Angels with Dirty Faces
Studio album by
Released25 May 1998 (1998-05-25)
Studio
Various
GenreRock, trip hop
Length50:43
LabelIsland
ProducerTricky
Tricky chronology
Pre-Millennium Tension
(1996)
Angels with Dirty Faces
(1998)
Juxtapose
(1999)

Angels with Dirty Faces is the third album of English musician Tricky, released in 1998. The title is taken from the film of the same name.

Music and lyrics

"Broken Homes" features English singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. "Carriage for Two" features the guitar playing of Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. Various tracks features the guitars of Marc Ribot. "The Moment I Feared" is a cover of the Slick Rick track of the same name.[citation needed]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Consumer GuideA−[2]
Entertainment WeeklyA[3]
The Guardian[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
NME5/10[6]
Pitchfork8.2/10[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Select4/5[9]
Spin8/10[10]

In a contemporary review for Entertainment Weekly, David Browne viewed Angels with Dirty Faces as Tricky's best album since his 1995 debut Maxinquaye. He described it as an "alluring sonic blur" that preserved his previous music's mesmeric sounds yet felt "more adventurous, rhythmically and musically, than its predecessors".[3] Simon Price hailed it as Tricky's most cogent work since his debut album: "Simultaneously challenging and gorgeously formed, it's a brilliant mix of defiance and achievement."[9] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau said it was a rock album with a live band on every song, no samples, and "grimy" productions that complemented Tricky's anti-social themes, making for a difficult but interesting listen:

"I don't like this century," Tricky mutters in the course of "Record Companies," and that sums up his worldview as eloquently as words ever will. It's the sounds that signify, and postindustrially premillennial though Tricky's may be, they're also original, strong, and to the point. He distinguishes himself from the run of noise sculptors just by remaining conducive to recognizable life. He's a hater not a fighter, and the devil is in his details. So give that man a set of horns--he's earned them.[11]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine was less enthusiastic about the record. He wrote that while Tricky had expanded his signature dub-inspired trip hop sound with rhythmic elements from hardcore hip hop and jungle music, Angels with Dirty Faces was "slightly different but essentially the same" as his previous album Pre-Millennium Tension.[1]

As of September 2003 it has sold 113,000 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.[12]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Money Greedy"5:30
2."Mellow"3:33
3."Singing the Blues"3:27
4."Broken Homes" (with PJ Harvey)3:34
5."6 Minutes"4:46
6."Analyze Me"4:00
7."The Moment I Feared"4:03
8."Talk to Me (Angels with Dirty Faces)"4:28
9."Carriage for Two"4:44
10."Demise"3:48
11."Tear out My Eyes"4:26
12."Record Companies"4:22
13."Peyote Sings" (bonus track)5:01
14."Taxi" (bonus track)3:55

Personnel

  • Design, Photography By [manipulation] – AP;D
  • Drums – Perry Melius (tracks: 1, 5, 6, 9 to 11)
  • Engineer – Ethan Allen (tracks: 2, 6, 8, 10 to 12)
  • Engineer [Additional Mixing] – Jack Hersca (tracks: 2 to 4, 6 to 12)
  • Assistant engineer – Chipman Verspyck (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 9 to 12), Mark Fraunfelder (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 8 to 10), Serge Tsai
  • Guitar – Scott Ian (tracks: 1, 5, 9 to 12)
  • Keyboards, Producer, Photography By [Palaroid], Illustration – Tricky
  • Mastered By – Howie Weinberg
  • Mixed By – Susan Rogers (tracks: 2, 3, 5 to 12), Tricky (tracks: 2 to 12)
  • Cover Photography – Barron Claiborne
  • Vocals – Martina Topley-Bird (tracks: 3, 5, 6, 8 to 10), Tricky (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 12)
  • Written-By – Tricky (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 12)
  • Pete Briquette - bass
  • Gareth Bowen - keyboards
  • Jack Hersca - bass, guitar
  • Jane Scarpantoni - cello
  • Gene Lake, Calvin Weston - drums
  • Lorenza Ponce - violin
  • Marc Ribot, Patrice Serapiglia - guitar
  • Doug Wieselman - flute
  • Greg Cohen - double bass

Charts

Chart performance for Angels with Dirty Faces
Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] 35
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] 32
French Albums (SNEP)[15] 14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] 48
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] 20
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] 38
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[19] 54
UK Albums (OCC)[20] 23
US Billboard 200[21] 84

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Angels with Dirty Faces
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States 113,000[12]

References

  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Angels with Dirty Faces – Tricky". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Tricky: Angels With Dirty Faces". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. pp. 314–15. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  3. ^ a b Browne, David (1 June 1998). "Angels with Dirty Faces". Entertainment Weekly. New York. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  4. ^ Bennun, David (22 May 1998). "Angel dust". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  5. ^ Weingarten, Marc (29 May 1998). "Tricky, 'Angels With Dirty Faces,' Island". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  6. ^ Cigarettes, Johnny (23 May 1998). "Tricky – Angels With Dirty Faces". NME. London. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  7. ^ DiCrescenzo, Brent. "Tricky: Angels With Dirty Faces". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 10 April 2008. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  8. ^ Chonin, Neva (25 June 1998). "Tricky: Angels With Dirty Faces". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on 11 February 2007. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  9. ^ a b Price, Simon (June 1998). "Rage Against the Machine". Select (96). London: 76. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  10. ^ Norris, Chris (July 1998). "Voodoo Gurus". Spin. 14 (7). New York: 119–21. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  11. ^ Christgau, Robert (9 June 1998). "Thwocks and Whispers". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  12. ^ a b Group, Vibe Media (September 2003). "Vibe".[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Tricky – Angels with Dirty Faces". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  14. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tricky – Angels with Dirty Faces" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Lescharts.com – Tricky – Angels with Dirty Faces". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  16. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tricky – Angels with Dirty Faces" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  17. ^ "Charts.nz – Tricky – Angels with Dirty Faces". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  18. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Tricky – Angels with Dirty Faces". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Tricky – Angels with Dirty Faces". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  20. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  21. ^ "Tricky Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 October 2022.

External links