| The Universe of Geoffrey Brown | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1993 | |||
| Studio | Ezee Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Pop, rock | |||
| Length | 51:07 | |||
| Label | Humbug | |||
| Producer | Captain Sensible | |||
| Captain Sensible chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Universe of Geoffrey Brown | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
The Universe of Geoffrey Brown is the fourth solo album and first concept album by Captain Sensible, released in April 1993 by Humbug Records. [3]
Captain Sensible had grown up musically in the 1960s and 1970s, where "some incredible records were being made", he said in 2014. "The first time I heard The Pretty Things’ S.F. Sorrow , I was transfixed. The concept nature of the album took me on a musical journey…a mind trip, even. It was hugely engrossing, and I started seeking out other records of this kind – like The Moody Blues‘ Days of Future Passed and Tommy . "One day I will make an album like this," I promised myself. And that’s how Geoffrey Brown came about." [4]
The album tells the story of Geoffrey Brown, whose quiet corporate life is turned upside down when aliens start leaving warning messages on his computer screen about mankind's self-inflicted demise. He is abandoned as a crackpot by his wife, co-workers and friends only for the government to recognize his value in the end. [1] Sensible: "My main character Geoffrey works at the Ministry of Defence, plotting targets for destruction in a nuclear attack. He considers his job normal until his head is turned by a hippie chick one day on a bicycle ride; he decides to do something more creative with his department’s missile tracking technology." [4]
Captain Sensible came up with the original concept which was condensed into the title track by co-writer Martin Newell. "Originally, it was only one song", Newell explained in 2011. "And then Captain being Captain, said, "Do you think we can make a whole album?" And I said, "We’ve already said it all in one song!" So then we had to pad it out. And then Captain said, "We need some dialogue." [5] Newell brought the characters to life with some "excellent scripts", according to Sensible, "and we got proper actors to perform the between-song dialogue." [4] or Sensible took his inspiration from what he calls "the Cold War rhetoric of Reagan and Thatcher." Sensible: "The question the album asks is, "How did we go from the beautiful love and peace dream of the summer of ’67 to public acceptance of the Dr. Strangelove world of mutually assured nuclear annihilation?" [4] The opening line about aliens being alien that introduces the first track is spoken by real life UFO investigator Jenny Randles.[ citation needed ]
In his book The Damned - The Chaos Years: An Unofficial Biography, writer Barry Hutchinson describes the music as a "bright, happy collection of English pop, with some leanings to rock and psychedelia in places." [6]
In a review for AllMusic, Jack Rabid wrote that all of Sensible's "usual goofy, nostalgic neo-psychedelic guitar tricks and surprisingly crafted pop tunes are in place", adding that "such glitzy tunes as "Holiday in My Heart," "Street of Shame," and the title track claw their way into your affections in a few plays." Rabid felt that the album combines two common Sensible themes: "our own self-destructive impulses and the ostracizing of folks who go against accepted practices and actually dare to use their own brains". He concluded that the album is "another ambitious yet modest gem from a true personality original." [1]
All tracks are written by Captain Sensible, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Holiday in My Heart" | Sensible, Martin Newell | 6:51 |
| 2. | "Come On Geoffrey Brown" | 7:19 | |
| 3. | "Getting To Me" | 3:48 | |
| 4. | "Street of Shame" | Sensible, Newell | 3:56 |
| 5. | "Geoff Loosens His Tie" | 5:47 | |
| 6. | "Home" | 4:16 | |
| 7. | "Govt. Dirty Tricks Dept. WC1" | 1:48 | |
| 8. | "Life Up in the Stars" | 5:48 | |
| 9. | "The Message" | 3:20 | |
| 10. | "A Trip to Cornwall" | 3:22 | |
| 11. | "The Universe of Geoffrey Brown" | Sensible, Newell | 4:52 |
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [7]
Strawberries is the fifth studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released in October 1982 by record label Bronze.
Raymond Ian Burns, known by the stage name Captain Sensible, is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist.
Machine Gun Etiquette is the third studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 2 November 1979 by Chiswick Records.
Not of This Earth is the eighth studio album by The Damned. It is often called I'm Alright Jack & The Beanstalk.
Grave Disorder is an album from the punk rock band The Damned, released in August 2001. It was their first release since signing to Nitro Records.
The Black Album was the fourth album by the Damned, and the first to feature Paul Gray on bass guitar. It was released in 3 November 1980 on Chiswick as a double album, with "Curtain Call" filling the whole of side 3, and a selection of live tracks recorded at Shepperton Studios for Damned fan club members on side 4. The song "13th Floor Vendetta" paid tribute to the film The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971), opening with the lyrics "...the organ plays to midnight on Maldine Square tonight".
"Smash It Up" is a song by The Damned, released as a single on 28 September 1979 on Chiswick Records. It is considered the band's unofficial anthem.
Friday 13th EP is a four-track EP by English rock band the Damned, issued as the result of a one-off deal with the NEMS Records label. It was released on 13 November 1981, which fell on a Friday.
Live at the Milky Way is a live album by Captain Sensible, released in 1994 by Humbug Records. It was recorded at the Milky Way club in Amsterdam on the final gig of a European tour supporting the album The Universe of Geoffrey Brown. Sensible's backing band, known as the Ugly Sods, features ex-Damned bassist Paul Gray, keyboardist Malcolm Dixon and drummer Garrie Dreadful.
Music for Pleasure is the second studio album by English punk rock band the Damned. It was released on 18 November 1977 by Stiff Records.
So, Who's Paranoid is the tenth studio album by English rock band the Damned. Released in November 2008, it was their first album in seven years. It was funded by the band themselves and released on their English Channel label. Musically, the album draws from the band's 1980s Gothic rock sound.
Smash It Up: The Anthology 1976–1987 is a compilation album by the English punk and gothic rock band the Damned, released on 22 October 2002. It collects tracks spanning the first eleven years of the band's career, beginning with their debut single "New Rose" (1976) and continuing through their first seven studio albums—Damned Damned Damned (1977), Music for Pleasure (1977), Machine Gun Etiquette (1979), The Black Album (1980), Strawberries (1982), Phantasmagoria (1985), and Anything (1986)—along with the non-album singles "Stretcher Case Baby" (1977), "Lovely Money" (1982), and "Eloise" (1986).
Women and Captains First is the debut solo album by The Damned guitarist Captain Sensible, released in September 1982 by A&M Records. It features contributions from producer Tony Mansfield, Robyn Hitchcock and the band Dolly Mixture. The album was preceded by the singles "Happy Talk" and "Wot", which peaked at numbers 1 and 26 on the UK Singles Chart, respectively. The album reached No. 64 on the UK Albums Chart. It was reissued on CD in 2009 by Cherry Red Records, including six bonus tracks.
The Power of Love is the second solo album by The Damned guitarist Captain Sensible, released in November 1983 by A&M Records. The album didn't chart but the single "Glad It's All Over" reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart. The album features contributions from producer Tony Mansfield, Robyn Hitchcock, Ruts drummer Dave Ruffy and the band Dolly Mixture, among others.
Meathead is a double album by Captain Sensible, released in September 1995 by Humbug Records. It is Sensible's fifth studio solo album and contains 32 songs across two and a half hours. The album includes studio performances by Sensible's band - featuring ex-Damned bassist Paul Gray, keyboardist Malcolm Dixon and drummer Garrie Dreadful - as well as demo recordings and instrumentals recorded mostly by Sensible on his own.
Revolution Now is the third solo album by Captain Sensible. It was released on CD and double LP in July 1989 on his own Deltic Records. It was Sensible's first album release in six years since 1983's The Power of Love. The album features contributions from Eddy Grant and former the Damned members Rat Scabies, Paul Gray and Henry Badowski, among others.
This is Your Captain Speaking is a three-track EP by English musician Captain Sensible, released on 2 November 1981 on Crass Records. It was Sensible's first release as a solo artist, while still being a member of rock band the Damned. It reached No. 3 in the UK Indie Chart.
The Rockfield Files is a four-track EP by English rock band the Damned, released on 16 October 2020. It was released by London-based label Search and Destroy in a joint venture with Spinefarm Records. The EP marks the last recording with longtime drummer Pinch, who left the band in late 2019. The title is a reference to the 1970s American television series The Rockford Files.
A Postcard from Britain is the first studio album by English rock band the Sensible Gray Cells, released in October 2013 by Easy Action. The band is a side project of guitarist Captain Sensible and bassist Paul Gray of the Damned along with drummer Anthony Thickett. The theme of modern-day Britain runs throughout the album, which the band themselves describe as a concept album.
