The Splendour of Fear | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 1984 | |||
Recorded | 1983 | |||
Studio | Woodbine Street Studios, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 30:48 | |||
Label | Cherry Red | |||
Producer | John A. Rivers | |||
Felt chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Record Collector | [2] |
Sounds | [3] |
The Splendour of Fear is the second album by English alternative rock band Felt, released in 1984. It is a largely instrumental album based around long guitar passages inspired by classical guitar music, with only tracks 2 and 5 having any lyrics.
The cover art is taken from the poster for the 1966 Andy Warhol/Paul Morrissey film Chelsea Girls , designed by Alan Aldridge. According to Lawrence, he had discovered the image in a library book without knowing who the artist actually was, having assumed it was Warhol himself. Aldridge never approached the band for using it without his permission.
All words by Lawrence. All music by Lawrence and Maurice Deebank.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Red Indians" | 1:57 |
2. | "The World Is as Soft as Lace" | 4:19 |
3. | "The Optimist and the Poet" | 7:54 |
4. | "Mexican Bandits" | 3:51 |
5. | "The Stagnant Pool" | 8:29 |
6. | "A Preacher in New England" | 4:18 |
Felt [4]
Production
The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford. Hedford left in 1998 and was replaced by Taylor-Taylor's cousin Brent DeBoer. The band's name is a play on the name of American pop artist Andy Warhol.
Sticky Fingers is the 9th British and 11th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. The Stones released it on 23 April 1971 on their new, and own label Rolling Stones Records. They had been contracted by Decca Records and London Records in the UK and the US since 1963. On this album Mick Taylor made his second full-length appearance on a Rolling Stones album. It was the first studio album without Brian Jones who died two years earlier. The original cover artwork, conceived by Andy Warhol and photographed and designed by members of his art collective, The Factory, showed a picture of a man in tight jeans, and had a working zip that opened to reveal underwear fabric. The cover was expensive to produce and damaged the vinyl record, so the size of the zipper adjustment was made by John Kosh at ABKCO records. Later re-issues featured just the outer photograph of the jeans.
Felt were an English jangle pop band, formed in 1979 in Water Orton, England, and led by the mononymous Lawrence. They were active for ten years through the 1980s, releasing ten singles and ten albums. The band's name was inspired by Tom Verlaine's emphasis of the word "felt" in the Television song "Venus".
Everybody Loves a Happy Ending is the sixth studio album by English pop rock band Tears for Fears, released on 14 September 2004 in the United States and on 7 March 2005 in the United Kingdom and Europe.
March ör Die is the tenth studio album by British rock band Motörhead, released in August 1992. It would be the band's second and final album with WTG Records. The album features guest appearances by Ozzy Osbourne, Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, and veteran drummer Tommy Aldridge. Aldridge stepped in after longtime member Phil Taylor was fired early in the recording process.
Welcome to the Monkey House is the fourth studio album by American rock band The Dandy Warhols. The album was recorded between September 2001 and December 2002, and released on May 5, 2003 through record label Capitol.
The Seventeenth Century is the fifth album by English alternative rock band Felt, released in 1986.
Ignite the Seven Cannons is the fourth album by English alternative rock band Felt, released in 1985. The album is sometimes referred to as "Ignite the Seven Cannons and Set Sail for the Sun", a phrase which was printed in one place on the original vinyl record.
The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories is the third album by English alternative rock band Felt, released in 1984 and produced by John Leckie. The album marked a departure from the introspective, guitar-led sound of their first two albums, with Lawrence's vocals becoming much more dominant in the mix along with a greater emphasis on pop melodies. The album also introduced a traditional drum kit to the band's sound, having previously relied on tom drums in the past.
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Now Voyager is the debut solo studio album by British singer-songwriter Barry Gibb, the member of the Bee Gees. It was released on 17 September 1984 by Polydor Records in the UK and MCA Records in the US. Now Voyager was recorded sometime around the year at Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida, and Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, California, and was produced by Gibb and Karl Richardson. It contains his biggest solo hits, "Shine, Shine" and "Fine Line". The album also included the Olivia Newton-John duet "Face to Face", which was released as a promo single. Gibb co-produced the album with Karl Richardson, who had been working with the Bee Gees since 1975. The front cover photograph was taken by Alex Henderson at Victoria Baths, Manchester.
Maurice Deebank is a classically trained English guitarist. He was the co-founder and lead guitarist of the British indie band Felt from its debut album until 1985, and was responsible for the ornate, atmospheric guitar work found on many of the band's early recordings. During his tenure in Felt he co-wrote most of its material with frontman Lawrence.
Abramelin is an Australian death metal band, which formed as Acheron in 1988 and were one of the first such groups in the country. They were a main influence on the development of Australian heavy metal music in the early 1990s. The name change occurred in 1994 to avoid confusion with a similarly named international group; the new name was adopted from The Book of Abramelin, which concerns a mage of the same name. Members of Abramelin have also been in Blood Duster, The Berzerker, The Amenta, and Akercocke. Abramelin supported tours by Napalm Death (1995), Paradise Lost, Cathedral and Cradle of Filth (2001). They released two studio albums, Abramelin (1995) and Deadspeak (2000), before disbanding in 2002. Abramelin reformed in 2016. In May 2020 the band released their third album Never Enough Snuff.
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"Holy Water" was the third single taken from Australian rock group The Triffids' Calenture album, and was released in August 1988. It was produced by Craig Leon and was written by lead guitarist and lead singer David McComb. This was one of only two tracks that resulted from Leon's production of the band's fourth album. The production costs of Leon's efforts were more than the total costs of the band's break-through album, Born Sandy Devotional. The record sleeve however credits the production to Gil Norton who produced the remainder of the album with the band. The single was released as 7", 12" and CD single versions by Island Records but failed to chart in either Australia or the United Kingdom.
"Hello Again" is a song by American rock band the Cars from their fifth studio album, Heartbeat City (1984). It was released on October 15, 1984, as the album's fourth single. The song was the fourth top-20 entry from the album, reaching number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; it also reached number eight on the Hot Dance/Disco chart and number 22 on the Top Rock Tracks chart. Ric Ocasek sings lead vocals on the track.
Absolute Classic Masterpieces is the third compilation album by English alternative rock band Felt, released in 1992. It collects tracks from the band's singles and albums recorded for Cherry Red between 1981 and 1985, with two exceptions: "Dance of Deliverance" from guitarist Maurice Deebank's album, Inner Thought Zone; and "Index", a single recorded and released by leader Lawrence before the band formed properly. Tracks 4, 9, 11, 15 and 18 are instrumental.
Stains on a Decade is the fifth compilation album by English alternative rock band Felt, released in 2003. A career-spanning collection, it contains tracks from the band's singles released between 1981 and 1988, with one album-track exception: "Dismantled King Is Off The Throne".
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