Va Va Voom is the debut album by the English indie rock band Cinerama, released in 1998.[3][4] The album was dedicated to the memory of Ian Richard Collinson.
| Va Va Voom | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1998 | |||
| Studio | Intimate Studios, London E1; Moody Studios, Acton, London; The Premises Studios, Hackney, London; Oaklands Groove | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Label | Cooking Vinyl[1] SpinART Records[2] | |||
| Producer | Dare Mason, David Gedge | |||
| Cinerama chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 93 on the UK Albums Chart.[5]
Production
editVa Va Voom was produced by Dare Mason and David Gedge.[6] Gedge was interested in a more orchestral sound than he had employed with the Wedding Present; he was able to accomplish it due to technological advances in recording software.[7] Va Va Voom marked the first time that Gedge worked on an album with his then-partner, Sally Murrell.[8]
Emma Pollock and Marty Willson-Piper contributed to the album.[9][10]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| The Independent | [12] |
| Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |  [13] |
| The Times | 8/10[8] |
The Stranger wrote that Gedge's voice "sounds mellower, more restrained than in the Wedding Present; the presence of Sally Murrell's gentile backing vocals lend an almost Franco-pop edge, the keyboards sweetened even further by blasts of trumpet and the odd lustful refrain."[14] Trouser Press thought that "while Gedge and Murrell harmonize, vocals are deemphasized, and his typically surprising rhymes are AWOL."[15] The Independent opined that "the melodic lightness of touch becomes irritatingly whimsical by 'You Turn Me On'."[12]
The Toronto Star stated that "cellos, violins, flutes and the odd oboe mingle in articulate, softly strummed arrangements that soundcheck everything from '60s pop and '70s soul to the Burt Bacharach oeuvre."[16] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette declared that "this is rainy-day pop at its melodramatic best, with all the wounded self-absorption fans have come to ask ... of Wedding Present frontman David Gedge (but without all the raging guitars)."[13] The Hartford Courant deemed the album "a wonderfully luscious collection of orchestrated, lovelorn pop that couldn't be more different from the tangled wall of guitars that usually marks the Wedding Present."[7]
AllMusic called the album "classic, often theatrical pop that refreshingly escapes self-consciousness just by being itself, while retaining a strummed guitar at the center of things."[11] The Stuart News listed it as one 1998's best "underheard" albums.[17]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by David Lewis Gedge
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Maniac" | 3:46 |
| 2. | "Comedienne" | 3:08 |
| 3. | "Hate" | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Kerry Kerry" | 2:31 |
| 5. | "Barefoot in the Park" | 4:06 |
| 6. | "You Turn Me On" | 3:00 |
| 7. | "Ears" | 3:47 |
| 8. | "Me Next" | 3:23 |
| 9. | "Hard, Fast and Beautiful" | 4:58 |
| 10. | "Dance, Girl, Dance" | 3:31 |
| 11. | "Honey Rider" | 3:58 |
References
edit- ^ Buckley, Peter (January 22, 2003). "The Rough Guide to Rock". Rough Guides – via Google Books.
- ^ Klinge, Steve (Nov 1998). "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly (63): 42.
- ^ Houghton, Mick (July 2, 2019). "Fried & Justified: Hits, Myths, Break-Ups and Breakdowns in the Record Business 1978-98". Faber & Faber – via Google Books.
- ^ Fontana, Paul (October 9, 2006). "The Marrying Man". Seattle Weekly.
- ^ "CINERAMA | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
- ^ "He Oughta Be In Pictures". mycitypaper.com.
- ^ a b Daley, David (29 Oct 1998). "SAYING SO LONG TO IRONY, HELLO TO BEING CANDID". Hartford Courant. Calendar. p. 16.
- ^ a b Porter, Charlie (August 1, 1998). "New album releases - Music". The Times. Features. p. 11.
- ^ "Cinerama Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ DeRogatis, Jim (February 21, 1999). "If you've heard London... - Just wait 'til you hear French pop". Chicago Sun-Times. Showcase. p. 5.
- ^ a b "Va Va Voom - Cinerama | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ a b Lewis, Angela (August 1, 1998). "POP: ALBUM REVIEWS". The Independent.
- ^ a b Masley, Ed (13 Nov 1998). "CINERAMA VA VA VOOM". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT. p. 27.
- ^ True, Everett. "Cinerama Makes Good". The Stranger.
- ^ "Cinerama". Trouser Press. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ Rayner, Ben (29 Oct 1998). "Wedding Present shelved while Cinerama shines". Toronto Star. Entertainment. p. 1.
- ^ Shipes, Gary (December 18, 1998). "1998'S BEST MUSIC FELL ON DEAF EARS". The Stuart News. p. D1.