Express is the second studio album by English rock band Love and Rockets. It was released on 15 September 1986 on Beggars Banquet Records. An even greater departure from the band members' previous work as Bauhaus, the album's fusion of underground rock with pop stylings can be seen as an early example of alternative rock music, a genre that reached mainstream popularity in the early 1990s.[citation needed]

Express
Studio album by
Released15 September 1986
RecordedWoodbine Street Studios,
in the town of Leamington Spa,
in Warwickshire county,
England
Genre
Length40:08 (original LP)
70:18 (2001 reissue)
LabelBeggars Banquet
ProducerJohn A. Rivers, Love and Rockets
Love and Rockets chronology
Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven
(1985)
Express
(1986)
Earth, Sun, Moon
(1987)
Singles from Express
  1. "Kundalini Express"
    Released: 2 June 1986
  2. "Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)"
    Released: 8 September 1986
  3. "All in My Mind"
    Released: November 1986

"Kundalini Express" was featured in the 1986 Italian horror film Demons 2 and appeared on an episode of the T.V. show Miami Vice.

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
Kerrang!     [2]

In their retrospective review, AllMusic gave the album four-and-a-half stars out of five, writing, "rich in sonic detail, the neo-psychedelic Express offers a listening experience like no other album – guitars spiral to dizzying heights from beds of sound, arrangements swirl, songs change and mutate."[1]

Release history

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In 2001, the album was remastered and expanded to include two single remixes and several contemporaneous B-sides, including a cover of Pink Floyd's "Lucifer Sam". Two short experimental pieces that had been found on the studio tape masters labelled as "B Side #1" and "B Side #2" were also added. "Ball of Confusion" was released before Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven, but since the USA mix could not be fit on the reissue of that album, it was appended to the Express reissue.

Track listings

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All tracks are written by Love and Rockets, except "Ball of Confusion", written by Barrett Strong and Norman Whitfield

Original LP release
No.TitleLyricsLength
1."It Could Be Sunshine"Daniel Ash5:00
2."Kundalini Express"David J5:47
3."All in My Mind"Ash4:45
4."Life in Laralay"J3:35
5."Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)"Ash, J5:56
6."Love Me"Ash3:54
7."All in My Mind (Acoustic)"Ash5:08
8."An American Dream"Ash6:04
Original US and UK CD releases
No.TitleLyricsLength
1."Angels and Devils" 6:00
2."It Could Be Sunshine"Ash5:00
3."Kundalini Express"J5:47
4."All in My Mind"Ash4:45
5."Life in Laralay"J3:35
6."Ball of Confusion (Special Mix)" 6:16
7."Holiday on the Moon"J6:01
8."Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man) (Remix)"Ash, J6:06
9."Love Me"Ash3:54
10."All in My Mind (Acoustic Version)"Ash5:08
11."An American Dream"Ash6:04
1986 US vinyl release
No.TitleLyricsLength
1."It Could Be Sunshine"Ash5:00
2."Kundalini Express"J5:47
3."All in My Mind"Ash4:45
4."Life in Laralay"J3:35
5."Ball of Confusion" 6:16
6."Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man) (Remix)"Ash, J6:06
7."Love Me"Ash3:54
8."All in My Mind (Acoustic)"Ash5:08
9."An American Dream"Ash6:04
1986 US cassette release
No.TitleLyricsLength
1."It Could Be Sunshine"Ash5:00
2."Kundalini Express"J5:47
3."All in My Mind"Ash4:45
4."Life in Laralay"J3:35
5."Ball of Confusion (US Mix)"Ash, J6:16
6."Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)"Ash, J6:06
7."Love Me"Ash3:54
8."All in My Mind (Acoustic)"Ash5:08
9."An American Dream"Ash6:04
2001 remastered reissue
No.TitleLyricsLength
1."It Could Be Sunshine"Ash4:58
2."Kundalini Express"J5:52
3."All in My Mind"Ash4:43
4."Life in Laralay"J3:32
5."Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man)"Ash, J5:56
6."Love Me"Ash3:54
7."All in My Mind (Acoustic)"Ash5:04
8."An American Dream"Ash6:09
9."Angels and Devils" 6:10
10."Holiday on the Moon"J6:07
11."Lucifer Sam"Syd Barrett3:21
12."B Side No. 1" 1:16
13."B Side No. 2" 1:31
14."Yin and Yang (The Flowerpot Man) (Remix)"Ash, J5:29
15."Ball of Confusion (USA Mix)" 6:16

Personnel

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Love and Rockets
Additional personnel
  • Allan Baker – choir master
  • Alan Brookes – choir vocalist on "An American Dream"
  • James Lowry – choir vocalist on "An American Dream"
  • John A. Rivers – additional keyboards
  • Robert Willey – choir vocalist on "An American Dream"
Production
  • Love and Rockets – sleeve design
  • Mitch Jenkins – sleeve photography

References

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  1. ^ a b c Ball, Jonathan. "Express – Love and Rockets : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
  2. ^ Johnson, Howard (7 August 1986). "Love and Rockets 'Express'". Kerrang!. 126. London, England: United Magazines Ltd.: 19.
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