The Dream Academy (album)

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The Dream Academy
Dreamacademyalbum.jpg
Studio album by
The Dream Academy
Released16 September 1985 (1985-09-16)
Recorded1984
Genre
Length42:06
Label
Producer
The Dream Academy chronology
The Dream Academy
(1985)		 Remembrance Days
(1987)
Singles from The Dream Academy
  1. "Life in a Northern Town"
    Released: 12 March 1985
  2. "This World"
    Released: 14 October 1985 (promo only)
  3. "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want" / "In Places on the Run"
    Released: 26 November 1985
  4. "The Love Parade"
    Released: 22 April 1986

The Dream Academy is the debut studio album by English band The Dream Academy, released on 16 September 1985 [1] by Blanco y Negro Records in the United Kingdom and Warner Bros. Records in the United States. It was largely co-produced by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Dream Academy frontman Nick Laird-Clowes. "Life in a Northern Town", written as a tribute to the musician Nick Drake, [2] became the Dream Academy's only major chart success, reaching number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 15 on the UK Singles Chart. [3] [4] The Dream Academy went on to chart at number 20 on the US Billboard 200 and number 58 on the UK Albums Chart.

Contents

The follow-up single from the album, "The Love Parade", was not received as well as their debut single, reaching number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 68 on the UK Singles Chart, [3] [4] but still received solid radio airplay. Also of note is the song "The Edge of Forever", which plays during a prominent scene in the John Hughes film Ferris Bueller's Day Off , resulting in many fans of 1980s films becoming more familiar with the Dream Academy's music.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [5]
Record Mirror 5/5 [6]
Smash Hits 6/10 [7]
Sputnikmusic 3.4/5 [8]

In a rave review of The Dream Academy for Record Mirror , critic Mike Mitchell likened the album to "a dream ... of the ordinary becoming glamorous, of maturing with age, of pleasant change, of counter revolution." [6] Retrospectively, AllMusic reviewer Tom Demalon wrote that "The Dream Academy used lush string arrangements and choir-like background vocals to create a sumptuous backdrop for their paisley-tinged pop", most effectively on "Life in a Northern Town", "a slice of watercolored nostalgia with its memorable chant-like hook." [5]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Life in a Northern Town"
4:16
2."The Edge of Forever"
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Gabriel
4:20
3."(Johnny) New Light"
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Gabriel
  • Gilmour
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Nicholson
4:19
4."In Places on the Run"
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Gabriel
  • Gilmour
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Nicholson
4:28
5."This World"
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Gabriel
  • Gilmour
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Nicholson
5:05
6."Bound to Be"
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Gabriel
  • Gilmour
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Langan
3:07
7."Moving On"
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Gabriel
  • Gilmour
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Nicholson
5:11
8."The Love Parade"
  • Laird-Clowes
  • Gabriel
 Alan Tarney 3:44
9."The Party"Laird-Clowes
  • Gilmour
  • Laird-Clowes
5:06
10."One Dream"Laird-Clowes
  • Gilmour
  • Laird-Clowes
2:30
Total length:42:06

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [9]

The Dream Academy

Additional musicians

  • David Gilmour – guitar (track 6), acoustic guitar (track 9)
  • Peter Buck – Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar (track 9)
  • Guy Pratt – bass (tracks 4, 7)
  • Pino Palladino – bass (tracks 5, 6)
  • Mickey Feat – bass (track 9)
  • Chucho Merchán – double bass (track 10)
  • Jo Walton – cello (track 1)
  • Lucia Skidmore – cello (track 1)
  • Adam Peters – cello (tracks 2, 6)
  • Gary Barnacle – tenor saxophone (track 2)
  • Dave DeFries – trumpet (track 10)
  • Gregg Dechert – Hammond organ (track 9)
  • Ben Hoffnung – timpani and percussion (tracks 1, 2, 5), vibraphone and assorted percussion (track 4)
  • Luís Jardim – additional percussion (track 1), percussion (track 3)
  • Dave Mattacks – drums (track 5)
  • Jake Le Mesurier – drums (track 7)
  • Bosco de Oliveira – percussion (track 7)
  • Tony Beard – drums (track 9)
  • Derek Adams – additional backing vocals (tracks 1, 3)
  • June Lawrence – additional backing vocals (tracks 1, 3, 7)
  • Sandrae Lawrence – additional backing vocals (track 3)
  • Colette Walker – additional backing vocals (track 3)
  • Caron Wheeler – additional backing vocals (track 6)
  • Sam Brown – additional backing vocals (track 6)
  • Ingrid Schroeder – additional backing vocals (track 7)

Production

  • David Gilmour – production (tracks 1–7, 9, 10)
  • Nick Laird-Clowes – production (tracks 1–7, 9, 10)
  • George Nicholson – production (tracks 1, 3–5, 7)
  • Gary Langan – production and engineering (tracks 2, 6)
  • Alan Tarney – production (track 8)
  • Andy Jackson – engineering (tracks 1–7)
  • John Hudson – engineering and mixing (track 8)
  • Stephen Short – engineering (tracks 9, 10)

Design

Charts

Chart (1985–1986)Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC) [10] 58
US Billboard 200 [11] 20

References

  1. ↑ "Things to Dream About". Record Mirror . 14 September 1985. p. 4.
  2. ↑ McNair, James (26 March 1999). "Apprentice to the stars". The Independent . Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  3. 1 2 "The Dream Academy Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard . Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Dream Academy". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  5. 1 2 Demalon, Tom. "The Dream Academy – The Dream Academy". AllMusic . Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  6. 1 2 Mitchell, Mike (28 September 1985). "The Dream Academy: The Dream Academy". Record Mirror . p. 16.
  7. ↑ Cranna, Ian (25 September – 8 October 1985). "The Dream Academy: The Dream Academy". Smash Hits . Vol. 7, no. 19. p. 59.
  8. ↑ "The Dream Academy – The Dream Academy". Sputnikmusic . Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  9. ↑ The Dream Academy (liner notes). The Dream Academy. Blanco y Negro Records. 1985. BYN 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
  11. ↑ "The Dream Academy Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard . Archived from the original on 16 January 2020. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
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