Pop Art (album)

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Pop Art
TransvisionVamp-PopArt.jpg
Studio album by
Transvision Vamp
Released3 October 1988 (1988-10-03) [1]
Recorded1988
StudioGarden Studio, London; Eastcote Studios, Kensal Road, London; Matrix Studios, London
Genre Pop rock
Length42:20
Label MCA
Producer
Transvision Vamp chronology
Pop Art
(1988)		 Velveteen
(1989)
Singles from Pop Art
  1. "Revolution Baby"
    Released: 1987
  2. "Tell That Girl to Shut Up"
    Released: 1988
  3. "I Want Your Love"
    Released: 1988
  4. "Revolution Baby"
    Released: 1988 (re-issue)
  5. "Sister Moon"
    Released: 1988

Pop Art is the debut studio album by the English pop rock band Transvision Vamp. [3] It was released in October 1988 and features the band's first top ten hit "I Want Your Love". [4] The album reached No. 4 in the UK, [4] and peaked at No. 13 in Australia, [5] where it was the 25th highest-selling album of 1989. [6]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
NME 6/10 [8]
Number One Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
The Philadelphia Inquirer Star full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Village Voice B [11]

NME reviewer Stuart Bailie stated that Transvision Vamp "write some very assured singalongs, and have a smart sense of melody", but was disappointed by Pop Art, finding that it lacked the "haughty thrust" of the band's debut single "Revolution Baby". [8] In Number One , Patsy Kensit called the group "a band known more for their big mouths than their music" and commented, "what a shame after all their rantings they have come up with a package that is so astoundingly average." [9] The magazine later listed Pop Art – alongside the album Fearless by Kensit's band Eighth Wonder, in a section titled "Silly Blondes" – as one of the year's "stinkers". [12] The Philadelphia Inquirer concluded that "every lyric shoots for free-associative significance, and eventually all it adds up to is a glossy empty set." [13]

Robert Christgau was more complimentary in The Village Voice , suggesting that Transvision Vamp had been criticised for simply "wearing their inauthenticity on their sleeves", while advising them to improve their "command of trash – better riffs are available for hijacking." [11]

Track listing

All tracks written by Nick Christian Sayer, except where noted. [2]

Pop Art track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Trash City" 5:09
2."I Want Your Love" 3:29
3."Sister Moon" 4:23
4."Psychosonic Cindy" 3:47
5."Revolution Baby" 4:53
6."Tell That Girl to Shut Up" Holly Beth Vincent 3:06
7."Wild Star" 3:23
8."Hanging Out with Halo Jones" 4:37
9."Andy Warhol's Dead" 3:50
10."Sex Kick" 5:42

Personnel

Transvision Vamp

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Chart performance for Pop Art
Chart (1988)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [5] 13
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [14] 50
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [15] 25
Swiss Albums (Swiss Hitparade) [16] 20
UK Albums (OCC) [4] 4
US Billboard 200 [17] 115

Certifications

Certifications for Pop Art
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [6] Platinum70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [1] Gold100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

  1. 1 2 "BPI > Certified Awards > Search results for Transvision Vamp (from bpi.co.uk)". Imgur.com. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 Pop Art (Media notes). Transvision Vamp. MCA Records. 1988.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ↑ Sutherland, Steve (9 July 1988). "Albums—Trash Fantasy". Melody Maker. Vol. 64, no. 28. p. 35.
  4. 1 2 3 "Official Charts > Transvision Vamp". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  5. 1 2 "australian-charts.com > Transvision Vamp – Pop Art (album)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  6. 1 2 "The ARIA Top 100 Albums Chart – 1989 (1–60) (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 1)". Imgur.com. Retrieved 19 May 2016. N.B. The triangle symbol indicates platinum certification.
  7. ↑ Swift, Brendan. "Pop Art – Transvision Vamp". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  8. 1 2 Bailie, Stuart (8 October 1988). "'Popped In, Sold Out'". NME . London. p. 41.
  9. 1 2 Kensit, Patricia (7 December 1988). "Transvision Vamp: Pop Art (MCA)". Number One . No. 286. London. p. 41. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  10. ↑ Moon, Tom (4 September 1988). "Transvision Vamp Pop Art". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. G8.
  11. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (8 November 1988). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice . New York. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  12. ↑ "Silly Blondes Section". Number One . No. 287. London. 14 December 1988. p. 37. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ "charts.nz > Transvision Vamp – Pop Art (album)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
  15. ↑ "swedishcharts.com > Transvision Vamp – Pop Art (album)". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  16. ↑ "hitparade.ch > Transvision Vamp – Pop Art" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  17. ↑ "Billboard 200: The week of October 22, 1988". Billboard . Retrieved 21 April 2021.
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