The North Star is the debut album by Scottish singer-songwriter Roddy Frame, released in September 1998 by Independiente. It features the single "Reason for Living", which peaked at number 45 on the UK Singles Chart.[1]
| The North Star | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 September 1998 | |||
| Studio |
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| Length | 37:32 | |||
| Label | Independiente | |||
| Producer |
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| Roddy Frame chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The North Star | ||||
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Background
editAztec Camera released their sixth studio album Frestonia in November 1995, marking the end of their contract with WEA. It became the band's least commercially successful release; frontman Roddy Frame opted to go solo and signed with Go! Discs. After a year of no activity, the label had been purchased by PolyGram, and its label head Andy McDonald formed a new label, Independiente. Frame subsequently transferred over to his new home.[2]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
The Guardian wrote that Frame has "painted an autumnal landscape of ballads and guitar rockers (if rockers is the right word for these scaled-down little bruschettas of songs) whose attention to detail could be mistaken for blandness."[4]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Roddy Frame[3]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back to the One" | 4:01 |
| 2. | "The North Star" | 4:04 |
| 3. | "Here Comes the Ocean" | 3:23 |
| 4. | "River of Brightness" | 4:22 |
| 5. | "Strings" | 4:10 |
| 6. | "Bigger Brighter Better" | 3:27 |
| 7. | "Autumn Flower" | 4:17 |
| 8. | "Reason for Living" | 3:16 |
| 9. | "Sister Shadow" | 3:38 |
| 10. | "Hymn to Grace" | 2:54 |
Personnel
edit- Roddy Frame – vocals, guitar, bass, mandolin[3]
- Andy Claine – backing vocals
- Yolanda Charles – bass
- Claire Kenny – bass
- Jeremy Stacey – drums
- Mark Edwards – keyboards, piano, organ
- Luis Jardim – percussion
- Barriemore Barlow – percussion
Technical
- Simon Dawson – engineer, record producer
- Matt Lawrence – assistant engineer
- Gerard Navarro – assistant engineer
- Jon Kelly – mixer
- Andy Green – assistant mixer
- Ellen Nolan – photography
Chart performance
editThe North Star spent a total of two weeks in the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 55 on 3 October 1998.[5]
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart[5] | 55 |
References
editCitations
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100 | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ Thompson 2000, p. 165
- ^ a b c DiGravina, Tim. "North Star – Roddy Frame | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ Sullivan, Caroline (2 October 1998). "Roddy Frame The North Star". Music. The Guardian. p. 18.
- ^ a b "Chart Log UK 1994–2008 Adam F – FYA". zobbel.de. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
Sources
- Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-607-6.