The Thin Red Line (album)
| The Thin Red Line | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 17, 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1985–1986 | |||
| Studio | Phase One Studios, Sounds Interchange, ESP Studios, Eastern Sound, McLear Place (Toronto, Ontario) Le Studio (Morin-Heights, Quebec) Distorto Studios (Vancouver, British Columbia) | |||
| Genre | Pop, rock, pop rock | |||
| Length | 41:59 | |||
| Label | Capitol (Canada) Manhattan (USA) | |||
| Producer | Jim Vallance | |||
| Glass Tiger chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from The Thin Red Line | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
The Thin Red Line is the debut album by Canadian band Glass Tiger.[2] It was released by Manhattan Records in Canada on February 17, 1986.
The album is most famous for the single "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)". The song, which featured backup vocals by Bryan Adams, reached #1 on the Canadian charts and #2 in the United States. A follow-up single, "Someday", was also successful, reaching #7 in the United States and #14 in Canada.
Critical reaction
[edit]Both Greg Burliuk of the Kingston Whig-Standard and Evelyn Erskine of the Ottawa Citizen compared the album to Duran Duran. Erskine dismissed the album and opined that the band "has yet to find its own musical direction",[3] while Burliuk called the album uneven but praised the singles "Don't Forget Me", "Someday" and "You're What I Look For".[4]
Chart performance
[edit]The album was certified quadruple platinum in Canada, and went gold in the United States.[2]
It debuted on the RPM100 album charts in RPM the week of March 1, 1986,[5] and peaked at #3 on the charts in the week of April 26.[6] It remained in the top 100 for 67 weeks overall, concluding its chart run in the week of July 20, 1987.[7] In the magazine's year-end charts, it placed as the 16th top-selling album of 1986,[8] and the 27th top-selling album of 1987.[9] It was named the 14th top-selling album of the year in The Record's year-end chart for 1986.[10]
In the United States, the album peaked at #27 in the Billboard 200 in the week of February 7, 1987.[11]
Charts
[edit]| Chart (1987) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian (Kent Music Report) | 87[12] |
Awards
[edit]At the Juno Awards of 1986, the album won the Juno Award for Album of the Year.[13] "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" also won for Single of the Year, and the band won Most Promising Group.[13] "Someday" won Single of the Year at the Juno Awards of 1987, the first time in the award's history that the same artist won the award in two consecutive years for singles from the same album.[14]
At the Grammy Awards in 1987, the band were nominated for Best New Artist.[15]
The band swept the Rock Express magazine reader's poll in 1987, winning Top Canadian Group, Top Canadian Album for The Thin Red Line, and Top Canadian Single for "Don't Forget Me".[16]
Reissue
[edit]The album was remastered and reissued as a special anniversary edition double CD on June 19, 2012 by EMI Music Canada. In addition to the remastered album on the first disc, the second disc collects thirteen additional tracks including remixes, demos, single mixes, B-sides and live versions. A booklet with extensive liner notes is also included.
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thin Red Line" | 4:57 | |
| 2. | "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)" |
| 4:08 |
| 3. | "Closer to You" |
| 3:37 |
| 4. | "Vanishing Tribe" |
| 4:06 |
| 5. | "Looking at a Picture" |
| 4:02 |
| 6. | "The Secret" |
| 0:47 |
| 7. | "Ancient Evenings" |
| 4:55 |
| 8. | "Ecstasy" |
| 4:25 |
| 9. | "Someday" |
| 3:37 |
| 10. | "I Will Be There" |
| 3:28 |
| 11. | "You're What I Look For" |
| 3:50 |
| Total length: | 41:59 | ||
Personnel
[edit]Glass Tiger
[edit]- Alan Frew – vocals
- Al Connelly – guitars
- Sam Reid – keyboards
- Wayne Parker – bass
- Michael Hanson – drums, backing vocals
Additional musicians
[edit]- Additional keyboards, background vocals: Jim Vallance
- Background vocals: Marc Lafrance, Paul Janz, Bryan Adams (on "Don't Forget Me", "I Will Be There"), Dalbello, and Sharon Lee Williams
- Additional guitars: Keith Scott
- Additional bass: Doug Edwards (on "Don't Forget Me")
- Harmonica: David Pickell
- Horns: Chase Sanborn, Charles Gray, Russ Little
- Arrangements: Glass Tiger, Jim Vallance, and Gerald O'Brien
Production
[edit]- Engineering: Mike Jones, Paul Northfield, Jim Vallance, Lorne Feld, Mike Baskerville, Hayward Parrott, and Robin Brouwers
- Assistance: Randy Staub, Angelo Civiero, Robert Digioia, and Steve Ibelshauser
- Mixing: Ed Thacker and Sam Reid ("The Secret")
- Producing on "The Secret": Sam Reid
- Mastering: Bob Ludwig
- Photography: Deborah Samuel
- Design: Heather Brown
- Cover Concept Deborah Samuel and Dal Heslip
- Logo: Shoot That Tiger!
Certifications
[edit]| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[17] | 4× Platinum | 400,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[18] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
[edit]- ^ The Thin Red Line at AllMusic
- ^ a b Glass Tiger. canoe.ca.
- ^ "Glass Tiger: The Thin Red Line". Ottawa Citizen, March 7, 1986.
- ^ "The Thin Red Line: Glass Tiger". Kingston Whig-Standard, March 29, 1986.
- ^ RPM100. RPM, March 1, 1986.
- ^ RPM100. RPM, April 26, 1986.
- ^ RPM100. RPM, July 20, 1987.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums of '86". RPM, December 27, 1986.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums of '87". RPM, December 26, 1987.
- ^ "Whitney, Elton rule roost on Canadian record charts in '86". Montreal Gazette, January 8, 1987.
- ^ "Glass Tiger - Chart history". Billboard.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 126. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b "Glass Tiger sweeps Junos". The Globe and Mail, November 11, 1986.
- ^ "Juno Awards caught in a time warp". Toronto Star, November 4, 1987.
- ^ "Victory eluded Glass Tiger". Toronto Star, February 25, 1987.
- ^ "Glass Tiger roars to top of poll". Toronto Star, February 18, 1987.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Glas Tiger – The Thin Red Line". Music Canada. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "American album certifications – Glas Tiger – The Thin Red Line". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
