Night Time (album)

This article is about the Killing Joke album. For the song by the J. Geils Band, see Love Stinks. For ITV night time, see Night Network.
Night Time
Studio album by Killing Joke
Released March 1985
Recorded August–September 1984 at Hansa Tonstudios, Berlin, Germany
Genre Post-punk, new wave, gothic rock
Length 39:54
Label E.G.
Producer Chris Kimsey
Killing Joke chronology

Fire Dances
(1983)		 Night Time
(1985)		 Brighter than a Thousand Suns
(1986)
Singles from Night Time
  1. "Eighties"
    Released: April 1984
  2. "Love Like Blood"
    Released: January 1985
  3. "Kings and Queens"
    Released: March 1985

Night Time is the fifth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke. It was released in March 1985, through record label E.G.

Release

Night Time was released in March 1985 by record label E.G. It was an international hit, reaching number 11 in the United Kingdom,[1] number 8 in New Zealand[2] and number 50 in Sweden.[3]

The album was remastered and reissued in 2008, with nine bonus tracks. The bonus tracks include the non-album single "A New Day", three remixes and four tracks from a 1984 Kid Jensen BBC radio session.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [4]
PopMatters 9/10[5]

In his retrospective review, Ned Raggett of AllMusic opines that the album finds the band's music "caught between their earlier aggression and a calmer, more immediately accessible approach. This turned out to be the band's Achilles heel in the end, with later albums in the '80s evidence that the group had turned into an unbelievably boring, generic modern rock band. At this point, however, the tension between the two sides had a perfect balance, and as a result, Night Time is arguably the quartet's freshest album since its debut, with a warm, anthemic quality now supplementing the blasting, driving approach that made the band's name".[4] Adrian Begrand of PopMatters opined that, with the album, the band "perfected" their "balance between antagonism and accessibility" and that "the band are simply on fire on this record".[5]

"Eighties" lawsuit

The song "Eighties" is claimed to have been copied by Nirvana for their 1991 song "Come as You Are", primarily because the riffs of both songs are so similar. A lawsuit, claimed by Kerrang!, was issued against Nirvana by Killing Joke for appropriation of the riff. Because no accusation was recorded, Kerrang! claimed that it was dropped shortly after Kurt Cobain's death in 1994.[6] According to Rolling Stone, Killing Joke did not file a copyright infringement lawsuit, because of "personal and financial reasons".[7] However, conflicting reports, such as Kerrang!, have stated differently.

A reassured interview with guitarist Geordie Walker[8] in December of that year later proved that a lawsuit was issued after the manager of Nirvana responded rudely,[7] saying "Boo, never heard of ya!".[9]

In light of the events that occurred from 1992 to 1994, Dave Grohl took it upon himself to pay a sort of restitution for the appropriation by drumming on the 2003 album Killing Joke. Grohl is a long-time, vocal fan of Killing Joke, and has stated that he lobbied the band to be allowed to play on the album.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Killing Joke (Jaz Coleman, Paul Ferguson, Kevin "Geordie" Walker, Paul Raven), except as noted. 

Side one
No. Title Length
1. "Night Time"   4:58
2. "Darkness Before Dawn"   5:22
3. "Love Like Blood"   6:50
4. "Kings and Queens"   4:41
Side two
No. Title Length
1. "Tabazan"   4:36
2. "Multitudes"   4:59
3. "Europe"   4:38
4. "Eighties"   3:51

Personnel

Additional personnel

Charts

Chart (1985) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart 11[1]
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand 8[10]
Sverigetopplistan 50[11]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Killing Joke | Artist | Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  2. ↑ "charts.org.nz – Discography Killing Joke". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  3. ↑ "swedishcharts.com – Discography Killing Joke". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Raggett, Ned. "Night Time – Killing Joke | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Begrand, Adrien (30 April 2008). "Fun & Games: Killing Joke in the Mid-'80s | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  6. ↑ "historylink.org– The Free Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History". historylink.org. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Borzillo-Vrenna, Carrie (10 April 2003). "Rolling Stone : Nirvana Pay Back Killing Joke". rollingstone.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  8. ↑ "BBC Manchester – Music – Interview with Killing Joke's Geordie". bbc.co.uk. 24 July 2003. Archived from the original on 1 August 2003. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  9. ↑ Slater, Tim (December 1994). "[Guitarist interview]". Guitarist.
  10. ↑ "charts.org.nz – Discography Killing Joke". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
  11. ↑ "swedishcharts.com – Discography Killing Joke". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 15 February 2013.

External links