''Say Something Good'' is the debut studio album by

River City People River City People were a folk rock quartet formed in Liverpool, England, in 1986, by vocalist Siobhan Maher, guitarist Tim Speed, his drummer brother Paul Speed, and bassist Dave Snell. Siobhan, Tim and Dave had all been with Liverpool Band " ...

, released by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

in Europe and

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

in the US in 1989. Following a reissue in 1990, it reached No. 23 in the UK and remained in the charts for nine weeks. River City People signed a recording contract with EMI in 1988, after

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

's ''

The Chart Show ''The Chart Show'' (also known as ''The ITV Chart Show'' between 1989 and 1998) was a popular weekly syndicated music video programme which ran in the United Kingdom from April 1986 until August 1998, with revivals in 2003 and 2008–2009. ''Th ...

'' commissioned a video for the band's song "(What's Wrong With) Dreaming?". The band then recorded their debut album in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

during January–March 1989 with producer

Don Gehman Don Gehman is an American record producer, engineer, and executive, best known for his work with John Mellencamp and Hootie & the Blowfish. He was one of "the most successful producers of the 1980s and 1990s." As a sound engineer, he also helped ...

. Six singles were released from the album, the first of which, "(What's Wrong With) Dreaming?", was released in July 1989 and peaked at No. 70 in the UK. The follow-up, "Say Something Good", failed to chart and the third, "Walking On Ice", reached No. 62. The double A-side, "Carry the Blame"/"

California Dreamin' "California Dreamin'" is a song written by John Phillips and Michelle Phillips and first recorded by Barry McGuire. The best-known version is by the Mamas & the Papas, who sang backup on the original version and released it as a single in 196 ...

", was released in June 1990 and gave the band a No. 13 hit. A remixed version of "(What's Wrong With) Dreaming?" peaked at No. 40 and the final single, "When I Was Young", peaked at No. 62.

Reception

Upon 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 ...

'' wrote: "The band seem to have their roots in the late 60s. The songs all have a distinct 60s feel for melodies and harmonies, which makes it a pleasant, if not lovable record." ''

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 ...

'' described the album as one which "merges London pop sensibilities with American rock vibes". They added: "Singer

Siobhan Maher Siobhan Maher Kennedy (born 11 January 1964) is an English singer and songwriter. She was the lead vocalist of the Liverpool-based band River City People during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band released two albums, '' Say Something Good'' ...

breathes dimension into sensitive and perceptive prose composed by bandmates/brothers Tim and Paul Speed." Mark Frith of ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand fo ...

'' wrote: "Virtually all the songs are excellent and the Rivers aren't afraid to use manic guitars on straight-forward pop songs. On top of all that, Siobhan Maher's vocals are positively the chirpiest in pop." Anne Warren Murray of ''

Dayton Daily News The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately ...

'' considered the album a "strong first effort" and added: "It's hard to say which side is better, since both are filled with alluring, melodic songs." She highlighted the "upbeat" tracks "(What's Wrong with) Dreaming?" and "Walking On Ice", and the "more mellow" "No Doubt" and "When I Was Young". Steven Miller of ''

The Daily Utah Chronicle The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

'' wrote: "The lbum containsten cuts worth of quirky pop that owes a bit to

All About Eve ''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr, although Orr does ...

, vintage U2 and

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

but stands out with an identity all its own."

Track listing

Personnel

River City People *

- vocals * Tim Speed - guitars, vocals * David Snell - bass * Paul Speed - drums, percussion Additional musicians * Phil Shenale - keyboards, keyboard programming *

John Helliwell John Anthony Helliwell (born 15 February 1945) is an English musician, best known as the saxophonist, secondary keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional songwriter for the rock band Supertramp. He also served as an MC during the band's c ...

- saxophone on "Home and Dry" Production *

- producer, engineer * John Carter, Ed Thacker - engineer * Dan Bosworth, Pete Magdeleno, Robin Laine - assistant engineers * River City People - producers of "California Dreamin'" and "Huskisson St." * Nick Davis - producer, engineer and mixer on "California Dreamin'" * Ronnie Stone - producer of "Huskisson St." * Ronni O'Keefe - producer of "Find a Reason" Other * Abraham Pants - artwork (1989 release) * Paul Cox - photography (1989 release) * Normal Service - art direction, design (1990 release) * Peter Mountain - photography (1990 release)

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1989 debut albums EMI Records albums Capitol Records albums Albums produced by Don Gehman