Mind Bomb
Mind Bomb | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 11 May 1989 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock, dance-rock, college rock | |||
Length | 45:59 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Producer | Warne Livesey, Roli Mosimann, Matt Johnson[1] | |||
The The chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Chicago Tribune | [3] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide | [1] |
Rolling Stone | [5] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
Mind Bomb is the third studio album by English
The album peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart.[9]
Overview
Instead of the darkly polished
Critical reception
The Quietus called the album "slow, expansive, looming into inexorable life with a rage that smouldered rather than flamed."[10] The Encyclopedia of Popular Music called it "bombastic in tone and filled with lyrical diatribes and anti-religious rants allied to distinctly unmelodic songs."[4] The Los Angeles Times called it "an embarrassing exercise in breast-beating," writing that "this bloated record is doubly distressing considering that it’s the work of the same man who turned out one of the most mysterious and lovely pop tunes of the ‘80s, 'Uncertain Smile'."[11] In a retrospective review, Stylus Magazine wrote that "it’s easy to let the seemingly prescient relevance of the lyrics to Mind Bomb outweigh the actual music, which would be a shame because, with or without those words, it’s still a great record."[12]
Track listing
Tracks written by Matt Johnson, except where noted.
- "Good Morning, Beautiful" – 7:28
- "Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)" – 5:40
- "The Violence of Truth" – 5:40
- "Kingdom of Rain" – 5:51
- "The Beat(en) Generation" – 3:04
- "August & September" – 5:45
- "Gravitate to Me" – 8:09 (Johnson, Johnny Marr)
- "Beyond Love" – 4:22
Personnel
The band
- Matt Johnson – vocals, guitar, keyboards
- Johnny Marr – guitar, harmonica
- James Eller – bass guitar
- David Palmer – drums
Additional musicians
- Sinéad O'Connor – vocals on "Kingdom of Rain"
- Wix Wickens – piano, keyboards, Hammond organ, accordion
- Warne Livesey – keyboards, banjo, acoustic guitar
- Pandit Dinesh – percussion
- Danny Cummings – percussion
- Pedro Haldermann – percussion
- Chris White – saxophone
- Philip Todd – saxophone
- Ashley Slater – trombone
- John Eacott – flugel horn
- Mark Feltham – harmonica
- Danny Thompson – upright bass on "August & September"
- Sarah Homer – clarinet
- Dai Pritchard – bass clarinet
- Hilary Storer – oboe
- Gavyn Wright – Arabian fiddle
- Astarti String Section – strings
Artwork
Artwork and typography by Fiona Skinner. Photography Andrew MacPherson. Back cover image was created to reference photomontagist John Heartfield Der Sinn von Genf The Meaning of Geneva AIZ Cover, Berlin, Germany, 1932
Charts
Chart (1989) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] | 32 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] | 39 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] | 24 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16] | 3 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17] | 30 |
UK Albums (OCC)[18] | 4 |
US Billboard 200[19] | 138 |
References
- ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 1137.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Mind Bomb – The The". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ Heim, Chris (10 August 1989). "The The: Mind Bomb (Epic)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. p. 113.
- ^ Mack, Bob (7 September 1989). "The The: Mind Bomb". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 15 May 2009. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 700.
- ^ "The The | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ISBN 9781843531050– via Google Books.
- ^ "mind bomb | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
- ^ "The Quietus | Features | Anniversary | Scorched Earth: The The's Mind Bomb Revisited". The Quietus.
- ^ "THE THE "Mind Bomb." Epic: * 1/2 : *****Great Balls of Fire:**** Knockin' On Heaven's *** Good Vibrations ** Maybe Baby * Ain't That a Shame". Los Angeles Times. 6 August 1989.
- ^ "The The - Mind Bomb - On Second Thought - Stylus Magazine". stylusmagazine.com.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – The The – Mind Bomb". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The The – Mind Bomb" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Charts.nz – The The – Mind Bomb". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The The – Mind Bomb". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ "Billboard 200: Week of August 5, 1989". Billboard. Retrieved 21 October 2022.