The Cult of Ant & Dec | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 12 May 1997 (worldwide) 9 July 1997 (Japan) | |||
Recorded | 1996–97 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 50:38 | |||
Label | Sony BMG | |||
Producer |
| |||
Ant & Dec chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Cult of Ant & Dec | ||||
|
The Cult of Ant & Dec is the third and final studio album released by British duo Ant & Dec, previously known as PJ & Duncan. The album was recorded during 1996 and 1997, and included the single "When I Fall in Love". The album was released in May 1997 and peaked at number 15 on the UK Albums Chart.
For the release of their third studio album, Ant & Dec decided to drop their character names of PJ & Duncan, and continue recording under their real names. Recording began in April 1996, with the duo's long-time collaborator Ray Hedges. Hedges penned the tracks "Just a Little Love" and "Better Watch Out" for the album, as well as producing covers of "Game of Love" and "All I Have to Do Is Dream". In an attempt to break Europe and Asia, "All I Have to Do Is Dream" was released as a single in June 1996, to moderate success in Germany and South Korea. "Better Watch Out" was then released as the album's international lead single in August 1996, receiving moderate success in the United Kingdom.
Due to Hedges' involvement in the recording of Boyzone's second studio album, A Different Beat , he was unable to continue writing with the duo, who were instead referred to songwriter Richard Stannard, who penned their next single, "When I Fall in Love". A large block of the album was produced by Stannard, with co-production from Pete Davis and Matt Rowe. Rob Kean and Tony Vickers also co-produced two tracks for the album, "Bound" and "Cloud Nine".
The final recording sessions for the album saw the duo hook up with songwriter Wayne Hector and production supremo Steve Mac, who helped pen the final two tracks for the album: "Falling" and "Crazy". However, the release of "Falling" as a single was the decision that subsequently ended their British musical career. The track was pulled from the British charts under the instruction of their record label, Telstar Records, after claims of copyright infringement were made, brought about by a pop duo, 'And all because...', who were also managed by Ant and Dec's management team. The duo claimed that Ant & Dec had stolen the song from them, and released it without their consent. Subsequently, Telstar Records decided not to renew their existing contract, and they were dropped from the label.
However, the duo's Japanese record label, Cutting Edge, made the decision to continue pushing the duo's career, and as such, hooked them up with a group of well known international songwriters, to help write five brand new tracks to appear on a special deluxe version of the album to be released in Japan. The new version of the album was led by the Mac and Hector-penned single "Crazy", which was heavily remixed for its use as a single, and both the album and single received success in the region. However, after the loss of their British record deal, and having not wanted to move to the other side of the world to continue in the music, the duo decided to call it day, making "Crazy" their last release as a single.
Epic Records in Asia later made the decision to re-issue the album without the duo's consent, adding the single "All I Have to Do is Dream" and the Japanese-only track "This Must Be Heaven" as bonus tracks, with "All I Have to Do is Dream" not appearing on any other version of the release. Epic also released a VHS video of the same name, containing the duo's entire back catalogue of music videos, karaoke versions, behind the scenes footage and live tour performances from the duo's Asian tour, plus footage from the Out on the Tiles VHS formerly released in July 1996.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) [2] | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Cult of Ant & Dec" | Anthony McPartlin, Declan Donnelly, Matt Rowe, Richard Stannard | Richard Stannard | 3:00 |
2. | "When I Fall in Love" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Rowe, Stannard, Pete Davis | Richard Stannard, Pete Davis | 3:53 |
3. | "Shout" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Julian Gallagher, Ian Bowman | Richard Stannard | 3:50 |
4. | "Falling" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Steve Mac, Wayne Hector | Steve Mac | 4:32 |
5. | "Crazy" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Mac, Hector | Steve Mac | 3:43 |
6. | "Cloud Nine" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Tony Vickers, Rob Kean, Dominic Hawken | Rob Kean, Tony Vickers | 3:31 |
7. | "Just A Little Love" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Ray Hedges, Martin Brannigan | Ray Hedges | 3:59 |
8. | "Better Watch Out" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, Brannigan | Ray Hedges | 3:15 |
9. | "Game of Love" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Clint Ballard, Jr. | Ray Hedges | 3:40 |
10. | "Bound" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Vickers, Kean, Hawken | Rob Kean, Tony Vickers | 3:37 |
11. | "Masterplan" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Stannard, Davis | Richard Stannard | 3:42 |
12. | "Universal Sun" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Stannard, Rowe | Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe | 4:23 |
13. | "Apology" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Stannard, Rowe | Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe | 4:15 |
14. | "The Cult of Ant & Dec (Reprise)" (hidden track) | McPartlin, Donnelly, Stannard, Rowe | Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe | 3:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Crazy" (I Love You '97 Remix) | McPartlin, Donnelly, Mac, Hector | Steve Mac | 3:41 |
15. | "Today" | |||
16. | "Who Are You" | |||
17. | "Make My Move" | |||
18. | "Rock Me (Tick Tock)" | |||
19. | "This Must Be Heaven" | Richard Norris, David Ball | Richard Norris | 3:47 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Falling" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Steve Mac, Wayne Hector | Steve Mac | 4:32 |
2. | "Shout" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Julian Gallagher, Ian Bowman | Richard Stannard | 3:50 |
3. | "When I Fall in Love" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Rowe, Stannard, Pete Davis | Richard Stannard, Pete Davis | 3:53 |
4. | "Crazy" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Mac, Hector | Steve Mac | 3:43 |
5. | "Cloud Nine" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Tony Vickers, Rob Kean, Dominic Hawken | Rob Kean, Tony Vickers | 3:31 |
6. | "Just A Little Love" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Ray Hedges, Martin Brannigan | Ray Hedges | 3:59 |
7. | "Who Are You" | |||
8. | "All I Have to Do is Dream" | Felice and Boudleaux Bryant | Ray Hedges | 3:18 |
9. | "This Must Be Heaven" | Richard Norris, David Ball | Richard Norris | 3:47 |
10. | "Better Watch Out" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Hedges, Brannigan | Ray Hedges | 3:15 |
11. | "Bound" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Vickers, Kean, Hawken | Rob Kean, Tony Vickers | 3:37 |
12. | "Masterplan" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Stannard, Davis | Richard Stannard | 3:42 |
13. | "Universal Sun" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Stannard, Rowe | Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe | 4:23 |
14. | "Apology" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Stannard, Rowe | Richard Stannard, Matt Rowe | 4:15 |
15. | "The Cult of Ant & Dec" | McPartlin, Donnelly, Stannard, Rowe | Richard Stannard | 3:00 |
Chart (1997) | Peak position |
---|---|
Taiwanese Albums Chart [5] | 10 |
Scottish Albums Chart [6] | 26 |
UK Albums Chart [7] | 15 |
Cheap Trick is an American rock band from Rockford, Illinois, formed in 1973 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s guitar pop, '70s hard rock, and the emerging punk rock sound, and would help set the template for subsequent power pop artists.
Byker Grove is a British teen drama and coming of age television series which aired between 1989 and 2006 as part of CBBC on BBC One.
Ant & Dec are a British television presenting duo consisting of Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly from Newcastle upon Tyne. After meeting as child actors on CBBC's drama Byker Grove, they performed together as pop musicians PJ & Duncan, the names of their characters from the series.
Kim Carnes is an American singer and songwriter born and raised in Los Angeles. A veteran writer of many of her own hits, as well as those for numerous other artists, she began her career as a songwriter and performer in the early 1970s, playing in local clubs. She also worked for several years as a session background singer with the famed Waters Sisters, Maxine Waters Willard and Julia Waters Tillman, who were later featured in the acclaimed 2013 documentary, 20 Feet from Stardom). In 1971, after she signed her first publishing deal with Jimmy Bowen, Carnes released her debut album Rest on Me. Released in 1975, Carnes' self-titled second album primarily contained self-penned songs, including her first charting single "You're a Part of Me," which reached No. 35 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. In the following year, Carnes released Sailin', produced by the legendary Jerry Wexler, which featured "Love Comes from Unexpected Places." The song won the American Song Festival and the award for Best Composition at the Tokyo Song Festival in 1976.
Telstar Records was a British record label that operated from 1982 to 2004.
"Crazy" is a song written by Willie Nelson and popularized by Patsy Cline in 1961. Nelson wrote the song while living in Houston, working for Pappy Daily's label D Records. He was also a radio DJ and performed in clubs. Nelson then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, working as a writer for Pamper Music. Through Hank Cochran, the song reached Patsy Cline. After her original recording and release, Cline's version reached number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles, also crossing to the pop chart as a top 10 single.
The Honeycombs were an English beat group, founded in 1963 in North London, best known for their chart-topping, million-selling 1964 hit, "Have I the Right?" The band featured Honey Lantree on drums, one of the few high-profile female drummers at that time. They were unable to replicate the success of their first single and disbanded by 1967.
"Sweet Dreams" or "Sweet Dreams (of You)" is a country ballad, which was written by Don Gibson. Gibson originally recorded the song in 1955; his version hit the top ten of Billboard's country chart, but was eclipsed by the success of a competing recording by Faron Young. In 1960, after Gibson had established himself as a country music superstar, he released a new take as a single. This version also charted in the top ten on the country chart and also crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at No.93. The song has become a country standard, with other notable versions by Patsy Cline and Emmylou Harris.
PJ & Duncan, who were later rebranded as Ant & Dec, began their musical career in 1993 with the release of the single "Tonight I'm Free". This was followed in 1994 by their successful debut album Psyche, which included the single "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble". Their second album Top Katz (1995) was less commercially successful than Psyche although all its singles reached the UK Top 20. PJ & Duncan were rebranded as Ant & Dec after they first started moving into TV in 1996, resulting in 1997's The Cult of Ant & Dec, their final album, which reached 15 in the UK charts. Their label, Telstar Records, decided not to renew their recording contract in 1997, and their career in music ended there. They reunited for live performances in 2000 and 2013 and for a single, "We're on the Ball", in 2002.
Take That & Party is the debut studio album by English boy band Take That. Released on 17 August 1992 on RCA Records, it reached number two on the UK Albums Chart and stayed in the UK Top 75 album chart for 73 weeks. It was their only album not to reach number one until Wonderland also peaked at number two in 2017.
Wynonna & Naomi is the first extended play by American country duo The Judds. It was released in February 1984 by RCA Records and was produced by Brent Maher. It was the duo's first album release in their career and would be followed later in the year by their first full-length album, Why Not Me. The album was part of a "mini-album" marketing strategy designed by RCA to promote up-and-coming acts on their roster.
The posthumous discography of American singer Patsy Cline consists of recordings released after March 5, 1963. Since her death, Cline's record label and other labels have released numerous studio albums, compilation albums and singles. Decca Records planned to release Cline's fourth studio album at the time of her death. Instead, a compilation was released in June 1963 titled The Patsy Cline Story. The album reached number 9 on the Billboard country albums list and number 74 on the pop albums chart. Two singles posthumously released in 1963 became top 10 hits on the Billboard country songs chart: "Sweet Dreams " and "Faded Love". Following the release of two posthumous studio albums, Decca issued Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits in 1967. It was the highest-selling female country album for 28 years until Shania Twain surpassed her record in 1995. Greatest Hits was reissued multiple times and eventually was certified diamond in sales in the United States.
"I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" is a soul song co-written and performed by American singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder and Yvonne Wright, for Wonder's fifteenth studio album, Talking Book (1972). The song is featured in the 2000 comedy-drama High Fidelity starring John Cusack and Jack Black, and is included on its soundtrack. It was also included in season 1, episode 10 of the 2020 Hulu series High Fidelity starring Zoe Kravitz.
Psyche is the debut studio album released by British recording duo PJ & Duncan, now better known as Ant & Dec. Recording on the album began in 1993, following the release of a track the duo performed during their time on Byker Grove, "Rip it Up". The song was then re-worked into their debut single, "Tonight I'm Free", which was released in December 1993 on Telstar Records. The album includes the duo's best known track, "Let's Get Ready to Rhumble", which topped the UK Singles Chart almost two decades after its initial release.
"We're on the Ball" is a single by British pop and television duo Ant & Dec, released in 2002. It was the second of three comeback performances since their musical career ended in 1997, and their only studio recording since. "We're on the Ball" is a football song, and was adapted from a song written by Harold Spiro. It was produced and arranged by Mike Hedges.
"Let's Get Ready to Rhumble" is a 1994 song by PJ & Duncan AKA, the performing name used by British duo Ant & Dec at the time. The song was released in the United Kingdom on 11 July 1994 as the third single from their debut studio album Psyche. The song was written by Nicky Graham, Deni Lew and Mike Olton, and produced by Nicky Graham. It peaked at number 9 in the UK Singles Chart in 1994, and was later #1 almost two decades after its original chart appearance. The song includes a repeatedly-used sample of boxing and wrestling announcer Michael Buffer saying his trademark catchphrase. “Rumble” was deliberately spelled as "rhumble" to avoid copyright problems, since Buffer had trademarked the phrase, and the chosen additional “h” was a homage to the rhumba dance.
"Better Watch Out" is the eleventh single by Ant & Dec, formerly known as PJ & Duncan and the first to be taken from their final album, The Cult of Ant & Dec. The song has no relation to Christmas, and is instead about a man who tries to court a girl only to get confronted by her brothers. The video starts with Ant & Dec in a barbershop.
"When I Fall In Love" is the twelfth single by Ant & Dec, formerly known as PJ & Duncan and the second to be taken from their final album The Cult of Ant & Dec.
"By Your Side" is a song from Scottish singer-songwriter Jimmy Somerville, released as the third and final single from his 1995 album, Dare to Love. The song was written and produced by Matt Rowe, Somerville and Richard Stannard.
Top Katz is the second studio album released by British duo PJ & Duncan, now better known as Ant & Dec. The album was recorded during 1994 and 1995, and included the duo's cover of The Monkees song, Stepping Stone. The album was released in November 1995, peaking at number 46 on the UK Albums Chart, and being certified Gold in the UK by the BPI.