''The Lone Ranger'' is the first solo album by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

singer

Suggs Graham McPherson (born 13 January 1961), known primarily by his stage name Suggs, is an English singer-songwriter, musician, radio personality and actor from Hastings, England. In a music career spanning 40 years, he came to prominence in the ...

, singer in second wave ska band Madness. It was released in 1995 (see

1995 in music This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995. Specific locations *1995 in British music * 1995 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1995 in classical music *1995 in country music * 1995 in heavy metal music * 1 ...

). The album peaked at No. 14 in the UK charts. "

Cecilia Cecilia is a personal name originating in the name of Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music. The name has been popularly used in Europe (particularly the United Kingdom and Italy, where in 2018 it was the 43rd most popular name for girls born ...

", a cover of the

Simon and Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

song, reached No. 4 on the UK charts. The song "4 am" was later re-recorded and appeared on the 1999 Madness album '' Wonderful''. ''The Lone Ranger'' was reissued in 2016 by Cherry Red Records as a two-CD deluxe edition.

Background

After the Madness reunion concert in 1992, which yielded the album '' Madstock!'', Suggs became involved in working on his first solo album. He had written a few songs, including "Alcohol" and "Fortune Fish". In 1994,

Rob Dickins Rob Dickins (born July 1950, East Ham, London) is a British music industry executive, who currently holds a number of trustee and consultant positions in music and the arts in the United Kingdom. Dickins began his music industry career at Warner ...

arranged for Suggs to work with producers Sly and Robbie on some songs. Dickins suggested "

I'm Only Sleeping "I'm Only Sleeping" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1966 studio album ''Revolver''. In the United States and Canada, it was one of the three tracks that Capitol Records cut from the album and instead included on '' Yest ...

" as a track, while Sly and Robbie proposed "

" as one of the songs to work on. Other songs produced by Sly and Robbie are "Camden Town", "Haunted" and "Off on Holiday", and they also helped to produce "The Tune", a song written by

Mike Barson Michael Barson (born 21 April 1958) is a Scottish-born multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and composer. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Barson came to prominence in the late 1970s as the keyboard player for the band Madness. Early y ...

. After the sessions with Sly and Robbie ended, other songs were recorded with other producers. Suggs collaborated with Barson to write and produce a number of song, including "Camden Town", "4 am", which is a tribute to

The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

, and "She's Gone". The songs, including "Green Eyes", were co-produced with engineer Kevin Petrie, who also helped with "Alcohol" and "Fortune Fish". After the second Madstock concert, Madstock II, Suggs announced that he would pursue a solo career in August 1994, and made his first appearance as a solo artist in November on ''Danny Baker After All'', performing "I'm Only Sleeping" and Morrissey's "

Suedehead "Suedehead" is a 1988 single by English singer Morrissey, released on 15 February 1988. Co-written by Morrissey and former Smiths producer Stephen Street, the song was Morrissey's first solo release after the Smiths break-up. Morrissey was in ...

". His debut album ''The Lone Ranger'' was released in 1995.

Reception

Evan Cater, writing for

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, wrote, "''The Lone Ranger'' has the feel of an amateur demo, populated primarily by drum machines and synthesizers ... But despite the weakness of the production, Suggs manages credible covers of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

' "

" and Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia." Cater was not impressed with Suggs' songwriting talent on the songs he wrote by himself, but felt that he fared better on the ones he co-wrote with Mike Barson, "who appears to have a stronger sense of melody." ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

s Mark Elliott wrote, "this charming, 60s-influenced, 11-song set hits the sweet spot where an experimental edge packs an impressive commercial punch and everyone emerges with their dignity intact." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' described the album as delivering "much the same ska pop mixture and music hall jollity as adness but with more weight to the production."

Track listing

Adapted from the album's liner notes.

2016 reissue

;Disc one *The first disc contains the eleven tracks from the original album plus eight bonus tracks. ;Disc two

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. Although no musicians are credited on the album, the following are thanked: *

Jah Wobble John Joseph Wardle (born 11 August 1958), known by the stage name Jah Wobble, is an English bass guitarist and singer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd (PiL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s; ...

Phil Spalding Philip Spalding (born 19 November 1957, London, England) is an English bass player. He is best known as a session musician and player of Fender Precision Bass guitars. He has played and appeared with performing artists such as Mick Jagger, Se ...

* Rico Rodriguez *

Jazz Jamaica Jazz Jamaica is a British jazz/reggae music group formed by musician Gary Crosby in London formed in 1991. History In 1991, inspired by the rhythms of traditional Jamaican music and the largely improvisational nature of jazz, Gary Crosby — on ...

John Themis John Themis is an Australian-born musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for his long-term work with Boy George and Culture Club, collaborating on many of their songs and albums since the 1990s. He also worked on ''Taboo'', a music ...

* Sly and Robbie * Louchie Lou and Michie One (on "Cecilia") *Ben Barson (on "Alcohol") *

Anne Dudley Anne Jennifer Dudley (née Beckingham; born 7 May 1956) is an English composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genr ...

– string arrangement on "She's Gone" ;Technical *

– production (3, 4, 9-11), booklet photography *

– production (3, 4, 9-11) * Sly and Robbie – production (1, 2, 6-8), additional production (5), mixing (1, 2, 5-8) *

TommyD Tommy Asher Danvers, better known by his stage name TommyD, is a British producer, songwriter, arranger, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist and co-founder of NFT marketplace, Token, , Traxx. He is best known for his work with artists such as Right ...

– production (5) *Garry Hughes – additional production (2, 6-8) *Kevin Petrie – additional production, engineer (3, 4, 9-11) *Paul Taylor – additional production, mixing (4, 9) *Pete Craigie – additional production, mixing (4, 9) *Gregg Jackman – mixing (3, 10, 11) * Trevor Key – booklet cover photography * Ben Kelly – art direction (from an original idea by

Marcel Duchamp Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp (, , ; 28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer whose work is associated with Cubism, Dada, and conceptual art. Duchamp is commonly regarded, along with Pablo Picasso ...

) *Assorted Images – artwork *

Jill Furmanovsky Jill Furmanovsky (born 1953) is a British photographer who has specialised in documenting rock musicians. Life and work Born in Southern Rhodesia, Furmanovsky emigrated with her parents and brother Michael to London in 1965. She studied text ...

– booklet photography *Eugene Adebari – booklet photography *Gavin Evans – booklet photography *

– executive producer ;2016 reissue bonus tracks *Louchie Lou and Michie One – vocals (17, 19) *Suggs – production (12, 13, 15, 16) *Mike Barson – production (12-16) *Sly and Robbie – production (17) *Garry Hughes – additional production (17) *

The Rapino Brothers The Rapino Brothers are record producers Charlie Mallozzi and Marco Sabiu, known for their work during the 1990s with artists such as Take That, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Paola e Chiara, Valerio Scanu, Lydia Canaan and Primal Scream. Ital ...

– production (19) *Bobby Dee – production (19) *Gregg Jackman – engineering, mixing (19) *Collin "Bulby" York – remix (disc two: 1, 2) *Pepperoni – remix (disc two: 8, 9)

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lone Ranger Suggs (singer) albums 1995 debut albums Albums produced by Sly and Robbie Warner Records albums