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Revolution Now | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 1989 | |||
Studio | Tin Pan Alley Studios, Konk, Raven, Team Esselle Studios, The Music Station, Nice, ICC Studios, Mark Angelo Studios, Good Earth Studios | |||
Genre | Pop, rock | |||
Length | 76:13 | |||
Label | Deltic Records | |||
Producer | Captain Sensible, Mark Ferda, Team Esselle, The Flowerpot Men | |||
Captain Sensible chronology | ||||
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Singles from Revolution Now | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Revolution Now is the third solo album by Captain Sensible. It was released on CD and double LP in July 1989 on his own Deltic Records. [3] It was Sensible's first album release in six years since 1983's The Power of Love . The album features contributions from Eddy Grant and former the Damned members Rat Scabies, Paul Gray and Henry Badowski, among others.
The album was reissued in 2013 by Easy Action Records in a redesigned gatefold card sleeve. [4]
After leaving his previous record label A&M following the release of his "Revolution Now" single in 1987, Sensible formed his own label, Deltic Records. His first release on the label was the single "Toys Take Over" in June 1988, [3] followed by "I Get So Excited" in October. [5] All three singles were included on Revolution Now, which was recorded in a number of different studios. Sensible wrote in the album's liner notes: "Why so many? Possibly due to the fact that being a bit of a perfectionist I spent a fair amount of time painstakingly putting this album together and would rapidly run out of credit wherever I happened to have the escalating bill that week - requiring frequent, and occasionally speedy relocation." [6]
The album includes the 15 minute epic "Coward of Treason Cove", which consists of a montage of different songs and musical styles. It was co-written with former bandmate Henry Badowski during a visit to Sensible's home in December 1986. Badowski: "He was in the process of putting together a mini rock opera and I was given a bottle of whiskey and a pen and paper and was ordered to write the words to a bunch of tunes he'd written." "Coward of Treason Cove" was originally released as the B-side to the "Revolution Now" 12" single. [7]
Revolution Now received less favourable reviews upon release and did not chart in the UK. [2] In a review for AllMusic, Richie Unterberger wrote that the album is hard to categorize musically, and that "the result sounds more irritatingly confusing than impressive." He described the music as "'80s British dance rock, neo-psychedelia, and White-boy soul, sometimes in the same song". Unterberger added that "there are some nice bits of melody here and there, but you get the uneasy feeling that eclecticism is being used as a cover for the lack of killer material or a compelling lyrical thread." [1]
In a more positive review, Ira Robbins of Trouser Press wrote that Sensible "reached some sort of artistic peak" on Revolution Now, although it was "hampered a bit by Sensible's minimalist singing and the obvious use of synthesizers where real instruments would have sounded better". He felt that the album was "full of catchy melodies and nearly serious left-field lyrics" and added that "there isn't a bad song here, and the best ones ... cover amazing stylistic ground with ease and flair." [8]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Missing the Boat" | Ray Burns | 4:11 |
2. | "Smash It Up, Part 4" | Burns | 2:36 |
3. | "Toys Take Over" | Burns, Martin Newell | 4:33 |
4. | "S.2." | Burns | 2:56 |
5. | "Riot on Eastbourne Pier" | Burns | 3:08 |
6. | "Wake Up (You're Only Dreaming)" | Burns | 4:07 |
7. | "Green Light" | Burns, Newell | 4:06 |
8. | "Lib 2/3" | Burns | 5:06 |
9. | "Revolution Now" | Burns, Newell | 4:32 |
10. | "Phone In" | Burns, Newell | 3:39 |
11. | "I Get So Excited" | Eddy Grant, Lincoln Gordon | 3:54 |
12. | "Vosene" | Captain Sensible, Captain Stupid | 2:31 |
13. | "The Kamikaze Millionaire" | Burns, Newell | 3:39 |
14. | "Exploding Heads and Teapots (Past Their Prime)" | Burns | 3:54 |
15. | "The Coward of Treason Cove" | Burns, Henry Badowski | 15:21 |
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [9]
The Damned are an English rock band formed in London, England, in 1976 by lead vocalist Dave Vanian, guitarist Brian James, bassist Captain Sensible, and drummer Rat Scabies. They were the first punk rock band from the United Kingdom to release a single, "New Rose" (1976), release an album, Damned Damned Damned (1977), and tour the United States. They have nine singles that charted on the UK Singles Chart Top 40.
Damned Damned Damned is the debut studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 18 February 1977 by Stiff Records. Produced by Nick Lowe, Damned Damned Damned was the first full-length album released by a UK punk group.
Strawberries is the fifth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released in October 1982 by record label Bronze.
Raymond Ian Burns, known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist.
Machine Gun Etiquette is the third studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 2 November 1979 by Chiswick Records.
"New Rose" is the first single by British punk rock group the Damned, released on 22 October 1976 on Stiff Records, and in 1977 in the Netherlands, Germany and France. It is considered to be the first single by a British punk group.
The Black Album was the fourth album by the Damned, and the first to feature Paul Gray on bass guitar. It was released in 3 November 1980 on Chiswick as a double album, with "Curtain Call" filling the whole of side 3, and a selection of live tracks recorded at Shepperton Studios for Damned fan club members on side 4. The song "13th Floor Vendetta" paid tribute to the film The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), opening with the lyrics "...the organ plays to midnight on Maldine Square tonight".
Not to be confused with Slipknot bassist Paul Gray.
"Smash It Up" is a song by The Damned, released as a single on 28 September 1979 on Chiswick Records. It is considered the band's unofficial anthem.
Not The Captain's Birthday Party? is an album released on July 1986 by The Damned. The album is based on a live performance recorded by Engineer Tony Taverner, using La Maison Rouge mobile, on 27 November 1977 at the Roundhouse.
Friday 13th EP is a four-track EP by English rock band the Damned, issued as the result of a one-off deal with the NEMS Records label. It was released on 13 November 1981, which fell on a Friday.
"There Ain't No Sanity Clause" was a single by the Damned, released in November 1980.
"Fun Factory" was a single by the Damned, released in January 1991 on Deltic Records.
Music for Pleasure is the second studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 18 November 1977 by Stiff Records.
So, Who's Paranoid is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Damned. Released in November 2008, it was their first album in seven years. It was funded by the band themselves and released on their English Channel label. Musically, the album draws from the band's 1980s Gothic rock sound.
Evil Spirits is the eleventh studio album from the Damned. Released on 13 April 2018, it is their first album in ten years and was produced by famed producer Tony Visconti who is best known for his work with David Bowie. The album was largely crowdfunded by a successful PledgeMusic campaign.
The Universe of Geoffrey Brown is the fourth solo album and first concept album by Captain Sensible, released in April 1993 by Humbug Records.
Meathead is a double album by Captain Sensible, released in September 1995 by Humbug Records. It is Sensible's fifth studio solo album and contains 32 songs across two and a half hours. The album includes studio performances by Sensible's band - featuring ex-Damned bassist Paul Gray, keyboardist Malcolm Dixon and drummer Garrie Dreadful - as well as demo recordings and instrumentals recorded mostly by Sensible on his own.
A Postcard from Britain is the first studio album by English rock band the Sensible Gray Cells, released in October 2013 by Easy Action. The band is a side project of guitarist Captain Sensible and bassist Paul Gray of the Damned along with drummer Anthony Thickett. The theme of modern-day Britain runs throughout the album, which the band themselves describe as a concept album.