Schubert Dip

Schubert Dip
Studio album by EMF
Released	7 May 1991 (1991-05-07)
Recorded	1990
Genre	Alternative dance
Length	44:25
Label	Parlophone
Producer	Pascal Gabriel Ralph Jezzard
EMF chronology
Schubert Dip (1991) Stigma (1992)
Singles from Schubert Dip
"Unbelievable" Released: 22 October 1990 "I Believe" Released: January 1991 "Children" Released: April 1991 "Lies" Released: August 1991

Schubert Dip is the debut album by British rock band EMF, released on Parlophone Records on 7 May 1991. ^[1] It features the worldwide hit single "Unbelievable" which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The name of the album is a pun on the name of the popular sweet sherbet dip and the 19th-century composer Franz Schubert.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Baltimore Sun	(favorable) [3]
Calgary Herald	C [4]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[5]
Entertainment Weekly	B− [6]
Los Angeles Times	[7]
NME	9/10 [8]
Q	[9]
The Village Voice	C+ [10]

Alex Henderson of AllMusic gave the album three stars out of five, feeling that overall it was not as good as the standout single "Unbelievable": "The only song that comes close to packing the punch of 'Unbelievable' is the intoxicating 'Long Summer Days'. For the most part, Schubert Dip is a prime example of an album that is simply decent when it should have been excellent." ^[2]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by James Atkin, Derry Brownson, Mark Decloedt, Ian Dench & Zac Foley, except where noted.

1. "Children" – 5:15
2. "Long Summer Days" – 4:00
3. "When You're Mine" (Dench) – 3:22
4. "Travelling Not Running" (Dench) – 4:20
5. "I Believe" – 3:43
6. "Unbelievable" – 3:29
7. "Girl of an Age" – 3:56
8. "Admit It" (Dench) – 3:28
9. "Lies" (Dench) – 4:27 (4:19 on reissue)
10. "Longtime" – 4:25 (original length was 8:10, as it included "EMF" as a hidden track)
11. "EMF" (Live at the Bilson) – 3:54 (hidden track on the original, later listed separately on reissue)

Note

• The track "Lies" on the first pressings of Schubert Dip originally began with a sample of the voice of John Lennon's assassin, Mark David Chapman, reciting the first two lines of the lyrics to Lennon's "Watching the Wheels". Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, objected to this sample and as a result all subsequent pressings of the album have omitted the sample of Chapman's voice.
• The Hungarian speech at the beginning of the track "Travelling Not Running": "Az nem lehet, hogy az ellenzéknek is ártani lehet, ezt majd a végső eredmény eldönti..." ("It is impossible to harm the oppositionist, the final result will decide it...") was spoken by János Berecz, a Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party politician at the end of the Iron Curtain era.

Sample credits

• "Unbelievable" includes samples of US comedian Andrew Dice Clay throughout the track.
• The song "Girl of an Age" contains a sample of the character Ernie from Sesame Street speaking to his friend Bert.
• The song "Longtime" contains a sample of a reading of The Hollow Men by T. S. Eliot.

Personnel

EMF

• James Atkin – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Derry Brownson – keyboards, samples
• Mark Decloedt – drums
• Ian Dench – lead guitar, keyboards
• Zac Foley – bass

Additional personnel

• DJ Milf – turntables, scratching
• Claudia Fontaine – backing vocals on "Children", "I Believe", "Girl of an Age" & "Lies"
• Sindy Finn & Laurane McIntosh – backing vocals on "Travelling Not Running"
• Mastering by George Marino at Sterling Sound, NYC

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for Schubert Dip Chart (1991) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA) [11] 44 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [12] 32 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [13] 83 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [14] 20 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [15] 8 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [16] 21 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [17] 16 UK Albums (Official Charts Company) [18] 3 US Billboard 200 [19] 12

Year-end charts Annual chart performance for Schubert Dip Chart (1991) Position US Billboard 200 [20] 57

Certifications

Certifications for Schubert Dip

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [21]	Platinum	100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [22]	Gold	100,000^
United States (RIAA) [23]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• Doubt – the 1991 album by Jesus Jones, which had a similar style and performed well commercially as Schubert Dip

References

1. "Sampled Notes". NME . London, England: 4. 13 April 1991.
2. Henderson, Alex. "Schubert Dip – EMF". AllMusic . Retrieved 13 February 2018.
3. Considine, J.D. (1991). "EMF – Schubert Dip". The Baltimore Sun – via Milwaukee Journal . (9 June 1991).
4. Muretich, James (19 May 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald .
5. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN   9780857125958.
6. Reynolds, Simon (24 May 1991). "Hybrid sounds". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
7. Cromelin, Richard (9 June 1991). "EMF 'Schubert Dip' EMI". Los Angeles Times . ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 13 February 2018.
8. "EMF: Schubert Dip". NME . 4 May 1991. p. 34.
9. "EMF: Schubert Dip". Q . No. 57. June 1991.
10. Christgau, Robert (3 December 1991). "Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice . Retrieved 13 November 2018.
11. "australian-charts.com > EMF – Schubert Dip (album)" . Retrieved 30 October 2015.
12. "Austriancharts.at – EMF – Schubert Dip" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
13. "Dutchcharts.nl – EMF – Schubert Dip" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
14. "Offiziellecharts.de – EMF – Schubert Dip" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
15. "charts.nz > EMF – Schubert Dip (album)" . Retrieved 30 October 2015.
16. "Swedishcharts.com – EMF – Schubert Dip". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
17. "Swisscharts.com – EMF – Schubert Dip". Hung Medien. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
18. "Official Charts > EMF (albums tab)". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
19. "Billboard > Artists / EMF > Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
20. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
21. "Canadian album certifications – E.M.F. – Schubert Dip". Music Canada . Retrieved 25 February 2025.
22. "British album certifications – EMF – Schubert Dip". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 25 February 2025.
23. "American album certifications – EMF – Schubert Dip". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved 25 February 2025.