on 30 October 1989, [8] the album, intentionally written as a lyrical follow-up to the band's debut album Popped In Souled Out , spawned the singles "Sweet Surrender", "Broke Away", "Hold Back the River" and "Stay With Me Heartache" and peaked at #2 on the UK Albums Chart.

Contents

Aside from the nine tracks found on the standard album, "How the Hell Did They Get There" appears as a hidden track on the CD and digital download versions, having previously been released as a B-side to the album's lead single, "Sweet Surrender". Outside of the UK, the album saw particular success in Australia, where it was certified Gold and re-released in the form of a limited edition coloured vinyl. [9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Clark/Cunningham/Mitchell/Pellow, except "Maggie May", by Martin Quittenton & Rod Stewart. All tracks produced by Wet Wet Wet.

No.TitleLength
1."Sweet Surrender"6:00
2."Stay with Me Heartache (Can't Stand the Night)"4:10
3."Blue for You"4:51
4."Broke Away"4:45
5."You've Had It"5:12
6."I Wish"5:04
7."Keys to Your Heart"4:23
8."Maggie May"6:02
9."Hold Back the River"4:45
10."How the Hell Did That Get There" (hidden track)3:38
Holding Back the River – B-Sides
No.TitleLength
1."This Time" (live version)4:59
2."Sweet Surrender" (extended version)6:50
3."You've Had It" (Louis Silas club mix)7:02
4."Sweet Surrender" (Ben Liebrand club mix)6:51
5."And Now for Something Completely Different"2:43
6."Keys to Your Heart" (original demo)4:15
7."With a Little Help from My Friends" (live, Wembley Arena, 14/12/89)5:11
8."I Can Give You Everything" (live, Wembley Arena, 14/12/89)5:25
9."Party City"5:05
10."I Feel Fine"5:02
11."Hold Back the River" (acoustic)4:15
12."Stay With Me Heartache" (Young T.C. & T mix)5:58
13."Stay With Me Heartache" (Stay Where You Are mix)4:35
14."Stoned Me" (Tonight Live with Steve Vizard)4:07

Charts

Weekly chart performance of Holding Back the River
Chart (1989–1990)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [10] 12
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [11] 28
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [12] 34
UK Albums (OCC) [13] 2
Year-end chart performance of Holding Back the River
Chart (1990)Position
European Albums (Music & Media) [14] 94

Related Research Articles

Mel and Kim were an English pop duo, consisting of sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby. Originally managed by Alan Whitehead, they achieved success between 1986 and 1988, before Melanie died of cancer in January 1990 at the age of 23.

<i>Kylie</i> (album) 1988 studio album by Kylie Minogue

Kylie is the debut studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, released on 4 July 1988 by Mushroom Records. Minogue had established herself as a child actress before signing to the record label in early 1987. The success of her debut single, "Locomotion", resulted in her working with Stock Aitken Waterman, who produced the album and wrote nine of its ten tracks. Their recording sessions, commencing in October 1987 in London and Melbourne, coincided with Minogue's filming schedule for the soap opera Neighbours.

<i>Enjoy Yourself</i> (Kylie Minogue album) 1989 studio album by Kylie Minogue

Enjoy Yourself is the second studio album by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, released on 9 October 1989 in the United Kingdom by Pete Waterman Entertainment (PWE), and in Australia on 6 November by Mushroom Records. In the United States, it was released in January 1990 by Geffen Records. Following the success of her self-titled debut album, Minogue reunited with the producers Stock Aitken Waterman, who produced and wrote nine of the album's ten tracks, in London in February 1989. The recording sessions took place there from February until July, coinciding with Minogue filming her first feature film The Delinquents.

<i>Hidden Things</i> 1992 studio album by Paul Kelly & the Messengers

Hidden Things is an album by Australian folk rock group Paul Kelly & the Messengers released in March 1992 on Mushroom Records, which reached No. 29 on the ARIA Albums Chart. It also reached the Top 40 on the New Zealand Albums Chart. It is a collection of tracks recorded by Kelly and both his backing bands, the Coloured Girls and the Messengers, from 1986 to 1991, but were not issued on previous studio albums. The album spawned a single, "When I First Met Your Ma", which was released in March. Messenger band members provide lead vocals on "Hard Times" from its writer Steve Connolly, and "Rock 'n' Soul" from its writer Jon Schofield. "Sweet Guy Waltz" is a slower version of "Sweet Guy" which was on 1989's So Much Water So Close to Home. The album was re-released in 2011 as Hidden Things: B-sides & Rarities.

<i>River of Dreams</i> 1993 studio album by Billy Joel

River of Dreams is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on August 10, 1993. River of Dreams presented a more serious tone than found in Joel's previous albums, dealing with issues such as trust and long-lasting love. It was rumored that the themes of trust and betrayal, particularly certain lyrics from the songs "A Minor Variation" and "The Great Wall of China", stem from Joel's legal disputes with his former manager and ex-brother-in-law, Frank Weber, who reportedly embezzled millions of dollars from Joel and used dubious accounting practices to cover it up. It was Joel's fourth and last album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart, a position it held for three consecutive weeks.

<i>Decade</i> (Duran Duran album) 1989 greatest hits album by Duran Duran

Decade is a greatest hits album by the English pop rock band Duran Duran, released on 13 November 1989.

<i>Wild!</i> 1989 studio album by Erasure

Wild! is the fourth studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure. Released in October 1989, the album was produced by the band, along with Gareth Jones and Mark Saunders, and released by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the U.S.

<i>Velveteen</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Transvision Vamp

Velveteen is the second studio album by English rock band Transvision Vamp, released in June 1989 by MCA Records. The album includes the single "Baby I Don't Care", which reached number 3 in the United Kingdom and Australia. Velveteen reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart and number 2 in Australia, where it became the 39th best-selling album of the year.

<i>Popped In Souled Out</i> 1987 studio album by Wet Wet Wet

Popped in Souled Out is the debut studio album by Scottish band Wet Wet Wet. It was released on 21 September 1987. Its offspring singles were "Wishing I Was Lucky", "Sweet Little Mystery", "Angel Eyes " and "Temptation". Upon release, it reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, held off top spot by Michael Jackson's Bad. It reached number one on 16 January 1988. A 5-CD 30th Anniversary Edition was released on 22 September 2017.

<i>The Memphis Sessions</i> 1988 compilation album by Wet Wet Wet

The Memphis Sessions is a compilation album by Scottish pop-rock quartet Wet Wet Wet. Released on 7 November 1988, the album features a number of tracks recorded during the early recording sessions for the band's debut studio album, Popped in Souled Out. The album contains three previously unreleased songs, as well as five alternative versions of songs from Popped in Souled Out.

<i>High on the Happy Side</i> Album by Wet Wet Wet

High on the Happy Side is the third studio album by Scottish quartet Wet Wet Wet. The album was released on 27 January 1992 and reached the top of the UK Albums Chart on 8 February. The release of the album was preceded by the singles "Make It Tonight", "Put the Light On" and "Goodnight Girl", and followed by two further singles, "More than Love" and "Lip Service".

<i>Picture This</i> (Wet Wet Wet album) 1995 studio album by Wet Wet Wet

Picture This is the fourth studio album released by Scottish pop rock quartet Wet Wet Wet. Released on 10 April 1995, the album was the band's first studio release since the release of their long-running Number #1 single, "Love Is All Around". As well as featuring the aforementioned track, the album spawned five further singles: "Julia Says", "Don't Want to Forgive Me Now", "Somewhere Somehow", "She's All on My Mind" and "Morning". The album peaked at #1 on the UK Albums Chart, becoming one of the band's bestselling releases to date.

<i>The Greatest Hits</i> (Wet Wet Wet album) 2004 greatest hits album by Wet Wet Wet

The Greatest Hits is the second Greatest Hits compilation album released by Scottish pop rock quartet Wet Wet Wet. Released on 8 November 2004, it was the band's first release since disbanding seven years earlier. The album reached #13 in the UK Albums Chart, and spawned the single "All I Want", which peaked at #14 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweet Surrender (Wet Wet Wet song)</span> 1989 single by Wet Wet Wet

"Sweet Surrender" is the first single from British band Wet Wet Wet's third studio album, Holding Back the River (1989). It was released on 18 September 1989 and reached number six on the UK Singles Chart. In Ireland, "Sweet Surrender" peaked at number one, becoming the group's second of three number-one singles there. In Australia, "Sweet Surrender" reached number seven on the ARIA Singles Chart in May 1990 and was certified gold.

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

This is the discography of Scottish soft rock band Wet Wet Wet.

<i>The Sweet Keeper</i> 1990 studio album by Tanita Tikaram

The Sweet Keeper is the second studio album by British pop/folk singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, released in 1990. Like her debut album Ancient Heart (1988), it was produced by Peter Van Hooke and Rod Argent. Three tracks from the album were released as singles: "We Almost Got It Together", "Little Sister Leaving Town" and "Thursday's Child".

<i>Lessons to Be Learned</i> 2008 studio album by Gabriella Cilmi

Lessons to Be Learned is the debut album by Australian singer-songwriter Gabriella Cilmi. It was released in the United Kingdom on 31 March 2008 by Island Records and in Australia on 10 May 2008 by Mushroom Records. Co-written and produced by the team Xenomania, the album takes its title from a line in the song "Sweet About Me", which became a worldwide hit.

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

The solo discography of Steve Winwood, a British rock artist, consists of nine studio albums, two live albums, nine compilation albums, and twenty-nine singles. After performing in the bands the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, Blind Faith, Ginger Baker's Air Force and Go, he launched a solo career in 1977.

This is the discography of Australian rock music group Little River Band. To the present they have released 18 studio albums, four live albums, and numerous compilation albums.

<i>The Merri Soul Sessions</i> 2014 studio album by Paul Kelly

The Merri Soul Sessions or Paul Kelly Presents: The Merri Soul Sessions is the twentieth studio album by Australian musician, Paul Kelly, which was issued on 12 December 2014 on his own label, Gawdaggie Records, and distributed by Universal Music Australia. Kelly provided lead vocals on two of its eleven tracks, the rest featured vocals by either Clairy Browne, sisters Vika and Linda Bull, Kira Puru, or Dan Sultan. The album debuted at No. 17 on the ARIA Albums Chart.

References

  1. ↑ "Wet Wet Wet: "We're all coming up to 50 now and no-one's died!"". Cambridge News. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Wet Wet Wet tweet their thanks to Carlisle". ITV News. 5 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2006). "Wet Wet Wet". Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-531373-4.
  4. ↑ Mawer, Sharon. "Wet Wet Wet – Popped in Souled Out". AllMusic. All Media Network . Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  5. ↑ Lewis, Jonathan. "Wet Wet Wet — Holding Back the River". AllMusic.
  6. ↑ Panos, Andrew (1 November 1989). "Review: Wet Wet Wet — Holding Back the River (Phonogram)". Number One . No. 332. London: IPC Magazines Ltd. p. 43. ISSN   0266-5328 . Retrieved 6 November 2022– via Flickr.
  7. ↑ Soutar, Mike (1–14 November 1989). "Wet Wet Wet: Holding Back the River". Smash Hits . Vol. 11, no. 21. Peterborough: EMAP Metro. p. 72. ISSN   0260-3004 . Retrieved 2 November 2022– via Flickr.
  8. ↑ "New Albums" (PDF). Music Week . 28 October 1989. p. 56. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  9. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  10. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Wet Wet Wet – Holding Back The River". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Wet Wet Wet – Holding Back The River" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Wet Wet Wet – Holding Back The River" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 September 2024.
  13. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  14. ↑ Bakker, Machgiel (22 December 1990). "1990 REVIEW: Music & Media Year - End Awards . European Top 100 Albums 1990" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 51. pp. 29, 38. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
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.