Alphabeat is the debut studio album by Danish band Alphabeat. It was first released in Denmark on 5 March 2007 by Copenhagen Records, and eventually in the rest of Europe in 2008 under the title This Is Alphabeat by the revived Charisma Records with an alternative track listing.

Alphabeat
Studio album by
Released5 March 2007 (2007-03-05)
Recorded2006–2008
StudioMiloco Studios, London
Genre
Length39:29
Label
Producer
Alphabeat chronology
Alphabeat
(2007)
The Spell
(2009)
Alternative cover
This Is Alphabeat cover
Singles from Alphabeat
  1. "Fascination"
    Released: 6 June 2006
  2. "10.000 Nights of Thunder"
    Released: 15 January 2007
  3. "Fantastic 6"
    Released: 23 April 2007
  4. "Boyfriend"
    Released: 1 October 2007
  5. "Go-Go"
    Released: 21 April 2008
  6. "What Is Happening"
    Released: 24 November 2008

In June 2018, This is Alphabeat was re-released exclusively on vinyl, in celebration of the album's 10th anniversary.[1]

Release

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Alphabeat was first released in Denmark on 5 March 2007. In 2008, the album was widely released in Europe, retitled This is Alphabeat. The European release features remixes of several of the album's tracks in favor of the originals: "Boyfriend", "Rubber Boots/Mackintosh" (retitled "Rubber Boots"), and "Nothing But My Baby" were all remixed for the release. In addition, the tracks "Into the Jungle", "The Hours", and "Ocean Blue" were removed from the track listing and replaced with new tracks "Go-Go", "Touch Me Touching You", and "Public Image".

Singles

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"Fascination" was released as the album's first single in June 2006. It charted at number four on the Danish Singles Chart. In the United Kingdom, it was released as the album's second single in May 2008. It peaked at number six on the UK Singles Chart and number seven on the UK Official Download Chart.

"10.000 Nights of Thunder" was the second single from the album in January 2007. It peaked at number 1 in Denmark and at 24 in the Netherlands. In the United Kingdom, it was released as the album's third single in May 2008 and peaked at number 16.[2]

"Fantastic 6" was released as the third single from the album, released promotionally in Denmark in April 2007 followed by a commercial release in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe in November 2007. In the United Kingdom, it was the first single from the album, released as a limited-edition 10-inch vinyl record.

The album's fourth single, "Boyfriend", reached number 11 in Denmark, number 15 in the UK, number 18 in the Netherlands and number 49 in Ireland.

"Go-Go" was released the fifth single from the album. It was only released in Denmark, where it peaked at number fourteen. The album's sixth and final single, "What Is Happening", was not released in Denmark, but was released in the UK and other European countries. It peaked at number 110 in the UK, becoming their lowest-charting single there.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic72/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [4]
(Alphabeat)
AllMusic     [5]
(This Is Alphabeat)
Digital Spy     [6]
DIY5/10[7]
Drowned in Sound6/10[8]
The Guardian     [9]
The Observer     [10]
Pitchfork5.5/10[11]
STV     [12]
Q     [13]

Alphabeat received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on seven reviews.[3]

Track listing

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All tracks written by Alphabeat, except where noted.

Alphabeat – Danish edition[14]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."10.000 Nights of Thunder"Rune Westberg4:23
2."Fascination"Westberg3:03
3."Into the Jungle"Westberg3:52
4."What Is Happening?"Westberg4:23
5."Rubber Boots/Mackintosh"Westberg6:13
6."Boyfriend"Westberg3:37
7."Ocean Blue"Westberg2:56
8."Fantastic 6"Westberg3:27
9."The Hours"Westberg3:09
10."Nothing but My Baby"Westberg4:26
Total length:39:29
This Is Alphabeat – International edition[5]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Fantastic Six"Westberg3:36
2."Fascination"Westberg3:01
3."10,000 Nights"Westberg4:24
4."Boyfriend"Mike Spencer3:12
5."What Is Happening"
  • Westberg
  • Spencer[a]
3:56
6."Go-Go"Spencer3:03
7."Touch Me Touching You"
  • Spencer
  • Alphabeat
4:02
8."Rubber Boots"
  • Spencer
  • Alphabeat
4:59
9."Public Image" (writers: Keith Levene, Jah Wobble, Jim Walker, John Lydon)
  • Spencer
  • Alphabeat
2:49
10."Nothing but My Baby"
  • Westberg
  • Spencer[a]
  • Alphabeat[a]
3:13
Total length:36:15
This Is Alphabeat – 10th Anniversary Edition[1]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Fantastic Six"Westberg3:36
2."Fascination"Westberg3:01
3."10,000 Nights"Westberg4:24
4."Boyfriend"Mike Spencer3:12
5."What Is Happening"
  • Westberg
  • Spencer[a]
3:56
6."Go-Go"Spencer3:03
7."Touch Me Touching You"
  • Spencer
  • Alphabeat
4:02
8."Rubber Boots"
  • Spencer
  • Alphabeat
4:59
9."Public Image" (writers: Keith Levene, Jah Wobble, Jim Walker, John Lydon)
  • Spencer
  • Alphabeat
2:49
10."Nothing But My Baby (Original Version)"Westberg4:26
11."Into the Jungle"Westberg3:52
12."Ocean Blue"Westberg2:56
Total length:43:05
iTunes Store bonus tracks[15]
No.TitleLength
11."10,000 Nights" (alternate version)3:32
12."Fascination" (Alphabeat vs. Frankmusik)4:27
13."Fascination" (Bimbo Jones Remix)2:59
Total length:47:13
Japanese edition bonus tracks[16]
No.TitleLength
11."Into the Jungle"3:52
12."Ocean Blue"2:56
13."Fascination" (Bimbo Jones Remix Edit)2:59
14."Fascination" (Linus Loves Dub Mix)5:07
Total length:51:09
Special edition bonus CD[17]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Boyfriend" (Danish version)Westberg3:37
2."Into the Jungle" (Danish version)Westberg3:52
3."A Message" (B-side)Alphabeat4:11
4."Fascination" (live at Vega, Copenhagen) 3:29
5."Go-Go" (live at Vega, Copenhagen) 3:26
6."Boyfriend" (Napster live session) 2:49
7."Fascination" (Bimbo Jones Remix)
2:59
8."Fantastic Six" (Radioclit Remix)
  • Westberg
  • Radioclit[b]
5:23
9."10,000 Nights" (Frankmusik Remix)
  • Westberg
  • Frankmusik[b]
4:20
10."Fascination" (The Count & Sinden Remix)
5:13
11."Fantastic Six" (Muzzle Flash Remix)
  • Westberg
  • Muzzle Flash[b]
6:35
12."10,000 Nights" (Brodinski and Yuksek Remix)
  • Yuksek
  • Brodinski[c]
4:05

Notes

  • ^a signifies an additional producer
  • ^b signifies a remixer
  • ^c signifies a main producer and remixer

Personnel

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Alphabeat

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  • Anders B – guitar
  • Stine Bramsen – vocals
  • Troels Hansen – drums
  • Rasmus Nielsen – keyboards
  • Anders Reinholdt – bass
  • Anders SG – vocals

Additional personnel

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Alphabeat[18]

  • Ketil Duckert – horns, trumpet (tracks 3, 8)
  • Jan Eliasson – mastering
  • Morten Jerichau – photography
  • Mads Mathias – saxophone (track 2)
  • Jakob Sørensen – product management
  • Spild af Tid ApS – artwork
  • Rune Westberg – mixing, recording, production (all tracks); recorder (track 6); slide guitar (track 10)

This Is Alphabeat[19]

  • Alphabeat – production (tracks 7–9); additional production (track 10)
  • Laurence Aldridge – recording assistance (tracks 4–6, 8, 10)
  • Christopher Allan – cello (track 5)
  • Nell Catchpole – violin (track 5)
  • Alex Cowper – design
  • John Davis – mastering
  • Alison Dodds – violin (track 5)
  • Ketil Duckert – horns, trumpet (track 1)
  • Richard Edgeler – mixing assistance (tracks 2–5)
  • Finn Eiles – recording (tracks 4, 6, 8, 10); additional recording (track 5)
  • Eine – letter art
  • Pete Hofmann – additional recording (track 9)
  • Mads Mathias – saxophone (track 2)
  • Rachel Robson – viola (track 5)
  • Mike Spencer – production (tracks 4, 6, 7–9); additional production (tracks 5, 10); mixing (tracks 6–10)
  • Magnus Unnar – photography
  • Rune Westberg – mixing (track 1); production, recording (tracks 1–3, 5, 10); slide guitar (track 10)
  • Jeremy Wheatley – mixing (tracks 2–5)

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Alphabeat
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[30] Platinum 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[31] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release history and formats for Alphabeat
Region Date Label Edition Ref.
Denmark 5 March 2007 Copenhagen Alphabeat [14]
Germany 30 May 2008 EMI This Is Alphabeat [32]
Denmark 2 June 2008 Copenhagen [33]
United Kingdom Charisma [34]
Japan 16 July 2008 EMI [16]
Denmark 1 June 2018 Copenhagen / Universal This is Alphabeat – 10th Anniversary Edition [1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Alphabeat - This is Alphabeat (2018, 180g, 10th Anniversary Edition, Vinyl) Discogs". Discogs.com. Discogs. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  2. ^ "News Page - NEWS". Archived from the original on 2008-05-31.
  3. ^ a b "Reviews and Tracks for This Is Alphabeat by Alphabeat". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
  4. ^ Hoffman, K. Ross. "Alphabeat – Alphabeat". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  5. ^ a b Schnee, Steve "Spaz". "This Is Alphabeat – Alphabeat". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  6. ^ Levine, Nick (4 June 2008). "Alphabeat: 'This Is Alphabeat'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  7. ^ McCaighy, Stuart (2 June 2008). "Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat". DIY. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  8. ^ Edwards, Tom (10 June 2008). "Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  9. ^ Burgess, John (30 May 2008). "Alphabeat, This is Alphabeat". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  10. ^ Robinson, Peter (18 May 2008). "Alphabeat, This Is Alphabeat". The Observer. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  11. ^ Ewing, Tom (21 August 2008). "Alphabeat: This Is Alphabeat". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  12. ^ Gaywood, Oliver (2 June 2008). "Alphabeat: This Is Alphabeat". STV. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
  13. ^ Cottingham, Chris (July 2008). "Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat". Q (264): 98.
  14. ^ a b "Alphabeat" (in Danish). Copenhagen Records. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  15. ^ "This Is Alphabeat by Alphabeat". iTunes Store (GB). Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  16. ^ a b アルファビート [Alphabeat] (in Japanese). EMI Music Japan. Archived from the original on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  17. ^ "This is Alphabeat (2CD) – Alphabeat" (in Danish). CDON.dk. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  18. ^ Alphabeat (liner notes). Alphabeat. Copenhagen Records. 2007. CPHREC 0078.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ This Is Alphabeat (liner notes). Alphabeat. Charisma Records. 2008. CASCD2014.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Alphabeat – Alphabeat". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  22. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  23. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  24. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 23, 2008". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
  25. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  26. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  27. ^ "Chart of the Year 2007". TOP20.dk. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  28. ^ "Album 2008 Top-100" (in Danish). Hitlisten.NU. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
  29. ^ "Official Album Chart" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. 2008. p. 7. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  30. ^ "Danish album certifications – Alphabeat – Alphabeat". IFPI Danmark.
  31. ^ "British album certifications – Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat". British Phonographic Industry. 10 October 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  32. ^ "Alphabeat // This Is Alphabeat" (in German). EMI Music Germany. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  33. ^ "This Is Alphabeat" (in Danish). Copenhagen Records. Archived from the original on 2012-08-20. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  34. ^ "This Is Alphabeat". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2017.