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The Christians
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 1987
StudioThe Workhouse Studio and Parfett Sound, London, and Amazon Studios, Liverpool
Length57:45
Label Island
Producer Laurie Latham
The Christians chronology
The Christians
(1987)
Colour
(1990)
Singles from The Christians
  1. "Forgotten Town"
    Released: January 1987
  2. "Hooverville (They Promised Us the World)"
    Released: June 1987
  3. "When the Fingers Point"
    Released: September 1987
  4. "Ideal World"
    Released: November 1987
  5. "Born Again"
    Released: April 1988

The Christians is The Christians' 1987 debut album and contained their first five UK hit singles: "Forgotten Town", "Hooverville", "When the Fingers Point", "Ideal World" and "Born Again".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]
Smash Hits8/10 [2]

AllMusic has retrospectively been generally favourable towards the album, stating that the band "blend socially conscious lyrics of life under Thatcher with smooth, slickly programmed pop-soul arrangements" and concluding that the record was "a solid debut with very few filler tracks". [1]

Track listing

All tracks written and composed by Henry Priestman except where noted.

  1. "Forgotten Town" – 5:13
  2. "When the Fingers Point" – 3:32
  3. "Born Again" – 5:18
  4. "Ideal World" (Priestman, M. Henry Herman) – 4:35
  5. "Save a Soul in Every Town" – 4:32
  6. "...And That's Why" – 5:17
  7. "Hooverville" (Priestman, Herman) – 4:45
  8. "One in a Million" – 4:42
  9. "Sad Songs" (Priestman, Herman) – 4:25
  10. "Forgotten Town" (12" Dub Version) – 5:26 (bonus track on cassette and CD)
  11. "When the Fingers Point" (12" Remix) – 5:32 (bonus track on cassette and CD)
  12. "Why Waltz" – 4:07 (bonus track on cassette and CD)
  • On the cassette version of the album the 12" Dub Version of "Forgotten Town" was placed at the end of side one, after "Save a Soul in Every Town".

Personnel

The Christians:

  • Garry A. Christian – lead vocals
  • Russell Christian – saxophone, vocals
  • Henry Priestman – keyboards, guitar, vocals

Additional personnel:

  • Mike Bulger – electric guitar
  • Tony Jones – bass
  • Paul Barlow – drums
  • Anthony Moore – programming
  • Produced & Engineered by Laurie Latham
  • Additional engineering by Pete Coleman, Stuart Barry
  • Mastered by Tim Young
  • Mix on (4) – David Bascombe, Mix on (7) – Pete Hammond

Charts

Chart (1987) Position
Australia ( Kent Music Report) [3] 64
UK Albums ( OCC) [4] 2
US Billboard 200 [5] 158

References

  1. ^ a b Mills, Ted. "The Christians: The Christians". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  2. ^ Lawe, Richard (7–20 October 1987). "Albums: The Christians — The Christians (Island)" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 9, no. 19. Peterborough: EMAP National Publications, Ltd. p. 60. ISSN  0260-3004. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2023 – via World Radio History.
  3. ^ "Bubbling Down Under 5 November 1990". www.bubblingdownunder.com. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  5. ^ "The Christians Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.