White on Blonde
| White on Blonde | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Texas | ||||
| Released | 3 February 1997 | |||
| Recorded |
1994–96 Chateau De La Rouge Motte, France The Church, London Abbey Road Studios, London Love Net, Shar's House Parklane Studios, Glasgow, Scotland | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:06 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Texas chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternate cover | ||||
 Japanese Bonus cover | ||||
| Singles from White on Blonde | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
White on Blonde is the fourth studio album by Scottish rock band Texas, released by Mercury Records on 3 February 1997. The album was the band's first number one, and became their biggest seller. It has been certified 6x Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of over 1.8 million copies, and has sold 1.65 million as of January 2017.[2]
Background and release
The album included five UK Top Ten singles, "Say What You Want" (UK #3), "Halo" (UK #10), "Black Eyed Boy" (UK #5), "Put Your Arms Around Me" (UK #10) and "Insane" (UK #4) which was released as a double A-sided single with "Say What You Want (All Day, Every Day)" - a new version of the 1997 hit featuring additional rap vocals by the Wu-Tang Clan.
White on Blonde has been certified 6x Platinum in the UK, which indicates sales of over 1.8 million copies in that territory.[3] The album was also a major success in various European countries, such as France where it peaked at #2 on the French Album Charts. The album was produced by the band themselves, along with Mike Hedges and former Eurythmics star Dave Stewart.[4]
Honours
White on Blonde has received many honours since its release in 1997. It was voted the 86th greatest album of all time by Q magazine readers in 1998.[5] The album is also ranked #34 in Q's "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime,"[4] included in Q magazine's "90 Best Albums Of The 1990s," and included in Q magazine's "50 Best Albums of 1997."[4]
White on Blonde became the first Texas album to top the UK Album Charts and is one of only two Texas albums (along with The Greatest Hits) to be certified 6x Platinum in the United Kingdom.
In 2010, White on Blonde was nominated in the BRIT Awards Best Album in the past 25 years.
On the other hand, White on Blonde was voted the worst Scottish album ever in a 2007 online poll of music fans.[6][7]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "0.34" (Introduction) | Johnny McElhone, Sharleen Spiteri | Texas | 0:34 |
| 2. | "Say What You Want" | McElhone, Spiteri | Texas | 3:53 |
| 3. | "Drawing Crazy Patterns" | McElhone, Spiteri | Texas | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Halo" | McElhone, Spiteri | Texas, Mike Hedges | 4:10 |
| 5. | "Put Your Arms Around Me" | McElhone, Spiteri, Dave Stewart, Robert Hodgens | Dave Stewart, Texas | 4:33 |
| 6. | "Insane" | McElhone, Spiteri | Texas, Hedges | 4:45 |
| 7. | "Black Eyed Boy" | McElhone, Spiteri, Eddie Campbell, Richard Hynd, Hodgens | Texas | 3:10 |
| 8. | "Polo Mint City" | McElhone, Spiteri | Texas | 1:37 |
| 9. | "White on Blonde" | McElhone, Spiteri | Texas | 3:46 |
| 10. | "Postcard" | McElhone, Spiteri | Texas | 4:00 |
| 11. | "0.28" (Interlude) | Texas | 0:28 | |
| 12. | "Ticket to Lie" | McElhone, Spiteri, Hodgens | Texas | 3:31 |
| 13. | "Good Advice" | McElhone, Spiteri, Mark Rae, Steve Christian | Texas, Mark Rae, Steve Christian | 4:50 |
| 14. | "Breathless" | McElhone, Spiteri | Texas, Hedges | 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" | |
Personnel
- Texas
- Sharleen Spiteri – Vocals, Guitar
- Ally McErlaine – Guitar
- Johnny McElhone – Bass guitar
- Eddie Campbell – Keyboards
- Richard Hynd – Drums
- Other Personnel
- Roger Ward – Guitar
- Paul Taylor – Programming
- Alex Silva – Programming, Keyboards
- Terry Disley – Programming, Keyboards
- Martin Greene – Strings (Arrangement)
- Claire Miles – Strings
- Anne Stephenson – Strings
- Sally Herbert – Strings
- Claire Orsler – Strings
- Susan Dench – Strings
- Gini Ball – Strings
- Chris Pitsillide – Strings
- Steven Granville – Backing vocals
Charts and certifications
Charts
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart[8] | 25 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 32 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 21 |
| French Albums Chart | 2 |
| German Albums Chart | 44 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 36 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 17 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 4 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 12 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 25 |
| UK Albums Chart | 1 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[9] | Platinum | 300,000* |
| Sweden (GLF)[10] | Gold | 40,000^ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[11] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[12] | 6× Platinum | 1,652,100[13] |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
| 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 |
References
- ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "White on Blonde - Texas". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ↑ Copsey, Rob (5 January 2017). "20 classic albums that turn 20 years old in 2017". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 January 2017.
- ↑ "Texas - White on Blonde". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- 1 2 3 "Texas - White On Blonde". CD Universe. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
- ↑ "The 100 Greatest Albums in the Universe", Q, February 1998
- ↑ "Texas Album is 'Worst Scottish Record'". Daily Record. 23 October 2007. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ↑ "Texas top chart.. of bad CDs". TheFreeLibrary.com. Mirror. 23 October 2007. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ↑ "australian-charts.com > Texas discography". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2015-09-16.
- ↑ "French album certifications – Texas – White on Blonde" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
- ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
- ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Texas; 'White on Blonde')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "British album certifications – Texas – White on Blonde". British Phonographic Industry. Enter White on Blonde in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ Jones, Alan (28 April 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: Ed Sheeran makes it eight weeks on top of the albums chart". Music Week. Intent Media. Retrieved 28 April 2017. (Subscription required (help)).