| Turn the Dark Off | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 28, 1997 [1] | |||
| Genre | Electronic [1] | |||
| Length | 51:05 [1] | |||
| Label | Polydor [2] Island Records | |||
| Producer | Howie B [2] | |||
| Howie B chronology | ||||
| ||||
Turn the Dark Off is a 1997 album by Howie B. It made #58 on the UK Albums Chart [3] and at the end of that year was voted at #47 on NME's 1997 Critics' Poll. [4]
Turn the Dark Off is a less repetitive work than his first album, Music for Babies. [1] Whereas Music for Babies contained exclusively instrumentals, Turn the Dark Off contains a single vocal track, "Take Your Partner by the Hand". In an interview with Jockey Slut magazine, Howie revealed that the vocals were added upon request; after he had finished the album and had sent the CD out, Robbie Robertson rung Howie up and told him he wanted to add vocals to the song. [5] Other tracks contain assorted grunts and other non-coherent vocal noises. [6]
Prior to release, Howie had worked with U2 for their 1997 album, Pop [1] and with Björk for her third studio album, Post . [7] Howie had previously worked with U2 on their compilation album, Original Soundtracks 1 . [8] To produce the album, he used, among other things, a turntable and a Nord Lead. [5]
"Angels Go Bald:Too" was released as the lead single in July 1997 and charted at #36 on the UK Singles Chart. [3] Three months later, "Switch" was released and suffered from a sophomore slump, stalling at #62. [3] In February 1998, Howie released the one vocal song from the album, "Take Your Partner by the Hand", which charted at #74. [3]
Critical reception was mixed. John Bush of AllMusic said that the album "fits in with the crop of late-'90s big beat maestros; though it doesn't quite outdistance the pack, the album still contains enough of Howie B's studio tweaks to make it worthwhile". [1] Electronicmusic.com concurred, suggesting that it might be "one of the coolest CD's to have in your collection this summer" and that it was "full of wonderful moments". [9] In addition, New Musical Express described it as a high Ennio Morricone-esque "warm, dripping collage of beats and buzzing melodies" that was "a pleasant change of pace from the cut-and-paste formula of other popular rock-techno acts". [4]
However, Jim DeRogatis gave the album a negative review, dismissing it as a "Whitman's Sampler of current electronic sounds", adding that "Howie would have been better off focusing his considerable talents to hone a particular sound, as he did on Music for Babies, rather than dabbling half-heartedly in a lot of them". [10] Matt Diehl was even less kind, finishing a diatribe by calling it a "techno turnoff". [11]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fizzy in My Mouth/Your Mouth" | 4:22 |
| 2. | "Hopscotch" | 5:14 |
| 3. | "Switch" | 4:59 |
| 4. | "Sore Brown Eyes" | 4:15 |
| 5. | "Take Your Partner by the Hand" | 7:22 |
| 6. | "Limbo" | 4:58 |
| 7. | "Angels Go Bald:Too" | 5:20 |
| 8. | "Who's Got the Bacon?" | 4:25 |
| 9. | "Baby Sweetcorn (Come Here)" | 4:29 |
| 10. | "Butt Meat" | 5:41 |
| Total length: | 51:05 [1] | |
Howard Simon Bernstein, professionally known as Howie B, is a Scottish musician, producer and DJ who has worked with artists including Björk, U2, Tricky, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Soul II Soul, Robbie Robertson, Elisa, Mukul Deora, Marlene Kuntz and the Gift.
Original Soundtracks 1 is a studio album recorded by rock band U2 and Brian Eno under the pseudonym Passengers as a side project. Released on 6 November 1995, the album is a collection of songs written for mostly imaginary films. Owing to Eno's involvement as a full songwriting partner and the album's experimental nature, the moniker "Passengers" was chosen to distinguish it from U2's conventional albums. It was commercially unnoticed by the band's standards and received generally mixed reviews. Guest musicians on the record included Italian opera singer Luciano Pavarotti and producer Howie B, who would co-produce U2's following album, Pop (1997).
"Jóga" is a song recorded by Icelandic singer, songwriter and actress Björk for her third studio album, Homogenic (1997). An electronica song, "Jóga" fuses these elements with baroque and classical styles. The track's sound was partially inspired by Icelandic music, containing what have been described as "volcanic beats". Lyrically, the piece is an ode to Björk's native land and her best friend, while containing subtexts relating to the state of emergency.
"It's Oh So Quiet" is a song by American singer Betty Hutton, released in 1951 as the B-side to the single "Murder, He Says". It is a cover of the German song "Und jetzt ist es still", performed by Horst Winter in 1948, with music written by Austrian composer Hans Lang and German lyrics by Erich Meder. The English lyrics were written by Bert Reisfeld. A French title, "Tout est tranquille", was performed in 1949 by Ginette Garcin and the Jacques Hélian Orchestra.
"All Is Full of Love" is a song by Icelandic musician Björk from her third studio album, Homogenic (1997). The lyrics were inspired by love in spring and Ragnarök of Norse mythology. Björk's original version is a trip hop ballad with soul influences, harp, strings, and electronic beats; the version on Homogenic is a minimalist remix by Howie B, emphasising Björk's vocals. A remix by the German IDM duo Funkstörung was released as a single in 1998.
"Hidden Place" is a song recorded by Icelandic singer Björk for her fourth studio album Vespertine (2001). Written and produced by Björk herself, "Hidden Place" was released as the lead single from Vespertine on 30 July 2001 by One Little Indian Records.
"Two in a Million" is a song by British pop group S Club 7, released as the third single from their debut studio album, S Club (1999), on 13 December 1999. The single was released as a double A-side with "You're My Number One" in UK, but in other countries, it was issued as a stand-alone single. The single debuted at number five on the UK Singles Chart and peaked at number two in January 2000. In New Zealand, "Two in a Million" became the band's third consecutive number-one single, after "Bring It All Back" and "S Club Party".
"Don't Stop Movin'" is a song by British pop group S Club 7, released on 23 April 2001 as the lead single from their third studio album, Sunshine (2001). The song was written by the group, along with their regular songwriter Simon Ellis, together with Sheppard Solomon. Solomon had worked on hits in the 1990s by Eternal and Michelle Gayle. The disco-oriented song features lead vocals by Bradley McIntosh and Jo O'Meara.
"Natural" is a song by English pop group S Club 7. It was released on 11 September 2000 as the second single from their second studio album 7 (2000). The track was written by Norma Ray, Jean Fredenucci, Cathy Dennis, and Andrew Todd. It is an English cover of Ray's 1999 hit "Tous les maux d'amour", both of which sample Gabriel Fauré's Pavane. Upon the song's release, it peaked at number three in the United Kingdom and reached the top 50 in Australia, Germany, and Ireland.
"Israel" is a song by British rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, released as a stand-alone single in 1980 by Polydor Records.
"The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Ronan Keating from his debut solo album, Ronan. It was released as the third single from the album on 20 November 2000. The song peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart. The song was written by English songwriter Phil Thornalley and Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams, who both provide backing vocals on the track. In 2004, the song was re-recorded for Keating's greatest hits album, 10 Years of Hits, featuring vocals from Adams.
"Raincloud" is a song by British group Lighthouse Family, released as the duo's first single from their second studio album, Postcards from Heaven (1997). The song was produced by Mike Peden. Released on 29 September 1997, "Raincloud" reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 6. "From a Desert to a Beach" is included as the B-side on the "Raincloud" single. This track was not included on any of Lighthouse Family's albums apart from their remix album, Relaxed & Remixed (2004).
Strength in Numbers is the third and final studio album by English rock the Music. It was released on 16 June 2008 by Polydor Records and Yes, Please!.
"Switch" is a 1997 song by Howie B. It made #62 on the UK Singles Chart. A music video for the song, directed by Run Wrake, was produced.
"Angels Go Bald:Too" is a 1997 song by Howie B. It made #36 on the UK Singles Chart. A music video, directed by Run Wrake, was produced for the single.
"Take Your Partner by the Hand" is a 1998 song by Howie B featuring Robbie Robertson. It samples The Electric Prunes' "Holy Are You".
Revelations is the third studio album by English rock band Gene. It was released on 1 March 1999 through Polydor Records. When they released their second studio album Drawn to the Deep End in 1997, it was a commercial success, but did not meet the label's expectations. Polydor was hesitant about letting them record another; sessions were mainly held at Rockfield Studios in Rockfield, Wales with producer Hugh Jones. The band produced one song at Maison Rogue in London. Revelations was compared to the band's debut studio album Olympian (1995), though lacked the Smiths influence found there. A few of the songs criticize British politicians, such as Tony Blair.
"Falling in Love Again" is the sixth track on Swedish singer Eagle-Eye Cherry's debut studio album, Desireless (1997). It was released as the album's third single in 1998 in Europe. Following the success of "Save Tonight", it was given a North American radio release in February 1999. The song reached number eight on the UK Singles Chart and peaked inside the top 50 in France, Iceland, and Ireland. Although the song charted in Canada and its music video received rotation on VH1, it did not appear on any US Billboard charts. The song's music video was directed by Stéphane Sednaoui.
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