'A' vs. Monkey Kong (titled Monkey Kong in the United States) is the second studio album by the British alternative rock band A. It was released on 9 September 1999 via Tycoon Recordings. Recording sessions took place at ICP Recording Studios in Brussels, Eden Studios in London, at #5, and at Martello Tower in Suffolk from October 1998 to February 1999. Production was handled by Al Clay. The album reached number 62 on the UK Albums Chart and number 81 on the Offizielle Deutsche Charts. It was promoted with three charted singles, "Summer on the Underground", "Old Folks" and "I Love Lake Tahoe", which peaked at No. 72, 54 and 59, respectively, on the UK Singles Chart.

'A' vs. Monkey Kong
Studio album by
Released9 September 1999 (1999-09-09)
RecordedOctober 1998–February 1999
Studio
GenreAlternative rock
Length50:29
LabelTycoon Recordings
ProducerAl Clay
A chronology
How Ace Are Buildings
(1997)
'A' vs. Monkey Kong
(1999)
Exit Stage Right
(2000)
Singles from 'A' vs. Monkey Kong
  1. "Summer on the Underground"
    Released: 1998
  2. "Old Folks"
    Released: 1999
  3. "I ❤ Lake Tahoe"
    Released: 1999
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
NME4/10[2]
Q[3]

In May and June 2001, the band toured Europe as part of the Deconstruction Tour.[4] In 2020, the album was ranked No. 43 by Kerrang! magazine 'The 50 best albums from 1999' list.[5]

Track listing

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All lyrics are written by Jason Perry, except track 10 written by Daniel P. Carter; all music is composed by A

No.TitleLength
1."For Starters"2:33
2."Monkey Kong"3:45
3."A"3:31
4."Old Folks"3:55
5."Hopper Jonnus Fang"4:32
6."Summer On The Underground"4:52
7."Warning"1:41
8."If It Ain't Broke, Fix It Anyway"2:23
9."I Love Lake Tahoe" ([6])3:56
10."Don't Be Punks"0:52
11."Down On The Floor"3:46
12."Jason's Addiction"5:36
13."Miles Away"3:24
14."Getting Around"5:37
Total length:50:29
US bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
15."She Said"3:41
16."One Day"3:36
17."If it Ain't Broke" (Live)2:31
Total length:1:00:15

Personnel

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  • Jason Perry – vocals, lyrics, recording, mixing, photography
  • Mark Chapman – guitar
  • Giles Perry – keyboards, backing vocals
  • Daniel P. Carter – bass, lyrics, backing vocals, recording
  • Adam Perry – drums
  • Alistair Clay – producer, recording, mixing
  • Jean-Pierre Chalbos – mastering
  • Howie Weinberg – mastering
  • Michael Gillette – illustration
  • Yacht Associates – art direction, design, photography

Charts

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Chart (1999) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 62
Chart (2000) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[8] 81

References

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  1. ^ Sheridan, Tim. "A - A vs. Monkey Kong Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  2. ^ Grogan, Siobhan (18 August 1999). "Monkey Kong". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 29 June 2009.
  3. ^ Elliott, Paul. "Review: A - Monkey Kong". Q (July 1999). EMAP Metro Ltd: 104.
  4. ^ Paul, Aubin (26 February 2001). "Tours: Official DECONSTRUCTION TOUR dates arrived!". www.punknews.org. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  5. ^ Law, Sam (10 July 2020). "The 50 best albums from 1999". Kerrang!. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  6. ^ Titled "Here We Go Again (I Love Lake Tahoe)" in the United States. Stylised as "I ❤ Lake Tahoe" and "Here We Go Again (I ❤ Lake Tahoe)" respectively.
  7. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – A – 'A' Vs. Monkey Kong" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
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