''She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter'' is the third
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by British
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
band
the Blow Monkeys
The Blow Monkeys are a British pop band formed in 1981. Their first single, "Live Today Love Tomorrow", was released in 1982. They subsequently enjoyed a successful career with several hit singles and albums throughout the 1980s before split ...
, originally released in 1987.
The album's title is a reference to
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...
,
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...
, whose
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
government was unpopular with
left wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politic ...
, pro-
Labour Party music acts of the 1980s (including the Blow Monkeys), some of whom joined the
Red Wedge
Red Wedge was a collective of musicians formed in the UK in 1985 who attempted to educate youth with the policies of the Labour Party leading up to the 1987 general election in the hope of ousting the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher ...
movement as part of their political activism.
Some songs on the album reflect dissatisfaction with the political situation in the UK at the time. After a gradual shift towards a slicker,
pop
Pop or POP may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Pop music, a musical genre
Artists
* POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade
* Pop! (British group), a UK pop group
* Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band
Album ...
-oriented style, the Blow Monkeys also introduced a
dance
Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
beat, which became a defining feature of the band's later releases.
History
The band's record label
RCA
RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...
invested heavily in the promotion of ''She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter'' by issuing it in several different editions (e.g. the
vinyl LP
The LP (from long playing or long play) is an analog sound storage medium, specifically a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specificati ...
included 10 songs and a thick
photo book
A photo book or photobook is a book in which photographs make a significant contribution to the overall content. A photo book is related to and also often used as a coffee table book.
Early
Early photo books are characterized by their use of ...
, while the
CD was released in two versions, with
bonus tracks
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...
and alternative track listings, as well as slightly modified song titles).
''She Was Only a Grocer's Daughter'' peaked at No. 20 in the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
in April 1987 (only their 1989 greatest hits compilation, ''
Choices – The Singles Collection
''Choices – The Singles Collection'' is a greatest hits album by British band The Blow Monkeys, released in 1989 by RCA Records, RCA and distributed by Bertelsmann Music Group, BMG / Ariola Records, Ariola. The album includes most of the band ...
'', fared better, reaching No. 5). It was the band's only album to spawn four UK top 75 singles. The opening track, "
It Doesn't Have to Be This Way
"It Doesn't Have to Be this Way" is a single released by British band the Blow Monkeys in early 1987. It is one of the band's best known singles, and hit the top 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was featured in the 1987 comedy film
The co ...
", proved to be their most successful single, reaching No. 5 in the
UK Singles Chart.
The album's three other singles were: the suggestive ballad "Out with Her" (No. 30); "(Celebrate) The Day After You" (No. 52); "Some Kind of Wonderful" (No. 67). "(Celebrate) The Day After You" is a duet with
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield (June 3, 1942 – December 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Dubbed the " Gentle Genius", he is considered one of the most influential musicians of soul and socially conscious Afric ...
, which was remixed for the single version. The song was banned by the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
as it was released during a
general election
A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
and, as such, was deemed to be too political.
Track listing
Words and music by Dr. Robert.
# "
It Doesn't Have to Be This Way
"It Doesn't Have to Be this Way" is a single released by British band the Blow Monkeys in early 1987. It is one of the band's best known singles, and hit the top 5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was featured in the 1987 comedy film
The co ...
" – 4:00
# "Some Kind of Wonderful" – 3:33
# "Out with Her" – 4:40
# "How Long Can a Bad Thing Last?" – 4:07
# "Man at the End of His Tether" – 4:00
# "Rise Above" – 4:53
# "The Day After You (Celebrate)" – 5:00
# "Checking Out" – 4:58
# "Don't Give It Up" – 5:46
# "Cash" – 6:01
# "Beautiful Child" – 3:50
# "This Is the Way It Has to Be" (CD only) – 6:05
# "The Grantham Grizzler" (CD only) – 7:20
BMG / Camden 2002 re-release
# "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way"
# "Some Kind of Wonderful"
# "Out with Her"
# "How Long Can a Bad Thing Last?"
# "Man at the End of His Tether"
# "Rise Above"
# "(Celebrate) The Day After You"
# "Checking Out"
# "Don't Give It Up"
# "Cash"
# "Beautiful Child"
# "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way"
ong Ong or ONG may refer to:
Arts and media
* Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction
* “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur from the album The Magic Whip
Places
* Ong, Nebraska, US, city
* Ong's Hat, New Jersey, US, ghost town
* Ong River, Odisha, ...
# "(Celebrate) The Day After You"
nity Mix# "Smile on Her Face" (Sweet Murder)
# "Grantham Grizzler"
Personnel
Adapted from the album's
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards.
Origin
Liner notes are descended from the prog ...
.
Musicians
The Blow Monkeys
* Dr. Robert – vocals, guitar, string arrangements
* Neville Henry – saxophone
* Tony Kiley – Drums
* Mick Anker – bass guitar
Other musicians
* Michael Baker – keyboards, string arrangements
* The Borneo Horn Section – horns
* Tim Bryant – backing vocals
* Craig Derry – backing vocals
*
Will Downing
Wilfred "Will" Downing (born November 29, 1963) is an American R&B, soul, neo soul, and jazz singer and songwriter. He has released 22 studio albums.
Biography Early life
Downing was born and raised to a working-class family in Bedford-Stuy ...
– backing vocals
* Grayson Hughes – backing vocals
* Jimmy Jackson – backing vocals
* Axel Kroel – keyboards, string arrangements
*
Sylvia Mason-James
Sylvia Mason-James (born 8 December 1958) is a British singer who has worked extensively as a backing vocalist and solo artist.
Early life and career
Mason-James was born on 8 December 1958 in south London, United Kingdom to immigrants from J ...
– backing vocals
*
John Mealing
John Mealing (born in Yeovil, Somerset) is a British keyboardist, composer and arranger.
After leaving the Don Rendell-Ian Carr Quintet in the late sixties, he joined the pioneering British jazz-rock band If until they came off the road in 1 ...
– string arrangements
* Cindy Mizelle – backing vocals
* Gary Rottger – keyboards
*
Phil Roy
Phil Roy (born February 28, 1959) is an American singer and songwriter.
Biography Early musical career
Roy was born in Philadelphia and began playing the guitar at age nine. At age 17, attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Los ...
– backing vocals
* Ira Siegel – guitar
* Roger Stuart – backing vocals
* Steve Sydelnick – additional percussion
* Benita Turner – backing vocals
*
Marius de Vries
Marius de Vries (born 1961) is an English record producer and composer. He has won a Grammy Award from four nominations, two BAFTA Awards, and an Ivor Novello Award.
Education
Marius de Vries was educated at St Paul's Cathedral School, Bedfor ...
– keyboards
* Audrey Wheeler – backing vocals
*
Peter Wilson – string arrangements
*
Gavyn Wright
Gavyn Wright is a British violinist and orchestra leader with the London Session Orchestra and Penguin Cafe Orchestra.
He is best known for his orchestral arrangements on pop productions (including Elton John, Simply Red, Bush, Mecano, ...
– strings
* Helen Wright – strings
*
Paula Yates
Paula Elizabeth Yates (24 April 1959 – 17 September 2000) was a Welsh television presenter and writer. Yates is best known for her work on two television programmes, '' The Tube'' and ''The Big Breakfast''. She was subjected to intense media ...
– backing vocals
Technical
* Produced by Michael Baker, with help from the Axeman
* Recording engineer: Douglas Gramma
* Mixed by Brian "Chuck" New,
Bob Kraushaar, Douglas Gramma, Rafe McKenna
* Recorded at
D&D Studios
D&D Studios was a recording studio at 320 West 37th Street in the Garment District and Hudson Yards neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City. Artists who recorded there included Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, The Notorious B.I.G., Fat Joe, Nas, Gang Sta ...
(New York), The Point Studios,
Trident Studios
Trident Studios was a British recording facility, located at 17 St Anne's Court in London's Soho district between 1968 and 1981. It was constructed in 1967 by Norman Sheffield, drummer of the 1960s group the Hunters, and his brother Barry ...
, Swanyard Studios, Westside Studios (London)
* Programmed at Synthnett Studios (New York), The Point Studios (London)
* Mixed at Battery Studios,
Sarm West, Red Bus Studios
*
Nick Knight: photography
* Sleeve design: Mainartery, London
Singles from the album
* "It Doesn't Have to Be This Way" (1987) (
UK Singles Chart: Number 5)
* "Out with Her" (1987) (UK Singles Chart: Number 30)
* "(Celebrate) The Day After You" (1987) (UK Singles Chart: Number 52)
* "Some Kind of Wonderful" (1987) (UK Singles Chart: Number 67)
Charts
Release details
RCA /Ariola
Cassette
1987
References
External links
Fencat Online Dr Robert's Official Website.
{{Authority control
1987 albums
The Blow Monkeys albums
Ariola Records albums
RCA Records albums