Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1. is the seventh studio album and first covers album by British rock band The Wildhearts. Recorded at Madhouse Studios with producer Jase Edwards, it was originally released as a digital download on 19 May 2008 by Round Records, before a physical release on 7 July 2008. The album reached number 48 on the UK Album Downloads Chart, number 16 on the UK Independent Albums Chart and number 20 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart.
| Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 19 May 2008 | |||
| Studio | Madhouse Studios (Luton, England) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:02 | |||
| Label | Round | |||
| Producer | Jase Edwards | |||
| The Wildhearts chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editThe Wildhearts announced Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1. in April 2008, describing it as "a collection of covers from some of The Wildhearts favourite bands".[2] Starting on 21 April, the band uploaded a song from the album to their MySpace page each week, up to the date of the album's release.[3] The songs uploaded were the covers of "Understanding Jane" by the Icicle Works on 21 April,[4] "Unsung" by Helmet (with lead vocals by C. J. Wildheart) on 28 April,[5] "Carmelita" by Warren Zevon (with lead vocals by Scott Sorry) on 5 May,[6] and "Ice Hockey Hair" by Super Furry Animals (with lead vocals by Ritch Battersby) on 12 May.[7] Following its initial release as a 12-track download on 19 May, Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1. was released on physical formats on 7 July 2008.[8]
Reception
editCommercial
editStop Us If You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1. was the band's first studio album not to register on the main UK Albums Chart; upon its initial release in May 2008 as a 12-track digital download, it registered at number 48 on the UK Album Downloads Chart.[9] Following its 15-track physical version release in July, the album reached number 16 on the UK Independent Albums Chart and number 20 on the UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart.[9]
Critical
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
Critical response to Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1. was mixed. Reviewing the album for the website AllMusic, Jon O'Brien described the collection as "a passable if unremarkable stop-gap album", suggesting that the band's style is "already so similar [to that of the songs' original artists] that it renders the album's whole concept rather pointless".[1] Awarding the album 2.5 out of five stars, O'Brien praised the choice of "obscure" songs to cover, but claimed that "if, as its title suggests, it's to be the first in a series, the band would do to delve a little deeper into their record collection next time round".[1]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Unsung" | Page Hamilton | Helmet | 3:53 |
| 2. | "The World Comes Tumblin'" | Brody Dalle | The Distillers | 2:59 |
| 3. | "Understanding Jane" | Ian McNabb | The Icicle Works | 3:21 |
| 4. | "Waiting Room" | Fugazi | 2:57 | |
| 5. | "Geez Louise" |
| The Unband | 3:25 |
| 6. | "Ice Hockey Hair" | Super Furry Animals | 5:39 | |
| 7. | "Rocket 69" |
| The Lee Harvey Oswald Band | 3:17 |
| 8. | "Possum Kingdom" | Vaden Todd Lewis | Toadies | 4:13 |
| 9. | "Rearrange You" |
| Baby Chaos | 1:44 |
| 10. | "Pep Talk" | Descendents | 2:55 | |
| 11. | "Battleship Chains" | Terry Anderson | The Georgia Satellites | 3:27 |
| 12. | "Carmelita" | Warren Zevon | Murray McLauchlan | 3:20 |
| Total length: | 41:10 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "AC Rocket" |
| Foil | 2:25 |
| 2. | "Geez Louise" |
| The Unband | 3:25 |
| 3. | "Understanding Jane" | McNabb | The Icicle Works | 3:21 |
| 4. | "The World Comes Tumblin'" | Dalle | The Distillers | 2:59 |
| 5. | "Unsung" | Hamilton | Helmet | 3:53 |
| 6. | "Waiting Room" |
| Fugazi | 2:57 |
| 7. | "Ice Hockey Hair" |
| Super Furry Animals | 5:39 |
| 8. | "Possum Kingdom" | Lewis | Toadies | 4:13 |
| 9. | "Pep Talk" |
| Descendents | 2:55 |
| 10. | "Rocket 69" |
| The Lee Harvey Oswald Band | 3:17 |
| 11. | "Battleship Chains" | T. Anderson | The Georgia Satellites | 3:27 |
| 12. | "Rearrange You" |
| Baby Chaos | 1:44 |
| 13. | "Everyday Formula" | Quan Yeomans | Regurgitator | 2:13 |
| 14. | "The Judge" | Dave Pirner | Soul Asylum | 3:14 |
| 15. | "Carmelita" | Zevon | Murray McLauchlan | 3:20 |
| Total length: | 49:02 | |||
Personnel
editThe Wildhearts
- Ginger Wildheart – lead and backing vocals, guitar
- C. J. Wildheart – guitar, backing and lead vocals
- Scott Sorry – bass, backing and lead vocals
- Ritch Battersby – drums, backing and lead vocals
Additional personnel
- Jase Edwards – production, engineering, mastering
- Andy Hunns – artwork, concept, design
Charts
edit| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Downloads (OCC)[9] | 48 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[9] | 16 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[9] | 20 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f O'Brien, Jon. "Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1. – The Wildhearts: AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "The Wildhearts – New Album – Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before". The Wildhearts. 6 April 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "The Wildhearts To Release Collection Of Covers". Blabbermouth.net. 8 April 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "The Wildhearts: First Sample Of Upcoming Covers Album Posted Online". Blabbermouth.net. 21 April 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "The Wildhearts: Cover Of Helmet's 'Unsung' Available For Streaming". Blabbermouth.net. 28 April 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "The Wildhearts: Cover Of Warren Zevon's 'Carmelita' Posted Online". Blabbermouth.net. 5 May 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "The Wildhearts: Cover Of Super Furry Animals' 'Ice Hockey Hair' Posted Online". Blabbermouth.net. 12 May 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ "CD Release – Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before Vol 1". The Wildhearts. 7 July 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Wildhearts songs and albums: full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
External links
edit- Stop Us If You've Heard This One Before, Vol 1. at Discogs (list of releases)