''Creeping Up on Jesus'' is the second studio album from Scottish pop band
The Big Dish, which was released by
Virgin in 22 August 1988.
The album spawned three singles; "
European Rain" and "Faith Healer" were released in the United Kingdom, while "Life" was released in the United States. "European Rain" reached No. 78 in the
UK Singles Chart in August 1988.
Background
In a 1988 interview with ''
Record Mirror'', Lindsay said of the album, "What's new about the stuff we're doing now is that it has a warmer, more direct feel to it. ''Swimmer'' was a bit too cold and distant... too over-produced. The new LP sounds more like a band effort."
Critical reception
On its release, ''
Music & Media
''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...
'' praised ''Creeping Up on Jesus'' for having "one of the best titles of the year", but felt the material was "too much of a pale imitation of their debut album to cause any great fuss". They recommended "Burn" and "European Rain", and described the band's sound as "a cross between
Deacon Blue and
Danny Wilson". ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' noted the band's return "with a brace of folk-edged tunes at times reminiscent of
Lloyd Cole."
Barry Young of ''
The Press and Journal
''The Press and Journal'' is a daily regional newspaper serving northern and highland Scotland including the cities of Aberdeen and Inverness. Established in 1747, it is Scotland's oldest daily newspaper, and one of the longest-running newspape ...
'' considered the album to contain "a series of thoughtful, gentle and appealing tracks, none of which would be out of place in the singles chart". He added, "Light and airy, without being shallow. Music to drive through the country by."
George Bryne of the ''
Irish Independent
The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis.
The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines.
Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
'' praised the album for being "chock-full of highly-melodic hooks and memorable choruses" which "improves on the seamless pop of their debut".
Scott Benarde of ''
The Palm Beach Post'' wrote, "Lindsday is a talented writer and arranger. His songs sound like triumphant declarations and hopeful prayers. The songs on the band's second release play like cool, refreshing breezes against sweat-soaked skin." Paul Wagner of the ''
Santa Cruz Sentinel'' commented, "Scottish pop offering mid-tempo rhythms, clear lyrics, lots of songwriting craft, but an as-yet-undistinguished sound and feel."
In a retrospective review, Richard Foss of
AllMusic considered the album's material to contain "some good, catchy, intelligent songs here", but felt they were "buried under several layers of studio gloss", with Lindsay's vocals "competing with too much atmosphere". He added, "A few tracks succeed through sheer gifted songcraft and heartfelt performances, but only enough to show that this good band could have been great."
Track listing
Personnel
The Big Dish
* Steven Lindsay – vocals, guitars
* Brian McFie – guitars
* Raymond Docherty – bass
Additional musicians
*
Craig Armstrong,
Paul Wickens,
Michael Montes Michael Montes is a Peruvian-American composer for films, album projects and all other media.
Life and career
Michael Montes was born in Houston, Texas, the son of American nurse Anne Pryor and Peruvian doctor Mario Montes who came to the United S ...
– keyboards
*
Blair Cunningham
Blair Cunningham (born October 11, 1957, Memphis, Tennessee) is an American drummer who has played for many bands and artists including Denise LaSalle, Robert Johnson, the Detroit Emeralds, Frederick Knight, Echo & the Bunnymen, Haircut One H ...
,
Charlie Morgan – drums
*
John Thirkell,
Gary Barnacle, Pete Thoms – horns
Production
* Bruce Lampcov – producer (tracks 1-8), engineer (tracks 1-8)
* Paul Wickens – producer (tracks 9-10), engineer (tracks 9-10)
* The Big Dish – producer (track 2)
* Kenny MacDonald – engineer (track 2)
* Pete Jones, Lance Phillips, Jeremy Wheatley – assistant engineers
Other
* Gary Wathen – art direction
* VIVID I.D. – design
* Ewan Fraser – photography
*
Walker Evans – original church photography
References
{{authority control
1988 albums
Virgin Records albums
Warner Records albums