Under the Sun (Paul Kelly album)
| Under the Sun | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Paul Kelly | ||||
| Released | December 1987 | |||
| Genre | Australian Rock | |||
| Length | 45:14 | |||
| Label |
Mushroom/White (Australia) A&M (U.S.) | |||
| Producer | Alan Thorne and Paul Kelly | |||
| Paul Kelly chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Under the Sun | ||||
|
||||
| Under the Sun | ||||
 1988 North American/European release (A&M Records) |
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Rolling Stone magazine | [2] |
| Robert Christgau | B[3] |
Under the Sun is the second album by Australian rock group Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls and was originally released in December 1987 by Mushroom Records.[4][5] In the North American and European markets, it was released by A&M Records in 1988 with the band credited as Paul Kelly & The Messengers, with a different track order and listing.[5]
On the Australian albums charts it peaked at #19 with the single "To Her Door" peaking at #14.[6][7] Another single, "Dumb Things" peaked at #36 in early 1989, on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) singles charts;[7] it reached #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart.[8] The song was included in the soundtrack for the 1988 Yahoo Serious film Young Einstein.[9]
"To Her Door" won an ARIA Award in 1988 for 'Best Video' directed by Claudia Castle.[10][11] In 2001, the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) listed the Top 30 Australian songs of all time,[12] including "To Her Door" written by Kelly.[13]
Background
After relocating from Melbourne to Sydney in 1985, Paul Kelly began to play and record with a full-time band, which included Michael Armiger on bass guitar, Michael Barclay on drums, Steve Connolly on guitar, eventually bassist Jon Schofield, and keyboardist Peter Bull joined.[5] Through a joke based on Lou Reed's song "Walk on the Wild Side", the band became known as Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls.[4][14] In September 1986 the band released their debut double LP Gossip.[5] Due to possible racist connotations the band changed its name, for international releases, to Paul Kelly and the Messengers.[4][14] They made an American tour, initially supporting Crowded House and then head-lining, travelling across the United States by bus.[4] Jon Schofield replaced Armiger on bass guitar, Chris Coyne on tenor saxophone and Chris Wilson on harmonica
On the Australian albums charts it peaked at #19 with the single "To Her Door" peaking at #14.[6][7] First single from the album, "Bradman" had been released in January 1987 as a double-A side with "Leaps and Bounds" from Gossip but had little chart success.[6][7] The third and fourth singles, "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" and "Don't Stand So Close to the Window" also had little chart success.[6][7] Another single, "Dumb Things" peaked at #36 in early 1989, on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) singles charts;[7] it reached #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart.[8] The song was included in the soundtrack for the 1988 Yahoo Serious film Young Einstein.[9]
In 1988, "To Her Door" won an ARIA Award for 'Best Video' directed by Claudia Castle.[10][11] In 2001, the Australasian Performing Rights Association (APRA) listed the Top 30 Australian songs of all time,[12] including "To Her Door" written by Kelly.[13]
"Desdemona" was featured in an episode of the Australian TV show, Packed To The Rafters.
Track listing
All tracks written by Paul Kelly unless otherwise indicated.[13]
Original Australian LP/MC release
- "Dumb Things" (aka "I've Done all the Dumb Things) – 2:31
- "Same Old Walk" – 4:08
- "Big Heart" – 3:22
- "Don't Stand So Close to the Window" (Paul Kelly, A McGregor) – 2:35
- "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" – 3:11
- "I Don't Remember a Thing" – 2:04
- "Know Your Friends" – 3:37
- "To Her Door" – 3:18
- "Under the Sun" – 4:18
- "Untouchable" – 2:04
- "Desdemona" – 2:07
- "Happy Slave" – 3:46
- "Crosstown" – 2:30
- "Bicentennial" – 3:04
Bonus tracks for Australian CD release
- "Bradman" – 7:26
- "Pastures of Plenty" (Woody Guthrie) – 2:26
North American/European release
- "Dumb Things" – 2:31 ^^
- "Same Old Walk" – 4:08
- "Big Heart" – 3:22
- "Don't Stand So Close to the Window" (Paul Kelly, A McGregor) – 2:35
- "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" – 3:11 ^^
- "Untouchable" – 2:04
- "Know Your Friends" – 3:37
- "To Her Door" – 3:18 ^^
- "Under the Sun" – 4:18
- "Desdemona" – 2:07
- "Happy Slave" – 3:46
- "Crosstown" – 2:30
- "Little Decisions" – 2:25
- "Bicentennial" – 3:04
(^^) The European release featured slightly different mixes of these tracks.
Chart positions and releases
| Year | Chart | Peak [6][7] |
|---|---|---|
| 1987 | Australian Albums Chart Kent Music Report |
19 |
| Format | Country | Label | Catalogue No. | Year |
| LP | AUS | Mushroom | RML 53248 | 1987 |
| CD | AUS | Mushroom | MUSH32281.2 | 1987 |
| Cassette | AUS | Mushroom | RMC53248 | 1987 |
| LP | USA | A&M Records | SP 5157 | 1988 |
| CD | USA | A&M | CD 5207 | 1988 |
| CD | Germany | A&M | 396979-1 | 1988 |
| CD | AUS | Mushroom/White | MUSH322812 | 1997 |
Personnel
Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls
- Paul Kelly — acoustic guitar, vocals
- Michael Barclay — drums, vocals
- Peter Bull — keyboards
- Steve Connolly — guitar (electric), vocals
- Chris Coyne — saxophone (tenor)
- John Schofield — bass guitar
- Chris Wilson — harmonica, vocals, saxophone (baritone)
Additional musicians
- Jessica Kenny — vocals
- Joe Camilleri — saxophone (tenor)
- Steve Miller — whistle (human)
- Lucky Oceans — guitar (steel)
- Ian Simpson — banjo
Recording details
- Producer — Alan Thorne, Paul Kelly
- Engineer — Alan Thorne
- Assistant engineer — Kathy Naunton
- Recording & mixing studio — Alberts and Trafalgar Studios
Art work
- Design — Melanie Nissen
- Photography — Francine McDougall (cover photo), Isabel Snyder
References
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Rolling Stone magazine review
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (March 14, 1989). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved April 29, 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Paul Kelly'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
- 1 2 3 4 Holmgren, Magnus. "Paul Kelly". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Discography Paul Kelly". Australian Charts Portal. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- 1 2 "Billboard singles charts". allmusic. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
- 1 2 "Young Einstein (1988) soundtrack". Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved 2008-08-18.
- 1 2 "ARIA Awards 2008: History: Winners by Artist search result". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 2008-08-19.
- 1 2 Garcia, Alex S. (2008). "Paul Kelly - artist videography". mvdbase.com. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
- 1 2 Kruger, Debbie (2001-05-02). "The songs that resonate through the years" (PDF). Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 2008-08-25.
- 1 2 3 "Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) search engine". APRA. Retrieved 2008-10-12. Note: requires user to input song title e.g. DUMB THINGS
- 1 2 Jenkins, Jeff; Ian Meldrum (2007). Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia. Melbourne, Vic.: Wilkinson Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921332-11-1. Retrieved 2008-10-12.