The Graveyard and the Ballroom is the debut album by English band A Certain Ratio, released in January 1980 by record label Factory.[6] It was produced by Martin Hannett. It was originally released only as a cassette, designed by Peter Saville. The album has been re-released on CD by Creation Records in 1994 and by Mute Records in 2017. The latter also reissued the album on vinyl, replicating the original PVC pouch of the cassette release.[7][8][9]
| The Graveyard and the Ballroom | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Original cassette packaging: orange version | ||||
| Studio album and live album by | ||||
| Released | January 1980 | |||
| Recorded | September & October 1979 | |||
| Venue | Electric Ballroom in October 1979 | |||
| Studio | Graveyard Studios in September 1979 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 45:38 | |||
| Label | Factory | |||
| Producer | Martin Hannett | |||
| A Certain Ratio chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [5] |
The reissued album spent five weeks in the UK Independent Chart, peaking at number 29.[10]
Content edit
Side A of the album, The Graveyard, was recorded at Graveyard Studios in September 1979, while the other side, The Ballroom, was recorded live at the Electric Ballroom in October.[11]
Critical reception edit
AllMusic described the album as "accomplished enough to be intriguing, but never all that gripping."[1] Trouser Press called it "an exciting and original post-punk dance record".[4] Stylus called it "not only a very interesting historical document but also a pretty entertaining album in its own right".[2]
Track listing edit
The Graveyard edit
- "Do the Du (Casse)" - 2:53
- "Faceless" - 2:22
- "Crippled Child" - 2:54
- "Choir" - 3:21
- "Flight" - 3:30
- "I Feel" - 2:12
- "Strain" - 2:31
The Ballroom edit
- "All Night Party" - 3:38
- "Oceans" - 4:05
- "The Choir" - 3:22
- "The Fox" - 3:25
- "Suspect" - 2:24
- "Flight" - 5:32
- "Genotype-Phenotype" - 3:29
References edit
- ^ a b c Valdivia, Victor W. "The Graveyard and the Ballroom – A Certain Ratio | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ^ a b Heumann, Michael (24 February 2004). "A Certain Ratio – The Graveyard and the Ballroom – Review – Stylus Magazine". Stylus. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
- ^ Farley, Keith. "To Each... – A Certain Ratio | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
the group dropped much of the bleak dance-punk of early material in place of what sounds like a shallow attempt to seize the baton dropped by gloom giants Joy Division after the death of Ian Curtis
- ^ a b Flashner, Graham; Sheridan, David. "TrouserPress.com :: A Certain Ratio". TrouserPress.com. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
an exciting and original post-punk dance record
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th Concise ed.). United Kingdom: Omnibus Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.
- ^ Strong, Martin C. (2003) The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN 1-84195-335-0, pp. 192–3
- ^ "Mute Records • A Certain Ratio • New Series Of Reissues". Mute Records. 13 September 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ Ediriwira, Amar (4 October 2016). "A Certain Ratio announce reissue project with Mute". The Vinyl Factory. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ Golembeski, Bill. "[19474] A Certain Ratio - The Graveyard and the Ballroom - Albums - Reviews". Soundblab. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
- ^ Lazell, Barry (1997) Indie Hits 1980–1989, Cherry Red Books, ISBN 0-9517206-9-4, p. 1
- ^ Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
External links edit
- The Graveyard and the Ballroom at Discogs (list of releases)