Strange Times is the third studio album by English rock band the Chameleons. It was released on 1 September 1986 in the United Kingdom, and on 29 September 1986 in the United States, by Geffen Records. Initial copies of the North American vinyl release included a bonus LP featuring six non-album tracks, which would later be included as bonus tracks on the CD release in 1993. Two singles were released from the album: "Tears" and "Swamp Thing".
| Strange Times | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 September 1986 | |||
| Recorded | 1986 | |||
| Studio | Jacob's Studio, (Ridgeway House, Farnham), Surrey, England | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 52:09 | |||
| Label | Geffen | |||
| Producer | David M. Allen | |||
| The Chameleons chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Strange Times | ||||
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Strange Times was met with largely positive reviews, with Post-Punk.com calling the album one of 100 essential dream pop releases and stating, "the Manchester quartet's third record is arguably their dreamiest, trading in much of their early angst while swinging for the fences with a tremendous collection of songs."[3]
Strange Times and the follow-up EP Tony Fletcher Walked on Water (recorded in 1987 and released in 1990) would be the band's final studio releases for nearly 15 years, as tensions within the group caused a breakup that saw the band members pursue other projects.
Recording
editAccording to Chameleons frontman Mark Burgess, "The album was recorded at Jacob's Studio in Surrey, south of London over a period of five weeks. Again the material was only loosely sketched and we didn't really have any idea how the album would turn out. We'd spent a month or so getting the ideas together living in a small house in the Lake District of England and rehearsing the ideas in a school hall, specially hired, just outside the village of Hawkshead."[4]
Release
editThe first single from the album was "Tears", released on 16 June 1986. The album version (credited as the "original arrangement") differs from the single version (credited as "full arrangement"); the original arrangement is an acoustic version with a different ending, while the full arrangement is electric. The single included the B-sides "Paradiso" and "Inside Out".
Strange Times was released 1 September 1986 on the Geffen label. Initial American pressings of the record came with a bonus 12" with six additional tracks, two of which are covers. The American cassette also had the same bonus tracks, split up so that each side of the cassette contained half of the bonus tracks. The record did not have a "B" side; it was credited as 'Side A' and 'Side A+'.
The album was never released on CD in any territory until 1993. Although Geffen released it as a two-disc set with all of the bonus tracks in the UK and Germany, the decision was made to omit one of the bonus tracks ("Ever After") from the American version to facilitate its release on a single disc.
The album's second single, "Swamp Thing", was released on the same day as the album. The formats of the single included a cover of David Bowie's "John, I'm Only Dancing" as the B-side.
A promotional-only 12" vinyl single was also issued in 1986, featuring album opener "Mad Jack" on the A-side and "Time/The End of Time" and the band's cover of the Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows" on the B-side.[5]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [6] |
| MusicHound Rock | [7] |
Strange Times was praised by the critics who reviewed it. Ian Gittins of Melody Maker called it "a marvellous departure" from their previous work and "a wonderful record."[8] Robert Palmer of The New York Times described it as "the band's most inventive and winning album yet and as a fine a record as any pop-rock guitar band has made this year. [...] it should delight just about anyone."[9]
Legacy and influence
editBurgess later said, "Strange Times is my favourite. Personally, I believe it was the best lyrical work I'd done with the band and some of the best vocal performances, and I think the Chameleons really began to mature and move forward with this album."[4]
The album was included on an unranked list of 100 essential dream pop releases on independent music website Post-Punk.com in 2018.[3]
In a post on his Instagram account on 22 March 2018, Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher cited Strange Times as an early influence on his songwriting: "...I'd forgotten how much this album meant to me. It came out in '86. I was 19!! I've been listening to it every day since and I have to say it's blown my mind...again! It must have influenced my early years as a song writer because I can hear ME in it everywhere!!..."[10]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by the Chameleons (Mark Burgess, Dave Fielding, Reg Smithies and John Lever), except as noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mad Jack" | 3:55 |
| 2. | "Caution" | 7:46 |
| 3. | "Tears" (Original Arrangement) | 5:05 |
| 4. | "Soul in Isolation" | 7:28 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Swamp Thing" | 5:56 |
| 6. | "Time/The End of Time" | 5:41 |
| 7. | "Seriocity" | 3:00 |
| 8. | "In Answer" | 4:54 |
| 9. | "Childhood" | 4:39 |
| 10. | "I'll Remember" | 3:39 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Tears" (Full Arrangement) | 5:09 | |
| 12. | "Paradiso" | 4:35 | |
| 13. | "Inside Out" | 3:34 | |
| 14. | "Ever After" | 3:59 | |
| 15. | "John, I'm Only Dancing" (David Bowie cover) | Bowie | 2:30 |
| 16. | "Tomorrow Never Knows" (The Beatles cover) | John Lennon, Paul McCartney | 6:08 |
Release history
edit| Country | Date | Label | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom & Europe | 1 September 1986 | Geffen Records | LP |
| North America | 29 September 1986 | LP with bonus album | |
| United Kingdom & Europe | July 1993 | 2CD | |
| North America | CD with bonus tracks | ||
| Japan | 25 February 2004 | CD with bonus tracks | |
| Europe | 20 March 2020 | Music on CD | 2CD |
| United Kingdom | 28 October 2022 | Moochin' About | 2LP reissue (coloured vinyl) |
| 3 May 2024 | Blue Apple Music | Remastered 2CD | |
| Remastered 3LP | |||
| Remastered 3LP (coloured vinyl) |
Personnel
editThe Chameleons
- Mark Burgess (credited as "Birdy") – vocals, bass guitar
- Reg Smithies – guitar
- John Lever – drums, percussion
- Dave Fielding – guitar, ARP String Ensemble
Technical
- David M. Allen – production
- Mark Saunders – engineering
- Paul Crocket – engineering assistance, piano
- Beki Field – engineering assistance, piano
- Reg Smithies – cover illustration
References
edit- ^ "Strange Times -The Chameleons". Retrieved 17 July 2022.
- ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "Strange Times – The Chameleons UK | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ a b Deserto, Frank (2018). "Definitive Dreaminess: 100 Essential Dream Pop Releases". Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ a b "The Chameleons – Releases – The Chameleons, Strange Times". The Chameleons. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ "The Chameleons – Mad Jack at Discogs". Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "The Chameleons". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0857125958.
- ^ Gary Graff, ed. (1996). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (1st ed.). London: Visible Ink Press. ISBN 978-0-7876-1037-1.
- ^ Gittins, Ian (20 September 1986). "Strange Times". Melody Maker. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
- ^ Palmer, Robert (15 October 1986). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ "Noel Gallagher on Instagram: "So I feel compelled to share something with you. We(NGHFB) were getting drunk in some dressing room or other recently when a track from…"". Retrieved 16 April 2018 – via Instagram.
External links
edit- Strange Times at Discogs (list of releases)