''Slow to Fade'' is the debut album by English rock band
Red Guitars
Red Guitars were an English indie rock band active from 1982 to 1986. Based in Hull, Red Guitars' first single "Good Technology" was a minor hit, selling 60,000 copies. Their singles "Marimba Jive" and "Be With Me" both reached number one on ...
, released in 1984 on the singer Jerry Kidd's own Self Drive label.
[Colin Larkin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, , p.350] It reached number 3 on the
UK Indie Chart
The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...
, entering the chart in November 1984 and staying on the chart for six months.
[Barry Lazell (1997) ''Indie Hits 1980-1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p.186] The album included the single "Marimba Jive", which topped the Indie Chart.
The album was noted for its polish and originality, and was described as "a bit of a classic" by Dave Henderson, writing in ''
Sounds
In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...
'', but Kidd was to leave the band two months after it was released, releasing a statement saying "Technically we improved a lot during the last year but musically, from my point of view, we were standing still. New ideas and songs I had for the group no longer seemed to fit in".
The album was reissued on
CD by
Cherry Red in October 2002, with bonus tracks taken from the singles that had preceded it. All tracks were written by Kidd and Lewis, except for "Crocodile Tears" (Kidd) and "Heartbeat Go!", which was credited to the band.
Track listing''Slow to Fade'' on Discogs.com
/ref>
#"Remote Control"
#"Dive"
#"Astronomy"
#"Cloak and Dagger"
#"Crocodile Tears"
#"Shaken not Stirred"
#"Sting in the Tale"
#"Marimba Jive"
#"Slow to Fade..."
Bonus tracks on 2002 reissue
#"Good Technology"
#"Fact"
#"Paris, France"
#"Steeltown"
#"Within Four Walls"
#"Heartbeat Go!"
Personnel
;Red Guitars
*Jerry Kidd - vocals
*Lou Barlow -
bass guitar
The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
*Hallam Lewis - lead
guitar
The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
*John Rowley - rhythm guitar
*Matt Higgins - drums
;with:
*Grant Ardis - percussion
*Danny Woods -
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
Produced by Roy Neave and Red Guitars. Engineered by Roy Neave. Assistant Engineer: Neil Drake.
References
{{Authority control
1984 debut albums
Indie rock albums by English artists