Hotwired | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 21 April 1992 | |||
Recorded | 1991 | |||
Studio | Livingston Studios, London, Advision, Brighton | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, alternative dance | |||
Length | 49:22 | |||
Label | Big Life/Mercury [1] | |||
Producer | Marius De Vries, Sean Dickson, Steve Sidelnyk | |||
the Soup Dragons chronology | ||||
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Singles from Hotwired | ||||
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Hotwired is the third studio album by the Scottish band the Soup Dragons. [2] [3] It was released on April 21, 1992.
The album peaked at No. 97 on the Billboard 200. [4] "Pleasure" and "Divine Thing" were alternative dance singles that became moderate hits in the U.S. Hotwired sold more than 300,000 copies in its first six months of release. [5]
The band supported the album by touring North America with Catherine Wheel; they later toured with Tom Tom Club and James. [6] [7] [8] "Divine Thing" was used in the film Hellraiser III . [9]
The album was produced by Marius De Vries, Sean Dickson, and Steve Sidelnyk. [10] It was recorded in 1991 and 1992 at Livingston Studios and Advision Brighton. The Soup Dragons were more prepared for the sessions, having written 15+ songs before entering the studio. [11] They band considered Hotwired to be an optimistic album; they also conceded that they still had not quite captured the power of their live sound on record. [12] [13]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [14] |
Calgary Herald | D [15] |
Chicago Tribune | [16] |
Los Angeles Times | [17] |
The Calgary Herald deemed the album "bubblegum music sonically gussied up for the '90s". [15] The Los Angeles Times concluded that "the shuffling, dance-rock fusion on Hotwired works only occasionally, most imaginatively on 'Divine Thing'". [17] The Washington Post wrote: "Combining contemporary dance beats and sound effects with gospel-style backing vocals and beat-group touches ... songs like 'Pleasure' mix and match '60s and '90s British youth culture". [18]
The St. Petersburg Times stated that "the band limits guitar technique to power chords, wah-wah pedals and scuffled riffs, fattened up by studio wizardry and layered samples". [19] The Chicago Tribune opined that the band "does little to pull distance from the retro sound pervasive among groups from across the big pond". [16]
AllMusic described Hotwired as the album where the Soup Dragons reached "the happy medium between the slick breakbeats and guitar-based rock & roll," adding that the songs are "among the strongest of the band's career". [14]
All songs written by Sean Dickson.
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