Shock of Daylight

Last updated
Shock of Daylight
TheSoundShockOfDaylight.jpg
EP by
ReleasedApril 1984
RecordedJanuary 1984
Studio Townhouse Studios, Crow Studio and Elephant Studio, London, England
Genre Post-punk
Length25:01
Label Statik/A&M
Producer Pat Collier
The Sound chronology
All Fall Down
(1982)
Shock of Daylight
(1984)
Heads and Hearts
(1985)
Singles from Shock of Daylight
  1. "Counting the Days"
    Released: 1984
  2. "Golden Soldiers"
    Released: 1984 (Spain only)

Shock of Daylight is an EP by English post-punk band the Sound, released in April 1984 on Statik Records in the UK and A&M Records in the US.

Contents

The EP was seen by critics as a comeback for the band, after the band's critically and commercially disappointing previous album, 1982's All Fall Down . Two singles were released from the EP, "Counting the Days" and "Golden Soldiers" (the latter in Spain only).

Background and content

Shock of Daylight was recorded in Studio 3 of Townhouse Studios, except for "Winter", which was recorded at Elephant Studio in London and a studio only referred to as "Crow". [1]

Sounds described the album's style as "If All Fall Down chipped away at the gothic walls of From the Lions Mouth , Shock of Daylight nails down the carpet, but nervously pulls open the curtains". [2]

Release

Shock of Daylight was released in April 1984 by record label Statik in the UK and A & M Records in the US.

"Counting the Days" was released as a single in the UK. "Golden Soldiers" was released as a single in the same year in Spain only.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The Big Takeover favourable [4]
Head Heritage favourable [5]
Melody Maker favourable [6]
Sounds favourable [2]
Trouser Press favourable [7]

Shock of Daylight has been well received by critics. The Big Takeover described it as "a triumphant comeback for [the Sound], a nice return from the interesting but obviously non-commercial All Fall Down, an LP whose lack of salibility effectively got 'em booted from Korova/Warners, and this first release on Static [ sic ] is a reminder of why they're such a great band". [4] Melody Maker described the EP as "probably the most fearlessly outgoing music the Sound have produced since Jeopardy ". [6]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Adrian Borland

Side A
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Golden Soldiers"Borland, Colvin Mayers3:15
2."Longest Days"Borland, Mayers, Graham Bailey, Michael Dudley5:07
3."Counting the Days"Borland, Mayers, Bailey, Dudley3:36
Side B
No.TitleMusicLength
1."Winter"Borland4:17
2."A New Way of Life"Borland, Mayers, Bailey, Dudley4:38
3."Dreams Then Plans"Borland4:03

Personnel

The Sound
Additional personnel

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References

  1. Shock of Daylight (Media notes). The Sound. Statik Records. 1984. Retrieved 24 June 2013.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. 1 2 Roberts, Chris (1984). "Shock Treatment". Sounds . Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  3. Kellman, Andy. "Shock of Daylight – The Sound | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic . AllRovi . Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  4. 1 2 Rabid, Jack (17 August 1984). "[Shock of Daylight review]". The Big Takeover . Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  5. A, Keith (21 March 2006). "Julian Cope Presents Head Heritage | Unsung | Reviews | The Sound – Shock of Daylight". Head Heritage . Retrieved 19 August 2016.
  6. 1 2 Jones, Allan (7 April 1984). "Dawn Patrol". Melody Maker . Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  7. Lamey, Charles P.; Rabid, Jack; Ferguson, Scott. "TrouserPress.com :: Sound". TrouserPress.com . Retrieved June 27, 2016.