The Race for Space (album)
| The Race for Space | ||||
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| Studio album by Public Service Broadcasting | ||||
| Released | 23 February 2015 | |||
| Recorded | Jacamar Studios, The Pool Studios, Abbey Road Studios | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:40 | |||
| Label | Test Card Recordings | |||
| Public Service Broadcasting chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Race for Space (album) | ||||
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The Race for Space is the second studio album by British alternative group Public Service Broadcasting. Once again working with the British Film Institute, the new album relives the story of the American and Soviet space race from 1957-1972. The opening track features a speech by John F. Kennedy which was made on September 12, 1962 at Rice University. To launch the album, the band played two concerts on 26 and 27 February 2015 at the National Space Centre in Leicester. The band will complete a full 13-date tour of the UK and Ireland to support the album. The band also announced that they will never play the whole album cover to cover live. This is because of the nature of track 4 ("Fire in the Cockpit") and the band said that they will probably never play that track at their performances.
The album reached No. 11 in the UK Chart, ten places higher than where their first album (Inform-Educate-Entertain) peaked. It also reached No. 1 in the UK Indie Albums Chart the week following its release.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Inspiring event | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Race for Space" | 2:41 | ||
| 2. | "Sputnik" | Sputnik 1 | 7:09 | |
| 3. | "Gagarin" | Vostok 1 | 3:49 | |
| 4. | "Fire in the Cockpit" | Apollo 1 disaster | 3:02 | |
| 5. | "E.V.A." | Voskhod 2 | 4:16 | |
| 6. | "The Other Side" | Apollo 8 | 6:20 | |
| 7. | "Valentina" (featuring Smoke Fairies) | Vostok 6 | 4:29 | |
| 8. | "Go!" | Apollo 11 | 4:13 | |
| 9. | "Tomorrow" | Apollo 17 | 7:22 |
Total length: 43:21
Charts
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Albums (Recorded Music NZ)[1] | 25 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[2] | 11 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[3] | 1 |
Context
The events covered on the album include the launch of Sputnik 1, and the Vostok 1, Voskhod 2, Vostok 6, Apollo 8, Apollo 11 and Apollo 17 missions.
Personnel
- J Willgoose, Esq - recording, producer, mixing
- Tim Young - mastering
- Peter Gregson - string arrangements, choir arrangement
- JF Abraham - brass arrangement
- Jenny O'Grady - choir director
- Katherine Blamire - vocals on Valentina
- Jessica Davies - vocals on Valentina
References
- ↑ "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ↑ "Public Service Broadcasting | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 20 March 2015.
- ↑ "2015-03-01 Top 40 Independent Albums Archive | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 20 March 2015.