Eoghan Quigg (album)

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Eoghan Quigg
Studio album by Eoghan Quigg
Released 3 April 2009 (Ireland)
6 April 2009 (UK)
Recorded Early 2009
Genre Pop
Label RCA/Sony Music
Singles from Eoghan Quigg
  1. "28,000 Friends"
    Released: April 2009 (Airplay only)

Eoghan Quigg is the only studio album by Irish pop singer Eoghan Quigg. It was released on 6 April 2009. Quigg, who finished third in the fifth series of the UK television talent show The X Factor, was the first of the finalists from that series to release a studio album. The album predominantly features cover versions of songs that Quigg performed on The X Factor. The only original song from the album was the unsuccessful single "28,000 Friends".

On its release, the album was savaged by critics,[1][2] with some describing it as the single worst album ever recorded.[3][4]

Background

After finishing third in The X Factor, Quigg was signed by record label RCA Records. Quigg was initially due to be signed by Simon Cowell's Syco label, but was instead signed to RCA after being rebuffed by Cowell, who decided to focus entirely on X Factor winner Alexandra Burke.[5] Quigg began work on the album in London in early 2009, and was forced to rush the album as RCA gave him just a week to record it.[2] The album was recorded at Sphere Studios in Battersea and released on 6 April 2009 in the UK.[6] Quigg described the album's musical direction as drawing inspiration from Busted,[7] and two songs from the album were written by ex-Busted band members; "Year 3000" being written by Charlie Simpson, and "28,000 Friends" by James Bourne.

Critical reception

Pre-release

A reviewer at Virgin Media felt that Quigg's previous career would hurt the album, Quigg having lost X Factor despite being a favourite, and having a record deal dropped by Simon Cowell. The reviewer predicted that Quigg's forthcoming album would "crash and burn".[8] Prior to its release, the single "28,000 Friends" was a critical and commercial failure.

Release

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [9]
Daily Record [10]
Digital Spy [11]
Daily Express [12]
The Guardian (unfavourable)[3]
Orange (unfavourable)[13]
Popjustice (unfavourable)[4]

The album was generally met with an extremely negative reception from critics upon release. It was described by Popjustice as "inescapably awful" and "very, very cheap".[4] Digital Spy described the album as "wince-inducing" and "amateurish".[11] Peter Robinson of The Guardian newspaper wrote "Ironically, in 2009 we are so numb to hyperbole that totally appropriate phrases like 'the worst album of all time' effectively divert attention away from how bad this album actually is. But this album really is phenomenally bad." Robinson confidently declared it to be "the worst album in the history of recorded sound."[3]

The album was criticised for consisting entirely of poor cover versions and for its weak vocal performances.[11] Jon O'Brien of Allmusic thought the album sounded as if it had been recorded on a "shoestring budget", and criticised Quigg's "limited ability".[9] One song singled out for criticism was the cover of Take That's "Never Forget",[9][11][13] which The Guardian described as the "cruellest moment" on the album.[3] Gigwise ranked the album number one in their "The 20 Worst Albums of 2009" in December of that year.[14]

The Daily Mail's Lizzie Smith summarised the album's reception among music critics as having reached "a new standard of dreadfulness".[15] Matthew McCreary in The Independent questioned whether Quigg's career would survive the media backlash, suggesting that "the savaging he [Quigg] has had in the music press over the past fortnight for his eponymous debut album would be enough to finish anyone."[1] Quigg's father, Chris, described the negative reviewers as "snobs", adding: "Eoghan was an amateur boxer, so he can take the punches."[1]

Chart performance

The album was initially a commercial success in Ireland where it debuted at no 1 on the Irish Albums Chart, knocking Lady Gaga's The Fame off the top spot. The album soon dropped from no 2 on its second week to no 20 on its third week. The album spent a total of 8 weeks on the chart.[16] In the UK the album peaked at no 14,[17] and dropped out of the Top 100 after only three weeks. As a result of these disappointing sales, Quigg was dropped by his record label, RCA.[18]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "28,000 Friends"  James Bourne 2:59
2. "We're All in This Together"  From the High School Musical soundtrack 3:52
3. "All About You"  Tom Fletcher 3:05
4. "Learn to Fly"  Christian Ingebrigtsen / Chris Porter 4:08
5. "Does Your Mother Know"  Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus 3:04
6. "Home"  Michael Bublé / Alan Chang 3:40
7. "When You Look Me in the Eyes"  Raymond Boyd / Joe Jonas / Nicholas Jonas 3:53
8. "Year 3000"  James Bourne / Matthew Fletcher / Charlie Simpson 3:24
9. "She's the One"  Karl Wallinger 4:16
10. "Ben"  Don Black / Walter Scharf 2:32
11. "Never Forget"  Gary Barlow 4:11
12. "Imagine" (iTunes Bonus Track)"  John Lennon 3:22

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position		 Sales Certification
UK Albums Chart 14[17] 25,000+
Irish Albums Chart 1[19] 6,000

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 McCreary, Matthew (21 April 2009). "Will Eoghan Quigg survive his public flogging?". The Independent. Retrieved 31 May 2013. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 McElroy, Naomi (12 September 2010). 't+make+the+same+mistakes+as+me%3b+EXCLUSIVE.-a0236893953 "Eoghan: Just don't make the same mistakes as me; EXCLUSIVE". The Mirror. Archived at The Free Library. Retrieved 7 June 2013. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Robinson, Peter (18 April 2009). "Factored out". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2009. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "The Eoghan Quigg album: it’s turned out not to be very good" Popjustice. 6 April 2009
  5. ↑ "JLS and Eoghan Quigg have both secured record deals after being snubbed by Simon Cowell". STV. 17 January 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2013. 
  6. ↑ "One To Watch: Eoghan Quigg". femalefirst.co.uk. 19 March 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2013. 
  7. ↑ McGarry, Gerard (6 April 2009). "Unreality TV interviews Eoghan Quigg". Unreality TV. Retrieved 7 June 2013. 
  8. ↑ "X Factor - Hits And Misses". Virgin Media. 1 April 2009. Retrieved 29 May 2013. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Allmusic review
  10. ↑ Fulton, Rick (14 April 2009). "ALBUMS; singles and albums". Daily Record. The Free Library. Retrieved 31 May 2013. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 digitalspy.co.uk - "Eoghan Quigg: 'Eoghan Quigg'" - retrieved 10-04-2009
  12. ↑ Spellman, Robert (3 April 2009). "Eoghan Quigg's debut reviewed". Express. Retrieved 31 May 2013. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Kraines, Talia (16 June 2009). "Eoghan Quigg - Eoghan Quigg". Orange. Retrieved 31 May 2013. 
  14. ↑ "The 20 Worst Albums of 2009". Gigwise. 16 December 2009. Retrieved 31 May 2013. 
  15. ↑ Smith, Lizzie (1 May 2009). "Is it fair to describe X Factor Eoghan Quigg's debut album as 'the worst ever made'?". Daily Mail. Retrieved 31 May 2013. 
  16. ↑ Eoghan Quigg Chart Statistics on aCharts.us Retrieved on 06-06-09.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Official Charts: Eoghan Quigg". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 June 2013. 
  18. ↑ Lyons, Beverley (16 June 2009). "X FACTOR star Eoghan Quigg is set to be dropped; the Razz". Daily Record. The Free Library. Retrieved 1 June 2013. 
  19. ↑ "Top 100 Individual Artist Albums". Irish Recorded Music Association. 9 April 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2009. 

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