Penthouse and Pavement
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| Penthouse and Pavement | |||||
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| Studio album by Heaven 17 | |||||
| Released | September 1981 | ||||
| Recorded | Sheffield, Maison Rouge | ||||
| Genre | Synthpop | ||||
| Length | 50:31 ¹ | ||||
| Label | Virgin Records | ||||
| Producer | British Electric Foundation | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
| Heaven 17 chronology | |||||
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Penthouse and Pavement is the acclaimed debut album by the group Heaven 17 and considered one of the first concept albums of the 1980s.
The first single, (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing, best demonstrates the left-wing outlook of the lyrics, criticising Britain at the beginning of the 1980s under Thatcher and the rise of the Yuppie. Other themes explored include nuclear war, religious extremism and American influence in the world.
Unlike the seemingly 'cold' music of other electronic bands, Heaven 17 drew on R&B and funk to create pop-friendly, danceable hooks. Whilst the singles charted poorly, the album charted at No. 14 and remained in the Top 75 for 76 weeks.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
Pavement tracks
- "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing" – 4:20
- "Penthouse and Pavement" – 6:23
- "Play To Win" – 3:37
- "Soul Warfare" – 5:04
Penthouse tracks
- "Geisha Boys and Temple Girls" – 4:33
- "Let's All Make A Bomb" – 4:03
- "The Height of the Fighting" – 3:01
- "Song With No Name" – 3:36
- "We're Going To Live For A Very Long Time" – 3:15 ¹
Bonus tracks on 1997 US re-release
- "I'm Your Money" (Extended Mix) – 5:10
- "Play To Win" (Extended Mix) – 7:29
Bonus tracks on 2006 remastered edition
- "Groove Thang (B.E.F.)" (Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh, Glenn Gregory) – 4:07
- "Are Everything (12" Version)" (Pete Shelley) – 4:28
- "I'm Your Money (12" Version)" (Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh, Glenn Gregory) – 5:11
- "Decline of the West (B.E.F.)" (Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh) – 7:17
- "Honeymoon In New York (B.E.F.)/B.E.F. Ident (uncredited)" (Martyn Ware, Ian Craig Marsh/Malcolm Veale) – 2:52
("Groove Thang", "Decline of the West" and "B.E.F. Ident" originally appeared on the B.E.F. cassette-only release "Music For Stowaways")
[edit] Personnel
Heaven 17:
- Glenn Gregory - Vocals
- Ian Craig Marsh & Malcolm Veale - Synthesisers, Saxophone, Percussion
- Martyn Ware - Synthesisers, Piano, Percussion and Backing Vocals
... and:
- Josie James - Vocals on Penthouse and Pavement
- Steve Travell - Piano on Soul Warfare
- The Boys of Buddha - Synthetic Horns
- John Wilson - Bass guitar, Guitar and Guitar Synthesisers on Pavement side
- Ray Smith - Cover painting
[edit] Production
- Engineer and Assistant to the Producers: Peter Walsh
- Engineer: Steve Rance
- Executive Manipulator: Bob Last
[edit] Charts
Album
| Year | Chart (UK) | Position |
|---|---|---|
| September 1981 | Pop Albums | 14 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart (UK) | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 6 1981 | (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing | Pop Singles | 45 |
| May 1981 | I'm Your Money | Pop Singles | Failed to chart |
| August 1981 | Play to Win | Pop Singles | 46 |
| November 14 1981 | Penthouse and Pavement | Pop Singles | 57 |
| February 1982 | The Height of the Fighting (He-La-Hu) | Pop Singles | Failed to chart |
[edit] Curiosities
The final track on their 'Penthouse & Pavement' vinyl album - 'We're Going to Live for a Very Long Time' - builds to a never-ending groove repeating the phrase 'For a very long time.'
[edit] Notes
- ¹ - The last track on the original LP release, We're Going to Live for a Very Long Time, was recorded up to and onto the runoff groove; meaning the run time of this track (as labeled on the LP sleeve) and the album is infinite, looping the line "For a very long time".
- All tracks mixed at Red Bus Studios except (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thing and Let's All Make a Bomb which were mixed at The Townhouse.
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