The Death of Cool

Last updated

The Death of Cool
DeathofCool2.jpg
Studio album by
Released3 August 1992
Recorded1991–92
Studio Sawmills Studio, Golant, Cornwall
Genre Shoegaze, dream pop
Length52:27
Label One Little Indian
Producer Hugh Jones
Kitchens of Distinction chronology
Strange Free World
(1991)
The Death of Cool
(1992)
Cowboys and Aliens
(1994)
Singles from The Death of Cool
  1. "Breathing Fear"
    Released: May 1992
  2. "When in Heaven"
    Released: August 1992
  3. "Smiling"
    Released: September 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
Select 4/5 [2]

The Death of Cool is the third studio album from British alternative rock band Kitchens of Distinction, released on 3 August 1992 in the UK by One Little Indian Records and a day later in the US by A&M Records. The album is the follow-up to 1991's Strange Free World and was once again produced by Hugh Jones.

Contents

While considered by most fans to be their strongest effort, the album was largely ignored by the general public in the midst of the popularity of grunge rock in 1992, peaking at number 72 on the UK Albums Chart. [3]

AllMusic critic Ned Raggett praises the album as a "multifaceted, deeply felt hour of music that is easily the equal of such similar masterpieces of post-punk guitar rock as The Chameleons' Script of the Bridge and The Sound's Heads and Hearts ." [1]

Lead singer Patrick Fitzgerald said this of the album:

People didn't understand the album...and it sold half of Strange Free World . It was too dark and gloomy and questioning, this being the height of Madchester and E. You had "...Tooting Broadway" and the queer-bashing scenario of "Breathing Fear," the AIDS death song of "When in Heaven"...perhaps a little challenging for its time... [4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Kitchens of Distinction

No.TitleLength
1."What Happens Now?"4:33
2."4 Men"4:11
3."On Tooting Broadway Station"5:04
4."Breathing Fear"3:43
5."Gone World Gone"7:59
6."When in Heaven"5:14
7."Mad as Snow"7:21
8."Smiling"3:22
9."Blue Pedal"7:35
10."Can't Trust the Waves" (lead vocal by Julian Swales)3:25

Singles

Personnel

Kitchens of Distinction

with:

Technical

Related Research Articles

<i>Lysol</i> (album) 1992 studio album by Melvins

Lysol is the fourth studio album by American rock band Melvins, released in 1992 via Boner Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lucksmiths</span> Australian indie pop band

The Lucksmiths were an Australian indie pop band formed in March 1993 by Marty Donald on guitar, Mark Monnone on bass guitar and Tali White on drums and lead vocals. Louis Richter joined on guitar in 2005. They released eight studio albums, First Tape, The Green Bicycle Case, What Bird Is That?, A Good Kind of Nervous (1997), Why That Doesn't Surprise Me, Naturaliste, Warmer Corners and First Frost (2008), before disbanding in August 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kitchens of Distinction</span> English alternative rock band

Kitchens of Distinction are an English rock band formed in Tooting, South London in 1986. The trio consist of lead singer and bassist Patrick Fitzgerald, guitarist Julian Swales and drummer Daniel Goodwin.

<i>Lets Stick Together</i> 1976 album by Bryan Ferry

Let's Stick Together is a 1976 album by Bryan Ferry. His third solo release, it was his first following the disbanding of Roxy Music earlier in the year. Unlike Ferry's two previous solo releases, Let’s Stick Together was not a dedicated album project, instead predominately made up of singles, B-sides, and an EP. Three tracks were exclusive to the LP, all remakes of Roxy Music tracks: "Casanova", "2HB", and "Chance Meeting". It had a generally favourable critical reception, but only just made the UK Top 20.

<i>Going Blank Again</i> 1992 studio album by Ride

Going Blank Again is the second studio album by English rock band Ride, released on 9 March 1992 on Creation Records. It was produced by Alan Moulder, and peaked at No. 5 in the UK Albums Chart. In October 2009 the album was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales of over 100,000 units.

<i>Strange Free World</i> 1991 studio album by Kitchens of Distinction

Strange Free World is the second album by British alternative rock band Kitchens of Distinction, released on 19 February 1991 in the US by A&M Records and on 18 March 1991 in the UK by One Little Indian Records. It is the follow-up to their 1989 debut Love Is Hell. Noted producer Hugh Jones, who worked with Echo & the Bunnymen, among many others, helped KOD to sound more at ease in the studio.

<i>Strange Charm</i> 1986 studio album by Gary Numan

Strange Charm is the eighth solo studio album by the English musician Gary Numan, originally released in October 1986, it was Numan's third release on his self-owned Numa Records label. The album was not released in the United States until 1999 when it was issued in a digitally remastered form with five bonus tracks by Cleopatra Records. In the same year it was also reissued with bonus tracks in the United Kingdom by Eagle Records.

<i>Another Time, Another Place</i> (Bryan Ferry album) 1974 studio album by Bryan Ferry

Another Time, Another Place was Bryan Ferry's second studio album as a solo artist. The album reached #4 in the UK charts in 1974.

<i>In Your Mind</i> (album) 1977 studio album by Bryan Ferry

In Your Mind is the fourth solo studio album by English singer and songwriter Bryan Ferry. It was his first solo album of all original songs.

<i>Love Is Hell</i> (Kitchens of Distinction album) 1989 studio album by Kitchens of Distinction

Love Is Hell is the debut album by British alternative rock band Kitchens of Distinction. It was released in April 1989 by One Little Indian Records in the UK and A&M Records in the US. While the album earned KOD comparisons to bands like Echo & the Bunnymen and the Chameleons, the guitar soundscapes created by Julian Swales and the passionate lyrics and vocal delivery from Patrick Fitzgerald gave Kitchens of Distinction their own signature sound. The album also maintains a punkier sound than to be featured on the band's later albums. The 1993 CD edition of the album includes the band's 1989 Elephantine EP as 4 bonus tracks.

<i>Holy Smoke</i> (Peter Murphy album) 1992 studio album by Peter Murphy

Holy Smoke is the fourth solo studio album by English musician Peter Murphy. It was released on 14 April 1992 through Beggars Banquet Records. Produced by Mike Thorne, the album features contributions from Alison Limerick, Jonathan Carney, Audrey Riley and The Hundred Men, his backing band since 1988's Love Hysteria album.

<i>The Best Mixes from the Album-Debut for All the People Who Dont Buy White-Labels</i> 1994 remix album by Björk

The Best Mixes from the Album-Debut for All the People Who Don't Buy White-Labels is the first EP and remix compilation by Björk, originally released through Polydor Records in September 1994. The collection contains six remixes of four tracks from Björk's 1993 album Debut. All of the songs were written solely by Björk except "Human Behaviour", which was co-written by Nellee Hooper. Björk and Hooper were also co-producers of the EP. "Human Behaviour" was remixed by the English electronic group Underworld; the remaining five tracks are remixes by The Sabres of Paradise and Black Dog. The compilation has been re-issued through the record labels One Little Indian, PolyGram and PO Records.

<i>Rhythm of Life</i> 1983 studio album by Paul Haig

Rhythm of Life is the debut studio album by the Scottish musician Paul Haig, released in November 1983 by Island Records. It was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in New York City and RAK Studios in London with renowned record producer Alex Sadkin, known for his work on multiple albums by Grace Jones, and Thompson Twins. The album features guest musicians such as Bernie Worrell of Parliament-Funkadelic, Anton Fier of the Feelies and the Golden Palominos, and Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins. Four singles were released from Rhythm of Life: "Heaven Sent", "Never Give Up ", "Justice" and "Blue for You". The track "Adoration" was originally performed while Haig was still a member of the post-punk band Josef K. The album spent 2 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at No. 82.

<i>Cowboys and Aliens</i> (album) 1994 studio album by Kitchens of Distinction

Cowboys and Aliens is the fourth studio album by British alternative rock band Kitchens of Distinction, released on 3 October 1994 in the UK by One Little Indian Records and on 24 January 1995 by A&M Records in the US.

<i>Capsule: The Best of KOD 1988–94</i> 2003 greatest hits album by Kitchens of Distinction

Capsule: The Best of KOD 1988–94 is a compilation album by British alternative rock/dream pop group Kitchens of Distinction. The two disc set was released by One Little Indian Records on 21 April 2003. The first disc features some of the band's best songs, culled from their four albums: Love Is Hell (1989); Strange Free World (1991); The Death of Cool (1992); and Cowboys and Aliens (1994), while the bonus disc collects B-sides, acoustic versions and live tracks. The booklet features track-by-track notes by lead singer/bassist Patrick Fitzgerald.

Help Yourself, known to their fans as "The Helps", were an English rock band of the early 1970s. Originally formed as a backing band for Malcolm Morley, they evolved into a pub rock band with psychedelic-influences. Releasing four studio albums before their break-up, and one 31 years later, they are possibly best known for the number of notable musicians that passed through their ranks.

<i>Ray</i> (Frazier Chorus album) 1991 studio album by Frazier Chorus

Ray is the second album by the English pop group Frazier Chorus, released in 1991 by Virgin Records. A limited edition version of the LP and CD included The Baby Album, a four track bonus remix disc. The four bonus remixes were also appended to the end of the cassette edition. The songs were written by Tim Freeman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You're So Close</span> 1992 single by Peter Murphy

"You're So Close" is a song by English musician Peter Murphy, from his fourth solo studio album Holy Smoke (1992). Written by Murphy and Paul Statham, the song was released in 1992 as the second single from the album, through Beggars Banquet and RCA Records. Despite not matching with the success of the lead single off the album, "The Sweetest Drop", the song charted on Billboard Modern Rock Tracks, peaking at number 18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Sweetest Drop</span> 1992 single by Peter Murphy

"The Sweetest Drop" is a song by English musician Peter Murphy, from his fourth solo studio album, Holy Smoke (1992). Written by Murphy and Paul Statham, the song was released as the lead single off the album in 1992, through Beggars Banquet and RCA Records. The album reached number 108 on the Billboard 200 chart, while the single peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ball and Chain (XTC song)</span> 1982 single by XTC

"Ball and Chain" is a song written by Colin Moulding of XTC for their 1982 album English Settlement. It was issued as the second single from the album on 26 February 1982, following the success of the band's biggest hit "Senses Working Overtime". The single reached No. 58 in the UK Singles Chart.

References

  1. 1 2 Raggett, Ned. "The Death of Cool – Kitchens of Distinction". AllMusic . Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  2. Linehan, Graham (September 1992). "Kitchens of Distinction: The Death of Cool". Select (27): 79.
  3. "Kitchens of Distinction". Official Charts. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  4. One Little Indian - Kitchens Of Distinction