Voices Carry | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 20, 1985 | |||
Recorded | 1985 | |||
Studio | R.P.M. Sound Studios, New York, NY | |||
Genre | Rock, new wave | |||
Length | 41:52 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer | Mike Thorne | |||
'Til Tuesday chronology | ||||
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Singles from Voices Carry | ||||
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Voices Carry is the first studio album by American new wave band 'Til Tuesday, released in 1985.
'Til Tuesday's debut single was the album's title track, which went to #8 on the Billboard singles chart and remains the band's best-known song. The "Voices Carry" video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist and was played heavily on MTV. It depicts a boyfriend trying to convert Aimee Mann to his upper-class lifestyle; she finally lashes out at him during a concert at Carnegie Hall, standing up from her seat in the audience and belting the lyrics ("He said, shut up! He said, shut up! Oh God, can't you keep it down?...") as she removes her cap to reveal her signature spiky, rat-tailed hair, while her boyfriend hides his face in embarrassment and the rest of the attendees look on in shock.
Except for one short establishing shot of the exterior of New York City's Carnegie Hall, the video was shot completely on-location in Boston, MA. The Strand Theater in Dorchester's Upham's Corner doubled for the interior of Carnegie Hall during the video's final crane shot.
The album's second and third singles were "Looking Over My Shoulder" (which peaked at No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100) and "Love in a Vacuum".
Martin Rushent was being considered for the role of producer for Voices Carry. [1] [ discuss ]
Voices Carry was released on April 20, 1985. [2] The album entered the Billboard 200 at 152nd place on June 25. [3] The album spent 31 weeks on the chart peaking at 19. [4]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Robert Christgau | B− [5] |
From contemporary reviews, Spin described the album as "a pleasure, but not a revelation." and that "almost all the tunes are instantly catchy, if not especially inspired." [6] Spin praised the group's vocalist stating that "in lead singer Aimee Mann they may have a star. [...] she has her own look and a voice that's evocative, thought not yet distinctive enough to stake out its own turf in the crowded field of female vocalists." [6] Robert Christgau gave the album a B− rating, stating that the group rolls out "synth-pop hooks like vintage A Flock of Seagulls, but Aimee Mann's throaty warble sounds almost human. And while the generalization level of her aggressively banal lyrics signals product, not expression, every one lands square on a recognizable romantic cliché." [5]
From retrospective reviews, AllMusic wrote that "While most bands from Boston suffered from lack of production, Mike Thorne does a decent job on much of the album and excellent work on the title track." [1] The review found that "Love in a Vacuum" was "over-produced, creating a good album track when the true follow-up hit was actually in hand." [1] The review went on to note haunting lyrics on "I Could Get Used to This" and "No More Crying" which "separate this recording from work of similar '80s bands". The review concluded that "this album and its follow-ups should have had as much commercial success as the Cars, because artistically, they are equal to that band's dynamic debut." [1]
The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation , which is known for naming each episode after an ‘80s hit song or album, named a two-part episode after this album. [7] [8]
All lyrics are written by Aimee Mann; all music is composed by 'Til Tuesday
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Love in a Vacuum" | 3:34 |
2. | "Looking Over My Shoulder" | 4:15 |
3. | "I Could Get Used to This" | 3:02 |
4. | "No More Crying" | 4:18 |
5. | "Voices Carry" | 4:20 |
6. | "Winning the War" | 4:03 |
7. | "You Know the Rest" | 4:26 |
8. | "Maybe Monday" | 3:40 |
9. | "Are You Serious?" | 3:15 |
10. | "Don't Watch Me Bleed" | 3:26 |
11. | "Sleep" | 3:40 |
Production
Chart (1985) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) [13] | 81 |
United States (Billboard 200) | 19 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [16] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [17] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
'Til Tuesday was an American new wave band formed in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The band, consisting of Aimee Mann, Robert Holmes (guitar), Joey Pesce (keyboards), and Michael Hausman (drums), was active from 1982 to 1989. They are best known for their 1985 hit single "Voices Carry".
Aimee Elizabeth Mann is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. Her work with the producer Jon Brion in the 1990s was influential on American alternative rock, and she is noted for her sardonic and literate lyrics about dark subjects.
Welcome Home is the second studio album by the American band 'Til Tuesday, released in 1986. It peaked at No. 49 on the Billboard 200. The band supported the album with a North American tour.
Ultimate Collection is a compilation album by the American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann. Released on September 12, 2000, by Hip-O, the album mostly comprises tracks from her first two solo albums and her work with the band 'Til Tuesday. Mann did not approve the release and sued the record company, Universal Music, for breach of contract.
Aimee Mann is an American singer-songwriter who has released several albums since the early 1980s. Originally, she worked in collaboration with The Young Snakes and 'Til Tuesday, before becoming a solo artist. In 2013, she and Ted Leo began performing as a duo called The Both.
"Time Stand Still" is a song by Canadian progressive rock band Rush, featured on their 1987 album Hold Your Fire. Released as a single in 1987, credited to "Rush ," "Time Stand Still" peaked at No. 3 on the U.S. mainstream rock charts on November 6, 1987. It was also a minor hit single in the United Kingdom, peaking at No. 42 on the Singles Chart. A music video for the song was directed by Zbigniew Rybczyński.
"Voices Carry" is a song by the American rock band 'Til Tuesday. It was produced by Mike Thorne for the band's debut studio album, Voices Carry (1985). The accompanying music video, directed by D.J. Webster, received wide exposure on MTV and positive reactions from critics. It was nominated for numerous awards and is thought to be the reason behind the song's success. It was released in North America in March 1985. "Voices Carry" became the band's highest-charting single and their only top ten hit in the U.S., peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally it reached the top twenty in Canada and Australia.
Charmer is the eighth studio album by singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, released by SuperEgo Records in the UK on September 17, 2012, and in the US on September 18.
The Both was an American indie rock musical duo consisting of Aimee Mann and Ted Leo. They began collaborating in 2013 and released a self-titled album in April 2014.
"Haven't Got Time for the Pain" is a song written by Carly Simon and Jacob Brackman that was first released on Simon's 1974 album Hotcakes. It was also released as a single, reaching No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
"(Believed You Were) Lucky" is a song by American band 'Til Tuesday, which was released in 1988 as the lead single from their third and final studio album Everything's Different Now. The song was written by Aimee Mann and Jules Shear (music), and produced by Rhett Davies. "(Believed You Were) Lucky" peaked at No. 95 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Long Shot" is a song by American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, which was released in 1996 as the third single from her second studio album I'm with Stupid. The song was written by Mann and produced by Jon Brion. "Long Shot" peaked at No. 126 in the UK Singles Chart.
"I Should've Known" is a song by American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, which was released in 1993 as the lead single from her debut studio album Whatever. The song was written by Mann and produced by Jon Brion. "I Should've Known" reached No. 55 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 16 in the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. In 1994, the single was reissued in the UK and Europe, and peaked at No. 45 in the UK Singles Chart.
"Coming Up Close" is a song by American band 'Til Tuesday, which was released in 1986 as the second and final single from their second studio album Welcome Home. The song was written by Aimee Mann and produced by Rhett Davies. "Coming Up Close" peaked at No. 59 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Love in a Vacuum" is a song by American band 'Til Tuesday, which was released in 1985 as the third and final single from their debut studio album Voices Carry. The song was written by Aimee Mann, Michael Hausman, Robert Holmes and Joey Pesce, and produced by Mike Thorne. "Love in a Vacuum" peaked at No. 88 on the US Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles chart.
"Looking Over My Shoulder" is a song by American band 'Til Tuesday, which was released in 1985 as the second single from their debut studio album Voices Carry. The song was written by Aimee Mann, Michael Hausman, Robert Holmes and Joey Pesce, and produced by Mike Thorne. "Looking Over My Shoulder" peaked at No. 61 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"That's Just What You Are" is a song by American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, which was released in 1994 as a single from the soundtrack of Melrose Place. It was also included on Mann's second studio album I'm with Stupid (1995). The song was written by Mann and Jon Brion, and produced by Mike Denneen.
"Going Through the Motions" is a song by American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, which was released in 2005 as the lead single from her fifth studio album The Forgotten Arm. The song was written by Mann and produced by Joe Henry. "Going Through the Motions" peaked at No. 18 in the US Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart.
"What About Love" is a song by American band 'Til Tuesday, which was released in 1986 as the lead single from their second studio album Welcome Home. The song was written by Aimee Mann and produced by Rhett Davies. "What About Love" peaked at No. 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"The Other End (Of the Telescope)" is a song by American band 'Til Tuesday, which was released in 1988 on their third and final studio album Everything's Different Now. The song was written by Aimee Mann and Elvis Costello. Costello recorded his own version of the song for his 1996 album All This Useless Beauty.