| The Sun Is Often Out | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 April 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1995–1996, Axis Studios, Sheffield | |||
| Genre | Britpop, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 63:26 (including hidden track) | |||
| Label | Mother | |||
| Producer | Kevin Bacon, Jonathan Quarmby | |||
| Longpigs chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Sun Is Often Out | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Guardian | [2] |
| The Phoenix | [3] |
| Select | (3/5)[4] |
The Sun Is Often Out (stylized as THE SUN iS OfTEN oUT) is the debut album by Longpigs, released in 1996 on U2's record label, Mother Records.
Five singles were released from the album, initially to little success. The first two - "She Said" and "Jesus Christ" - both failed to crack the UK Top 40, both stalling at No. 67. The third single - "Far" fared a little better, scraping into the Top 40, reaching No. 37 and received significant radio airplay, particularly on the national pop and rock radio station, BBC Radio 1. It was, however, the next single, "On and On” which would be the band's breakthrough single; reaching No. 16 in the UK. With this momentum the album was released in April and shortly after "She Said" was re-released, also making it to No. 16 in the UK singles chart. The final single from the album "Lost Myself", narrowly missed out on giving the band a third successive Top 20 single, stalling at No. 22.
The Sun Is Often Out was declared one of 1996's 50 best albums by both Q and Melody Maker and retains a favourable 4 star rating on the AllMusic website, by both critics and fans.
Track listing
All songs written by Crispin Hunt except where noted.
- "Lost Myself" – 5:04
- "She Said" – 4:24
- "Far" – 3:46
- "On and On" – 4:10
- "Happy Again" – 4:17
- "All Hype" (Hunt, Dee Boyle) – 3:23
- "Sally Dances" – 3:44
- "Jesus Christ" – 4:00
- "Dozen Wicked Words" – 5:00
- "Elvis" – 4:22
- "Over Our Bodies" – 21:15
- The song "Over Our Bodies" ends at 7:05. After 10 minutes of silence (7:05 - 17:05), begins the hidden song "Sleep".
Personnel
Longpigs
- Crispin Hunt – vocals, guitar
- Richard Hawley – guitar, vocals
- Simon Stafford – bass, piano, Hammond organ, vocals
- Dee Boyle – drums, vocals
Additional personnel
- Kevin Bacon – producer
- Jonathan Quarmby – producer
- Hugh Jones – additional mix and production on "Far".
- Gil Norton – additional mix and production on "On and On".
References
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review: The Sun Is Often Out - Longpigs". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
- ^ Sweeting, Adam. "Review: Longpigs - The Sun Is Often Out (Mother Records)". Friday Review (April 26, 1996): 12.
- ^ Perry, Jonathan (27 October 1997). "Boston Phoenix CD Reviews". The Phoenix. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ Upton, Sam (May 1996). "New Albums". Select. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
External links
- The Sun Is Often Out at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
