St. Jude | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 7 April 2008 | |||
Recorded | Late 2007 | |||
Genre | Indie rock | |||
Length | 38:38 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Producer |
| |||
The Courteeners chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from St. Jude | ||||
|
St. Jude is the debut studio album by English rock band the Courteeners, released on 7 April 2008 by Polydor Records. There is also a special edition album which includes a second disc of acoustic versions of songs which feature on the actual album. Although the album was released to mixed reviews from critics, it has become a somewhat cult success though many fans [ who? ] are more favorable to the versions of songs seen on Here Come the Young Men EP and various other demos.[ citation needed ] In support of the album the band embarked on a European tour.
Singer-songwriter Liam Fray had been played acoustic shows around his hometown of Middleton, Greater Manchester for sometime prior to forming the Courteeners in 2006 with his childhood friends Daniel Moores on bass, Mark Cupello on bass and Michael Campbell on drums. [1] They self-released an EP, titled Ltd E.P., which consisted of early versions of "Kings of the New Road", "How Come", "Slow Down" and "Fallowfield Hillbilly". [2] The band signed a recording contract with Loog Records, which was owned by Polydor Records, to release their debut single "Cavorting" and its B-side "No You Didn't, No You Don't" in August 2007. [1] [3]
When rehearsing material that would end up on the album, Fray and Campbell performed the songs in his garage. As the pair lacked a microphone equipment, Fray would end up shouting the words. While recording, Street told Fray "'you don’t have to shout this, you can sing if you want’. So it was nice to live with the songs for a bit, tackle the peaks and troughs and give some of them a bit more of a delicate feel". [4] The album was recorded at Olympic Studios in London over six weeks in late 2007. [5]
St. Jude is an indie rock album that takes aspect of bands from Manchester: the attitude of Oasis; the production work of the Smiths, who Street previously worked with; and the jangle pop and psychedelic elements of the Stone Roses. [6] [7] It is named after Christian saint Jude the Apostle, while celebrity culture serves as a reoccurring topic throughout it. [8] [9] Discussing his lyrical approach, Fray said: "I don't really think about it, to be honest. [...] I used to love English in school and I was always writing. I'm quite observational as well, which comes from just being nosey". [10] He added that he wrote several of the tracks while working at a Fred Perry store on Police Street in Manchester. [11] The album's sound has been compared to a British iteration of Kings of Leon, as exemplified by "Kings of the New Road", as well as Arctic Monkeys and the Libertines. [12] [13]
St. Jude opens with "Aftershow", where its opening guitar strum giving way to the pounding drums sets the tone for the rest of the material, evoking the work of Kaiser Chiefs. [14] [15] Fray said he had uploaded an earlier, live version of the track to Myspace in 2005, making it the band's first song. [16] The staff at NME said "Cavorting" has Fray "tumble into a cliquey scenester club night, decree it’s 'full of over-rated, dehydrated goggle-eyed girls' and stumble out again convinced he’s far too big a rock’n’roll star to bother with any of them". [17] "Bide Your Time" is critical of modern mores, and is reminiscent of the sound of the Kinks and the Libertines. [7] [12] Fray wrote it while he was holidaying in Turkey, and said it was about acquiring cheap alcohol. [18] "What Took You So Long?" is a homage to Stagecoach buses and queueing at the post office. [19] The title arose from Fray taking time at a post office during work hours, only for his manager to remark "what took you so long?". [20] He thought the intro section evoked the sound of Interpol. [21] The Motown-lite "Please Don't" sees Fray sing in a high register, akin to Ian Brown of the Stone Roses, while discussing the theme of separation. [14] [22] Fray explained that they were into girl groups from the 1960s, such as the Ronettes and the Shirelles. [23] The Arctic Monkeys-esque "If It Wasn't for Me" [7] is about looking out for one's friends. [24]
"No You Didn't, No You Don't" sees Fray reminisce about doing cocaine during his teenage years, backed by a guitar riff in the style of Johnny Marr. [17] Fray said it discusses other "people who don't really know you" and features Madonna, who happened to be in the studio, doing handclaps. [25] "How Come" cribs the sound of Oasis; [9] it talks about having manners. [26] "Kings of the New Road" features a darker sound with its gothic guitarwork. [7] It evolved out of a jam session that Street encouraged them to work on further. [27] "Not Nineteen Forever" comes across as a mix of New Order and the Strokes with its disco rhythm section as it details disintegrating relationships. [19] [22] [28] It has an optimistic atmosphere as Fray describes teenagers' insecurities and romantic moments, referencing the 42s nightclub in Manchester, which the band used to attend. [29] [30] He came up with the song in his bedroom after playing the chords to "Someday" (2002) by the Strokes in the wrong order. [30] "Fallowfield Hillbilly" is about a person that Fray met on a bus who claimed they were an expert on Joy Division. [31] It references "Hand in Glove" (1983) by the Smiths, and features guitar riffs evoking the work of Oasis. [19] The album concludes with the acoustic song "Yesterday, Today & Probably Tomorrow"; [12] in the background, noise can be heard from the Piccadilly station in Manchester. [32] On some editions of the albums, it is followed by seven silent tracks, eventually leading to hidden track "Acrylic", [33] which sees Fray call out bands that try to ape the sound of the Libertines. [7]
The Courteeners went on a tour of the United Kingdom in September 2007. The following month, they released the non-album single "Acrylic", which was promoted with a supporting slot for the Coral. [34] A promotional seven-inch vinyl record was released to coincide with this, featuring an acoustic version of "Bide Your Time". [35] The Courteeners closed out the year with UK tour in December 2007. [36] A music video for "What Took You So Long?" premiered through Digital Spy 's website on 4 January 2008. [37] The song was then released as the lead single from the band's forthcoming album on 14 January 2008; the CD edition included "Slow Down". [38] [39] Two versions were released on seven-inch vinyl: the first with "Not One Could I Give", while the other featured a live version of "What Took You So Long?". [40] [41] The band embarked on a UK tour that continued into February 2008. [38]
On 6 February 2008, St. Jude was announced for release in two months' time. [8] Fray played a one-off acoustic show in London in March 2008. [42] "Not Nineteen Forever" was released as the second single from the album on 31 March 2008; the CD edition included "Smiths Disco". [43] [44] Two versions were released on seven-inch vinyl: the first with "Trying Too Hard to Score", while the other featured a demo version of "If It Wasn't for Me". [45] [46] St. Jude was released on 7 April 2008. [47] The artwork is a painting that Fray made of actress Audrey Hepburn. [1] It was promoted with a tour of the UK throughout the month. [47] Over the next few months, the band performed at various festivals, including T in the Park, Ibiza Rocks, Wireless and V Festivals. [48] [49] [50] [51]
"No You Didn’t, No You Don’t" was released as the album's third single on 23 June 2008; the CD edition included covers of "I'm Sticking with You" by the Velvet Underground, "About You Now" (2007) by Sugababes and the standard "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (1931). [52] [53] Two versions were released on seven-inch vinyl: the first with a cover of "New Romantic" (2007) by Laura Marling, while the other featured a cover of "Out to Get You" (1993) by James. [54] [55] The following month, the Here Come the Young Men mini-album was released in Japan, collecting all of the songs from the "Cavorting" and "Acrylic" singles. [56] In September and October 2008, they toured the UK again. [57] [58] Coinciding with this, "That Kiss" was released as a non-album single. [59] The live EP, Live at Manchester Apollo, recorded at their most recent tour, was released on 10 October 2008. [60] Fray then played a solo, one-off show in London that same month as part of The Best British Sound: Best of the Festivals concert series. [61] The Courteeners closed out 2008 and opened 2009 with New Years shows in Leeds and Sheffield. [62] They played a two UK shows and a headlining US show in New York City, prior to a stint supporting Morrissey on his tour of the US, which ran into April 2009. [63] [64]
St. Jude was re-pressed on vinyl in 2018 as part of that year's Record Store Day. [65] Preceded by a version of "Not Nineteen Forever", the Courteeners released a reimagined version of the album, under the name St. Jude Re:Wired, through Ignition Records that same year. [66] [67] This version was birthed from Fray revisiting the Courteeners' back catalogue while on a solo acoustic tour in late 2017. On the day following the final show of the tour, Fray and the other members of the band went into a studio to re-work St. Jude. [68] It promoted this with two headlining performances in London and Manchester, as well as performing at the Neighbourhood Weekender, TRNSMT and Truck Festivals. [4] [69] A version of "Please Don't" with Blossoms was released in July 2020; a music video was filmed at each members' house due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [70] [71] In 2023, the album was reissued as a two-CD set with B-sides, outtakes and acoustic versions. [72]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 60/100 [73] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [6] |
Gigwise | [9] |
God Is in the TV | 1/5 [22] |
The Guardian | [74] |
NME | 7/10 [12] |
musicOMH | [14] |
The Observer | [75] |
Uncut | [76] |
Yahoo! Music | [7] |
St. Jude was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 60, based on seven reviews. [73]
AllMusic reviewer Stewart Mason thought Fray was not a "distinctive frontman or as an instantly memorable songwriter, but the best parts of St. Jude are at least superior to, say, Menswear or Cast". He added that the "more measured material throws enough changeups to keep the album from getting tiring". [6] Huw Jones of Gigwise said Street's production work aided the album's "extremely commercially viable" sound, as it "resonates with the warm recycled familiarity of so many bands that have gone before". He said it was "short lived enjoyment as opposed to repeated longevity". [9] The staff at NME thought musical references to previous acts only accounted for half of the album's content, while the second half is "where ‘St Jude’ really begins to confound expectations and reveal a seldom-seen sensitivity". [12] God Is in the TV writer Bill Cummings considered the band to a share a similar vein to Status Quo, in the way they are "musically tired, derivative and boring". [22] The Guardian 's Maddy Costa gave a similar sentiment, stating that the band were "troglodytes on the rampage; if the garage fuzz of Kings of the New Road is effective, it's only because it's so derivative". [74] Yahoo! Music reviewer Jamie Gill was slightly more sympathetic, acknowledging that while it "may be occasionally derivative, but it's also solid, confident and, musically at least, rewarding". [7]
musicOMH contributor Taras Binns felt Fray had "something quite constructive to say" unlike the band's contemporaries, as he is "capable of scribbling down some damn good, meaningful words". [14] Mason praised Fray's "endearingly yobbish vocals and unabashed sentimental lyrical streak"; Jones highlighted Fray's "undoubtedly appealing" vocals, though noted that it was "by no means an exclusive sound", linking it to the band's Manchester contemporaries. [6] [9] Cummings felt that Fray lacked the "wit, sensitivity and duality" of singers such as John Cooper Clarke, Jarvis Cocker or Morrissey, as his "vocal tone is so flat and repetitive that you wonder how people could bear it live". He added that the lyrics "lack the wry eye of a [Alex] Turner or even his way with a melody". [22] Costa noted that Fray was "aiming at a kind of sardonic wit," only to come across as "sneering, arrogant and aggressive" instead, backed by him "howling on the loud songs, whining on the quiet ones". [74]
St. Jude originally peaked at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart, where it sold 105,000 copies by the time its follow-up Falcon was released in 2010. [77] [78] It eventually topped the charts upon its 2023 reissue, the band's first album to do so. It was certified gold in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in 2008 and platinum in 2023. [79] As of November 2016, it has sold 166,150 copies in the UK. [80] It also reached number three in Scotland. [81] "What Took You So Long?" charted at number seven in Scotland and number 20 in the UK. [77] [82] "Not Nineteen Forever" charted at number ten in Scotland and number 19 in the UK, becoming their highest-charting song in that country. [77] [83] It was first certified silver in 2017 and went double platinum in 2024. [84] "No You Didn't, No You Don't" charted at number six in Scotland and number 35 in the UK. [77] [85] In 2021, "Bide Your Time" and St. Jude Re:Wired were both certified silver by the BPI, [86] [87] followed by "Cavorting" in 2023. [88]
In December 2008 St. Jude won the inaugural Guardian's First British Album Award, beating out albums by Glasvegas, Duffy, Adele, and Noah and the Whale. The award was voted for by members of the public and The Guardian journalists. St. Jude clinched a mammoth 53% of the public vote. [89]
All tracks are written by Liam Fray
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Aftershow" | 2:32 |
2. | "Cavorting" | 3:06 |
3. | "Bide Your Time" | 3:20 |
4. | "What Took You So Long?" | 3:39 |
5. | "Please Don't" | 3:18 |
6. | "If It Wasn't for Me" | 2:40 |
7. | "No You Didn't, No You Don't" | 3:59 |
8. | "How Come" | 2:50 |
9. | "Kings of the New Road" | 2:53 |
10. | "Not Nineteen Forever" | 4:04 |
11. | "Fallowfield Hillbilly" | 3:04 |
12. | "Yesterday, Today & Probably Tomorrow" | 3:13 |
Total length: | 38:38 |
Special edition disc
Weekly charts
| Certifications
|
William John Paul Gallagher is an English singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer of the rock band Oasis, which he co-founded in 1991. He fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2010 to 2014, before starting a successful solo career in 2017.
Up at the Lake is the eighth album by the British alternative rock band The Charlatans, released on 17 May 2004 through Universal and Island Records Group. As promotion wrapped up for their seventh album, Wonderland (2001), Universal wanted them to follow it up with another one quickly. However, frontman Tim Burgess began working on his debut solo album in late 2002. At the end of the year, the band reconvened to write songs; by March 2003, they relocated to their own studio, Big Mushroom, in Cheshire, Greater Manchester, with them and James Spencer serving as producers. Recording halted in May 2003 to allow for Burgess to finish his album, I Believe (2003); sessions would resume by the end of the year and finish in February 2004. Up at the Lake is a pop rock album that pursues the country rock direction that they had first explored on their sixth album, Tellin' Stories (1997).
"Live Forever" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. Written by Noel Gallagher, the song was released as the third single from their debut album Definitely Maybe (1994) on 8 August 1994, just prior to that album's release. Gallagher began writing the song in 1991, before he joined Oasis.
Tourist is the second studio album by English rock band Athlete. It was released on 31 January 2005 through Parlophone. During the promotional cycle for their debut studio album Vehicles & Animals (2003), the band wrote material for its follow-up. Recording sessions were done at Helioscentric Studios in East Sussex, The Dairy in London, and Athlete's studio in London. Victor Van Vugt produced the majority of the tracks, while John Cornfield did the rest; Athlete is credited with producing all of them. The album is a soft rock release with elements of electronic music, taking influence from the works of Coldplay, Doves and the Flaming Lips.
Vehicles & Animals is the debut studio album by British rock band Athlete. It was released on 7 April 2003 through Parlophone. After changing their music style from Britpop, Athlete released a self-titled extended play (EP) in early 2002; its lead track "Westside" brought attention from Parlophone and the band joined the label. "You Got the Style" was released as a single in mid 2002, after which Athlete recording their debut album with producer Victor Van Vugt. Vehicles & Animals is an indie rock and post-Britpop album that emulates the style of Blur, Eels and Stereophonics.
Out of Nothing is the fourth studio album by English rock band Embrace. It was released on 13 September 2004 through the label Independiente. Following the release of their third studio album If You've Never Been (2001), the band were dropped by Hut Records; around this time, the general public had lost interest in them. After signing to Independiente, they took time working on new material, until early 2004, when they recorded their next album at Olympic Studios in London with producer Martin "Youth" Glover. Out of Nothing is an indie rock album that drew comparison to the works of Coldplay and Keane.
Revolt is the second album from UK rock band 3 Colours Red. It was recorded with producer Dave Eringa and saw the band adopting a more polished and commercial sound. The album reached number 17 on the UK album chart when it was released on Creation Records in 1999, but the band split at their peak after releasing only 2 singles from it, both of which entered the UK top 40. An additional EP, Paralyse, was released prior to the album.
Roots & Echoes is the fifth studio album by English rock band the Coral. It was released on 6 August 2007, through Deltasonic. During the promotional cycle for their third studio album The Invisible Invasion (2005), guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones left and subsequently re-joined the band. Recording for their next album occurred between August 2006 and February 2007 at three different studios, Wheeler End, Konk, and RAK. Craig Silvey and the band co-produced the majority of the material, aside from two songs that were produced by Ian Broudie. Described as a psychedelic rock and pop album, Roots & Echoes took influences from doo wop and R&B.
Courteeners are an English band formed in Middleton, Greater Manchester, in 2006 by Liam Fray, Michael Campbell, Daniel "Conan" Moores and Mark Cuppello (bass); the last was replaced by the band's producer Joe Cross in 2015. They previously toured with pianist Adam Payne, who has been featured on every album, but in 2019 was replaced with Elina Lin. In December 2012, the band dropped "The" from their name, continuing simply as "Courteeners". In 2024, Cross and Lin became official members of the band.
Liam James Fray is an English musician, singer, songwriter and lyricist, best known as the founder and frontman of Manchester-based indie rock band Courteeners, which was formed in 2006. Fray hails from Middleton, Greater Manchester and he references his hometown in multiple songs.
Strength in Numbers is the third and final studio album by English rock the Music. It was released on 16 June 2008 by Polydor Records and Yes, Please!.
"Not Nineteen Forever" is the fourth single released by indie rock band The Courteeners. Taken from their debut studio album St. Jude, it was released on 31 March 2008 on a CD and two 7" singles. It reached #19 in the UK Singles Chart making it the highest charting Courteeners single to date. In 2013, it was used by Manchester United to celebrate their 20th Premier League title triumph. The song is featured on Pro Evolution Soccer 2010.
"Cavorting" is the first single by the Manchester indie rock band the Courteeners. The single was released in the United Kingdom on 6 August 2007 as both a CD single and a 7-inch vinyl. It was the lead single from the band's first album, St. Jude.
Falcon is the second studio album by English rock band the Courteeners. It was released through A&M Records on 22 February 2010. While touring the United States in 2009 as part of promotion for their debut studio album St. Jude (2008), the band wrote new material on their tour bus. In August 2009, the band recorded its follow-up with Ed Buller at ICP studios in Brussels, Belgium. Falcon has an arena and indie rock sound, influenced in part by the work of Elbow, and is slower-paced than their previous album.
"Don't Look Back in Anger" is a song by English rock band Oasis. It was written by the band's lead guitarist and chief songwriter Noel Gallagher, and produced by Gallagher and Owen Morris. Released on 19 February 1996 by Creation Records as the fifth single from their second studio album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995), it became Oasis's second single to reach number one on the UK Singles Chart, earning a quintuple-platinum sales certification in the UK. It was the first Oasis single with lead vocals by Noel, who had previously only sung lead on B-sides, instead of his brother Liam. Noel would later sing lead vocals on six other singles. The music video was directed by Nigel Dick, featuring the band performing at a mansion where a large group of women appears.
Anna is the third studio album by British rock band Courteeners. It was released on 4 February 2013 through V2 Records and Cooperative Music. Following their second studio album Falcon (2010), the band took a break at the end of 2010. They played a few shows in 2011, spending most of the year working on their next album, debuting some new songs in the process. After frontman Liam Fray broke his ankle, he re-listened to the material they had up to that point and felt they could be improved on. Following a meeting with Joseph Cross, he was enlisted to produce the band's next album; sessions were held at 80 Hertz Studios. Anna is an indie pop album that leans more into the electronic elements found on Falcon.
The discography of English rock band Courteeners consists of seven studio albums, four EPs, 19 singles and one DVD album. Several of the band's songs have been featured in adverts and TV shows.
Concrete Love is the fourth studio album by British rock band Courteeners, released on 18 August 2014 via Cooperative Music label. It features the band delve further into a post-punk sound and was inspired by 1980s music. Promoted by two singles, Concrete Love received generally favourable reviews from music critics and reached number three on the UK Albums Chart.
Mapping the Rendezvous is the fifth studio album by British rock band Courteeners, released on 28 October 2016. The album was announced in August while "The 17th" was made available on streaming platforms. In November the band embarked on a UK/European tour in support of the album.
More. Again. Forever. is the sixth studio album by British rock band Courteeners. Following their fifth studio album Mapping the Rendezvous (2016), the band released a reimagined version of their debut studio album St. Jude (2008) and scrapped an album's worth of new material. After a co-writing session with Rich Turvey and a tour of the United Kingdom, frontman Liam Fray wrote the majority of what would appear on their next album in early 2019. Recording for it concluded by April 2019; More. Again. Forever. is a pop and psychedelic album that takes influenced from the work of LCD Soundsystem, as well as a period of addiction and self-improvement that Fray went through.
Citations
{{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help){{cite AV media notes}}
: Unknown parameter |people=
ignored (help)Sources