39 Minutes
| 39 Minutes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 37:49 (Vinyl) | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | Jamie Lane | |||
| Microdisney chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 39 Minutes | ||||
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39 Minutes is the fourth and final studio album by the Irish pop group Microdisney, released in 1988.[1][2] It was a commercial disappointment.[3] The first single was "Singer's Hampstead Home", allegedly a criticism of Boy George's celebrity persona.[4] It was followed by the release, from this album, of Microdisney's final single, "Gale Force Wind",[5] which reached number 98 on the UK singles chart.[6]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music | [8] |
The album attracted divisive reviews at the time, with singer Cathal Coughlan saying in 2022, "The press on 39 Minutes, as I recall, was pretty bad."[9] David Stubbs, in a review for Melody Maker, described the album as "horrible, frankly".[10] The album was acclaimed by Hot Press as "some of the best and most provocative pop music ever to have emanated from this country".[11]
Trouser Press later opined that 39 Minutes "restores the group's sense of purpose, balancing the slick production of recent efforts with a slightly more aggressive attack and Coughlan's sharpest lyrics in ages."[12]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks composed by Cathal Coughlan and Sean O'Hagan.
Side one
- "Singer's Hampstead Home" (4:02)
- "High & Dry" (3:04)
- "Send Herman Home" (4:03)
- "Ambulance for One" (3:26)
- "Soul Boy" (5:04)
Side two
- "Back to the Old Town" (3:13)
- "United Colours" (3:16)
- "Gale Force Wind" (3:57)
- "Herr Direktor" (3:42)
- "Bluerings" (3:55)
References
[edit]- ^ The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd ed.). Rough Guides. 2003. p. 673.
- ^ Smyth, Gerry (2005). Noisy Island: A Short History of Irish Popular Music. Cork University Press. p. 81.
- ^ "Microdisney Biography by Jason Ankeny". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ Meagher, John (28 Nov 2015). "Microdisney—gone but not forgotten". Review. Irish Independent. p. 16.
- ^ Brown, Nicky (11 February 1988). "Micro 'next big thing'". Gateshead Post. p. 26.
- ^ "Gale Force Wind". officialcharts.com/. Official Charts. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
- ^ "39 Minutes Microdisney". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. Virgin Books. p. 322.
- ^ Perkins, Julie (Director). The Story of Microdisney: The Clock Comes Down the Stairs. BBC Television.
- ^ Stubbs, David (2 April 1988). "Time Fades Away". Melody Maker.
- ^ Byrne, George (28 March 2001). "39 Minutes". Hot Press. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ^ Gethers, Altricia; Schinder, Scott. "Microdisney". Trouser Press. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
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