Whirlpool is the debut studio album by English shoegaze band Chapterhouse. It was released on 29 April 1991 by Dedicated Records.
| Whirlpool | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 April 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Shoegaze | |||
| Length | 39:17 | |||
| Label | Dedicated | |||
| Producer |
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| Chapterhouse chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Whirlpool | ||||
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Release edit
Whirlpool was released on 29 April 1991 by Dedicated Records.[1] It spent three weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 23.[2] "Pearl" was issued as the album's only single on 18 March 1991,[3] reaching number 67 on the UK Singles Chart.[2]
Cherry Red Records reissued Whirlpool in 2006 with several bonus tracks taken from Chapterhouse's EPs Freefall and Sunburst, both released in 1990, and the "Pearl" single.[4] It also included, for the first time, printed lyrics for all of the album's songs.[4]
The initial and subsequent runs of the Cherry Red CD reissue were pressed using a lossy master source for tracks 1 to 9, 13 and 14. The corrected version has the reference TC2159 printed on the inner CD ring.[5] As of 2015, this was still the case, with Cherry Red reported as continuing to send out versions of the CD – now bearing the reference CDMRED304V2 – which were sourced from the lossy master, rather than the DAT, for tracks 1 to 9, 13 and 14.
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| NME | 8/10[7] |
| Select | 4/5[8] |
| Stylus Magazine | B+[9] |
In 2016, Pitchfork ranked Whirlpool at number 17 on its list of the 50 best shoegaze albums of all time.[10]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Breather" | Andrew Sherriff | Ralph Jezzard | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Pearl" | Sherriff | Jezzard | 4:52 |
| 3. | "Autosleeper" | Stephen Patman |
| 4:50 |
| 4. | "Treasure" | Patman | Chapterhouse | 6:22 |
| 5. | "Falling Down" | Sherriff |
| 3:58 |
| 6. | "April" | Sherriff | Chapterhouse | 4:39 |
| 7. | "Guilt" |
| Chapterhouse | 4:15 |
| 8. | "If You Want Me" |
| Chapterhouse | 2:41 |
| 9. | "Something More" | Sherriff | Guthrie | 3:20 |
| Total length: | 39:17 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Need (Somebody)" | Sherriff | Chapterhouse | 3:07 |
| 11. | "Inside of Me" |
| Chapterhouse | 4:40 |
| 12. | "Sixteen Years" |
| Chapterhouse | 4:41 |
| 13. | "Satin Safe" |
| Chapterhouse | 5:42 |
| 14. | "Feel the Same" |
| Chapterhouse | 4:15 |
| 15. | "Come Heaven" | Patman |
| 5:32 |
| 16. | "In My Arms" | Sherriff |
| 4:39 |
| Total length: | 71:53 | |||
Personnel edit
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[11]
Chapterhouse
- Russell Barrett – bass
- Ashley Bates – drums
- Stephen Patman – vocals, guitar
- Simon Rowe – guitar
- Andrew Sherriff – vocals, guitar
Additional musicians
- Rachel Goswell – backing vocals on "Pearl"
Production
- Paul Adkins – recording
- Chapterhouse – production
- John Fryer – mixing
- Robin Guthrie – production on "Something More", additional mixing and production on "Autosleeper"
- Stephen Hague – additional mixing and production on "Falling Down"
- Ralph Jezzard – production on "Breather" and "Pearl"
- Jim Warren – recording
Design
- Albert Tupelo – design
Charts edit
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[12] | 23 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[13] | 2 |
References edit
- ^ Whirlpool (press advertisement). Dedicated Records. 1991. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "Chapterhouse". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Pearl (press advertisement). Dedicated Records. 1991. Archived from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "New Releases". Cherry Red Records. Archived from the original on 18 April 2006. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Shoegaze • View topic - the Whirlpool Remaster is FAKE". Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- ^ Raggett, Ned. "Whirlpool – Chapterhouse". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ^ Williams, Simon (27 April 1991). "When Whirls Collide". NME. p. 35.
- ^ Perry, Andrew (May 1991). "Whirl Domination". Select. No. 11. p. 66.
- ^ Parrish, Peter (1 May 2006). "Chapterhouse – Whirlpool – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ^ "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 October 2016. p. 4. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ Whirlpool (liner notes). Chapterhouse. Dedicated Records. 1991. DEDCD 001.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
- ^ "Distribution: Indie Albums" (PDF). Music Week. 18 May 1991. p. 20. Retrieved 28 May 2021.