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Strawberry Switchblade (album)

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Strawberry Switchblade
Studio album by
Strawberry Switchblade
Released5 April 1985[1]
Recorded1984
Genre
Length34:04
LabelKorova / WEA
ProducerDavid Motion, Phil Thornalley
Strawberry Switchblade chronology
Strawberry Switchblade
(1985) 		The 12" Album
(1985)
Singles from Strawberry Switchblade
  1. "Since Yesterday" b/w "By the Sea"
    Released: October 1984
  2. "Let Her Go" b/w "Beautiful End"
    Released: April 1985
  3. "Who Knows What Love Is?" b/w "Poor Hearts"
    Released: June 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link
No. 1 magazine[3]
Paste9.2/10[4]
Smash Hits[5]
Musik Express Sounds[6]
Record Mirror[7]
Sounds[8]

Strawberry Switchblade is the only studio album released by the Scottish new wave duo Strawberry Switchblade.

Release

[edit]

The album did not live up to the high chart expectations created by the #5 (UK)[9] single "Since Yesterday". It entered and peaked at #25 on the UK Album Chart in April 1985, but dropped out of the top 40 after two weeks and spent just two further weeks at the lower reaches of the chart.[9]

The album was promoted by two additional singles: the first, "Let Her Go", peaked at #59 on the UK Singles Chart in April during a five week chart run[9] and the final single, "Who Knows What Love Is?", reached #84 in May.[9]

"Since Yesterday" also charted in Ireland and the Netherlands where it reached #6[10] and #24[11] respectively.

"Let Her Go" was considered a "sure hit" by the pan-European magazine Eurotipsheet[12] and gained enough airplay to reach number 45 on the European Airplay Top 50 chart.[13] Despite this, it did not became a major hit and did not chart on sales charts outside the United Kingdom.

The original Strawberry Switchblade LP has not been re-released in the UK (or in Europe) since 1985, though all of its tracks (apart from the short instrumental reprise of "Who Knows What Love Is?") appeared on the group's Platinum Collection compilation. In Japan, where the group were extremely popular, it was issued on CD for the first time in 1989, and released again there on CD in 1997 in a 20-track expanded version, including B-sides, remixes and non-album singles.

Critical reception

[edit]

The album received mixed reviews. Smash Hits reviewer Chris Heath found that "Every song here has an irresistibly catchy tune", especially pointing out "the sad 'Who Knows What Love Is?'" as "quite lovely".[5]

No. 1 magazine was similarly positive, saying "there’s talent beneath the Alice’s Tea Party costumes. Singer Rose McDowall and guitarist Jill Bryson have put faith in their ability to write engaging, sometimes haunting pop songs."[3]

In contrast, Betty Page wrote in Record Mirror "this is desperately lightweight and quite relentlessly tedious"[7]

Melody Maker's Ted Mico was also dismissive: "Though their combined efforts are as frail and pasty as puff pastry, the Strawberries accentuate their vulnerability by juxtaposing flouncy, celestial harmonies swaythed in strumming semi-acoustics with the merciless sten-gun drum attack".[14]

Danny Kelly of New Musical Express was similarly disparaging, describing the band as "the Cocteaus’ trance dance stance in a less imposing frame. A confection of candyfloss and icing sugar. But great pop music? Even good pop music? I’m afraid not."[15]

Track listing

[edit]

All songs written by Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, except where noted.

Original release

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Since Yesterday"2:55
2."Deep Water"3:54
3."Another Day"3:49
4."Little River"2:38
5."10 James Orr Street"2:55
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Let Her Go"2:45
7."Who Knows What Love Is?"3:45
8."Go Away"3:07
9."Secrets"2:49
10."Who Knows What Love Is?" (Reprise)1:03
11."Being Cold"4:11

Expanded edition bonus tracks

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Beautiful End" 4:01
13."Poor Hearts" 3:17
14."Ecstasy (Apple of My Eye)"Ray Barnes, Daisuke Inoue3:30
15."Jolene"Dolly Parton3:52
16."Black Taxi"David Balfe, Jill Bryson, Rose McDowall, Mulhearne[16]3:47
17."Trees and Flowers" (Extended Mix) 6:43
18."Michael Who Walks by Night" 3:43
19."Since Yesterday" (Extended Mix) 6:31
20."I Can Feel" 3:41

B-sides

[edit]
Title Single
"Beautiful End" "Let Her Go"
"Black Taxi" "Jolene"
"By the Sea" "Since Yesterday"
"Ecstasy (Apple of My Eye)" "Ecstasy (Apple of My Eye)" (1985 Japan standalone single)
"I Can Feel" "I Can Feel" (1986 Japan standalone single)
"Jolene" "Jolene" (1985 standalone single)
"Michael Who Walks by Night" "Let Her Go" (12" single)
"Poor Hearts" "Who Knows What Love Is?"
"Sunday Morning" "Since Yesterday" (12" single)
"Trees and Flowers" "Trees and Flowers" (1983 standalone U.K. single)

Personnel

[edit]
Strawberry Switchblade
  • Jill Bryson – vocals, harmonies, lead guitar
  • Rose McDowall – lead vocals, harmonies, guitars

with:

  • Gary Hutchins – sequences, keyboards
  • Alan Park – keyboards
  • Bruce Nockles – trumpet
  • Dave Morris – percussion
  • David Motion – keyboards, drum machine
  • Phil Thornalley – keyboards
  • Boris Williams – "tippy tappy" drums
  • David Bedford – string and woodwind arrangements
  • Andrew Poppy – horn arrangements on "10 James Orr Street"
Technical
  • David Motion – production, arrangements, engineering
  • Phil Thornalley – production, engineering on "Let Her Go" and "Who Knows What Love Is?"
  • Trig – engineering
  • Peter McArthur – photography
  • Chris Branfield – design

"Thanks to David Balfe and Bill Drummond"[17]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Strawberry Switchblade
Chart (1985) Peak
position
European Top 100 Albums (Music & Media)[18] 82
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 25

Release history

[edit]
Country Date Label Format Catalog Notes Ref.
United Kingdom April 1985 Korova / WEA Vinyl KODE 11 / 240525-1
Korova / WEA Cassette 240525-4
Japan 25 May 1985 Korova Vinyl P-13120
Korova Cassette PKG-3115
10 July 1989 Korova / WEA CD 18P2-2856
25 May 1997 Korova / WEA Japan CD WPCR-1093 Expanded edition
22 November 2006 Korova / WEA CD WPCR-75254 Expanded edition; Repress
24 July 2013 Korova CD WPCR-78061 Expanded edition; Repress
United Kingdom 20 June 2017 Domino Music Digital Download REWIG124D Expanded edition [20]

The 12" Album

[edit]
The 12" Album
Remix album by
Strawberry Switchblade
ReleasedNovember 28, 1985 (1985-11-28)
Recorded1985
Genre
Length36:50
Label
  • Korova
  • WEA
Producer
Various

The 12" Album was a remix album released in Japan in November 1985. The album contains 5 extended mixes, one standalone single and one B-side.

Despite the name of the album, only two of the remixes had previously appeared on 12" singles, these being the mixes of "Let Her Go" (from the 12" release of "Who Knows What Love Is?") and "Jolene" (from that single's 12" release). The other three mixes were specially done for this remix album and were not released in the United Kingdom.

The extended mix of "Since Yesterday" later appeared as the B-side of the Strawberry Switchblade's final single "I Can Feel" in 1986.

No.TitleLength
1."Let Her Go" (Extended Mix)4:45
2."Trees and Flowers" (Extended Mix)6:40
3."Since Yesterday" (Extended Mix)6:30
4."Jolene" (Extended Mix)6:12
5."Michael Who Walks By Night"3:41
6."Who Knows What Love Is?" (Extended Mix)5:33
7."Ecstasy (Apple of My Eye)"3:29
Total length:36:50

Release History

[edit]
Country Date Label Format Catalog
Japan 28 November 1985 Korova / WEA LP P-6219
Cassette PKF1034
Canada 2000 Communique Records CD CDCOMM-5

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "News". Number One. 30 March 1985. p. 5. Retrieved 18 October 2022 – via Flickr.
  2. ^ a b "Strawberry Switchblade - Strawberry Switchblade | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
  3. ^ a b Hopkinson, Frank. "Albums". No. 1 6 April 1985. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  4. ^ Mitchell, Matt (1 June 2024). "Time Capsule: Strawberry Switchblade". Paste. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  5. ^ a b Heath, Chris. "Albums". Smash Hits 28 March-10 April 1985. p. 29. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  6. ^ Inhulsen, H. "Albums". Musik Express Sounds May 1985. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b Page, Betty. "Albums". Record Mirror 6 April 1985. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  8. ^ Henderson, Dave. "Albums". Sounds 6 April 1985. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d "The Official Charts Company – Strawberry Switchblade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  10. ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". © IRMA 2006 – 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  11. ^ "dutchcharts.nl – Strawberry Switchblade – Since Yesterday". © 2006-2009 Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  12. ^ "Full Report" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 13. 1 April 1985. p. 1. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  13. ^ "European Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 12. 25 March 1985. p. 2. Retrieved 12 December 2024.
  14. ^ Mico, Ted. "Albums". Melody Maker 6 April 1985. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  15. ^ Kelly, Danny. "Albums". New Musical Express 6 April 1985. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
  16. ^ "Strawberry Switchblade – Jolene (1985, Vinyl)". Discogs.
  17. ^ "Strawberry Switchblade - Strawberry Switchblade". Discogs.
  18. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 15. 15 April 1985. p. 12.
  19. ^ "Strawberry Switchblade | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  20. ^ "Strawberry Switchblade - Strawberry Switchblade (Download) | Domino Mart". Domino Recording Company. Retrieved 14 July 2024.
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