| White on Blonde | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Texas | ||||
| Released | 3 February 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1994-1997 Chateau De La Rouge Motte, France The Church, London Abbey Road Studios, London Love Net, Shar's House Parklane Studios |
|||
| Genre | Blue-eyed soul, rock | |||
| Length | 47:06 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer | Texas, Mike Hedges, Dave Stewart, Rae, Christian | |||
| Texas chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Alternate cover | ||||
|
Japanese Bonus cover
|
||||
| Singles from White on Blonde | ||||
|
||||
White on Blonde is the fourth album by Texas, released by Mercury Records in 1997. In 1998 Q magazine readers voted it the 86th greatest album of all time. White On Blonde additionally came the band's first number one album in the UK, and was their second UK top ten album after Southside (1989).
Contents |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
The album included the UK Top Ten singles, "Say What You Want", "Halo", "Black Eyed Boy" and "Put Your Arms Around Me" and a remix version of "Say What You Want" which was re-titled "Insane/Say What You Want (All Day Everyday)" which reached #4 on the UK Singles Charts.
As of June 2011, White On Blonde has been certified six-time fold platinum in the UK, which indicates sales of over one million copies in that territory.[2] The album was also a major success in various European countries, such as one of Texas's largest-fan bases, France, where it peaked at #2 on the French Album Charts. Worldwide, sales of White on Blonde are estimated at around 4-5 million copies. The album was produced by the band Texas themselves, along with Mike Hedges, Dave Stewart, Rae, Christian.[3] Engineers include: Texas, Kenny Macdonald, Ian Grimble. Personnel: Texas (programming); Roger Ward (guitar); Anne Stephenson, Chris Pitsillides, Claire Orsler, Claire Miles, Sally Herbert, Sue Dench, Gini Ball (strings); Alex Silva, Terry Disley (keyboards, programming); Paul Anthony Taylor (programming); Steven Granville (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Ian Grimble; Ash Howes; Steve Christian; Texas . Recording information: Chateau De La Rouge Motte, The Church; EMI Abbey Road Studios, London, England; Love Net; Shar's House, Parklane Studios. Photographers: Elain Constantine; Juergen Teller.
Unknown Contributor Roles: Eddie Campbell ; Ally McErlaine; Richard Hynd; Johnny McElhone; Sharleen Spiteri. Arrangers: Martin Greene; Texas. Texas: Sharleen Spiteri (vocals, guitar, programming); Ally McErlaine (guitar, programming); Eddie Campbell (keyboards, programming); Johnny McElhone (bass, programming); Richard Hynd (drums, programming).[3] Additional personnel: Roger Ward (guitar); Claire Miles, Anne Stephenson, Sally Herbert, Claire Orsler, Susan Dench, Gini Ball, Chris Pitsillide (strings); Alex Silva, Terry Disley (keyboards, programming); Paul Taylor (programming); Steven Granville (background vocals).[3]
Texas were generally felt to have peaked with their debut album; Rick's Road continued a downward sales spiral, even though it contained some strong material. This album was a pleasant surprise, picking up awards everywhere and still selling in large quantities. For a band who might have been looking over their shoulders, this is a supremely confident album, full of good songs written by the band and, in particular, by Sharleen Spiteri and ex-Altered Image John McElhone. Respectable rock for the 90s, from the full production of tracks such as 'Halo' to the chiming tension created by 'Put Your Arms Around Me'.[3]
Unexpectedly, Texas became a popular sensation prior to the release of White on Blonde when Chris Evans made the soulful single "Say What You Want" the de facto theme song on his morning program on Radio 1. On the strength of his support, Texas was catapulted to previously unthinkable success, and the majority of the fans who thought the number one single was fine shouldn't have been disappointed with the full-length album. A combination of roots-rock and soul, White on Blonde occasionally has more style than substance, but Sharleen Spiteri's gorgeous vocals and the band's professionalism make the record a charming, ingratiating listen. (by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)[1]
"Unexpectedly, Texas became a popular sensation prior to the release of White on Blonde when Chris Evans made the soulful single "Say What You Want" the de facto theme song on his morning program on Radio 1. On the strength of his support, Texas was catapulted to previously unthinkable success, and the majority of the fans who thought the number one single was fine shouldn't have been disappointed with the full-length album. A combination of roots-rock and soul, White on Blonde occasionally has more style than substance, but Sharleen Spiteri's gorgeous vocals and the band's professionalism make the record a charming, ingratiating listen." - Allmusic review [1]
White on Blonde has received many honours since its release in 1997. It was voted the 86th best album of all time by Q Magazine readers in 1998. Amongst these honours, White on Blonde is also ranked #34 in Q's "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime,"[3] included in Q Magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s," and included in Q Magazine's "50 Best Albums of 1997." [3]
White on Blonde became the first Texas album to top the UK Album Charts. The album was Texas' fourth studio album, and first major charting UK album since Southside in 1989, when it charted at number three on the UK Charts. The following two albums to follow Southside, Mothers Heaven and Ricks Road, charted at thirty-two and eighteen on the UK Album Charts. Up until the release of White on Blonde, the only thing keeping Texas signed to their record label, Mercury, was their major success in other European countries, especially France. White on Blonde is one of only two Texas albums (along with The Greatest Hits) to be certified 6x Platinum in the United Kingdom.
All tracks written by Johnny McElhone and Sharleen Spiteri, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "0.34" (Introduction) | 0:34 | |
| 2. | "Say What You Want" | 3:53 | |
| 3. | "Drawing Crazy Patterns" | 3:52 | |
| 4. | "Halo" | 4:10 | |
| 5. | "Put Your Arms Around Me" | McElhone, Spiteri, Dave Stewart, Robert Hodgens | 4:33 |
| 6. | "Insane" | 4:45 | |
| 7. | "Black Eyed Boy" | McElhone, Spiteri, Eddie Campbell, Richard Hynd, Hodgens | 3:10 |
| 8. | "Polo Mint City" | 1:37 | |
| 9. | "White on Blonde" | 3:46 | |
| 10. | "Postcard" | 4:00 | |
| 11. | "0.28" (Interlude) | 0:28 | |
| 12. | "Ticket to Lie" | McElhone, Spiteri, Hodgens | 3:31 |
| 13. | "Good Advice" | McElhone, Spiteri, Mark Rae, Steve Christian | 4:50 |
| 14. | "Breathless" | 3:55 | |
| 15. | "Sunday Is the Saddest Day" (Japanese bonus track) | 4:11 |
| Japanese Deluxe Edition bonus tracks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 15. | "Say What You Want" (Mary Anne Hobbs acoustic session) | ||||||||
| 16. | "Halo" (808 mix) | ||||||||
| 17. | "Black Eyed Boy" (Neo-Northern Bossa Nova mix) | McElhone, Spiteri, Campbell, Hynd, Hodgens | |||||||
| 18. | "Sorry" | ||||||||
| 19. | "Say What You Want" (Rae & Christian mix) | ||||||||
| Interactive Songbook bonus disc | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "Say What You Want" (Music video) | ||||||||
| 2. | "Halo" (Music video) | ||||||||
| 3. | "Black Eyed Boy" (Music video) | ||||||||
| 4. | "Put Your Arms Around Me" (Music video) | ||||||||
| 5. | "Sing Along" | ||||||||
| 6. | "Riff Guide" | ||||||||
| 7. | "Chords" | ||||||||
| 8. | "Three Level Quiz" | ||||||||
In 2010, White on Blonde was nominated in the BRIT Awards Best Album in the past 25 years.
| Chart (1996) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart | 1 |
| Australian Albums Chart | 25 |
| Austraian Albums Chart | 32 |
| Netherlands Albums Chart | 21 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 36 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 17 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 12 |
| Switzerland Albums Chart | 25 |
| French Albums Chart | 2 |
| German Albums Chart | 44 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 4 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 12 |
| Preceded by Glow by Reef The Fat of the Land by The Prodigy |
UK number one album 15 February 1997 – 21 February 1997 23 August 1997 – 29 August 1997 |
Succeeded by Blur by Blur Be Here Now by Oasis |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||