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Untitled (Marc and the Mambas album)

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Untitled
Studio album by
Marc and the Mambas
ReleasedSeptember 1982
RecordedMay–July 1982
StudioTrident Studios, London
GenreAlternative rock, new wave
Length60:35
LabelSome Bizzare
ProducerMarc and the Mambas
Marc and the Mambas chronology
Untitled
(1982) 		Torment and Toreros
(1983)

Untitled is the first studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond's band Marc and the Mambas. It was released by Some Bizzare in September 1982.

Background

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Untitled was Almond's first album away from Soft Cell and was made in collaboration with a number of artists, including Matt Johnson of The The and Anni Hogan.[1] The album was produced by the band, with assistance from Stephen Short (credited as Steeve Short) and Flood.[2]

Jeremy Reed writes in his biography of Almond, The Last Star, that Untitled was "cheap and starkly recorded".[3] He states that Almond received "little support from Phonogram for the Mambas project, the corporate viewing it as non-commercial and a disquieting pointer to the inevitable split that would occur within Soft Cell".[4] An article in Mojo noted that "from the beginning, Almond and Ball had nurtured sideline projects, though only the former's – the 1982 double 12-inch set Untitled – attracted much attention, most of it disapproving." The article mentions that Almond "who preferred to nail a song in one or two takes" stated that it was all "about feel and spontaneity, otherwise it gets too contrived" when accused of singing flat.[5]

Simon Price of The Independent quotes Almond as calling the album "the deluded ramblings of self-indulgence fuelled by too much acid".[6]

The album was released on gatefold double vinyl with the first record playing at 33rpm and the second at 45rpm. The album reached number 42 in the UK Albums Chart.[7]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Smash Hits6/10[8]
Sounds[9]

Neil Tennant, then a journalist at Smash Hits, reviewed the album saying that the band "have obviously enjoyed producing some intriguing, if self-indulgent, new music and their own versions of some old favourites".[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic also calls the album "intriguing" but states that Untitled "doesn't ever add up to anything cohesive", whilst acknowledging that Almond has "made a conscious departure from Soft Cell".[1]

Track listing

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Side A
No.TitleWritten byLength
1."Untitled"Marc Almond, Matt Johnson4:54
2."Empty Eyes"Almond, Annie Hogan5:03
3."Angels"Almond, Johnson8:34
Side B
No.TitleWritten byLength
1."Big Louise"Scott Walker, from Scott 35:05
2."Caroline Says"Lou Reed, from Berlin3:39
3."Margaret"Hogan3:45
4."If You Go Away"Jacques Brel, originally "Ne me quitte pas"6:28
Side C
No.TitleWritten byLength
1."Terrapin"Syd Barrett4:18
2."Twilights & Lowlifes"Marc and the Mambas11:29
Side D
No.TitleWritten byLength
1."Twilights & Lowlifes (Street Walking Soundtrack)"Marc and the Mambas11:08

Personnel

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Marc and the Mambas
Technical

Chart performance

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Chart (1983) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 42

References

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  1. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Marc and the Mambas Untitled review". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  2. ^ Reed, p. 168.
  3. ^ Reed, p. 50.
  4. ^ Reed, p. 54.
  5. ^ Paytress, Mark. "We Are The Village Sleaze Preservation Society". Mojo (September 2014): 69.
  6. ^ "Marc and the Mambas, Royal Festival Hall, London". The Independent. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Marc and the Mambas | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  8. ^ a b Tennant, Neil. "Albums". Smash Hits (14 October 1982): 23.
  9. ^ Rouse, Rose (9 October 1982). "Marc and the Mambas: Untitled". Sounds. p. 50.
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