A Pocketful of Dreams is the debut album by the English boy band Big Fun. It was released in 1990 and reached the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart,[1] peaking at #7.

A Pocketful of Dreams
Studio album by
Released30 April 1990
Recorded1989–1990
GenreDance-pop
LabelJive Records
ProducerStock Aitken Waterman (tracks: 1, 2, 3, 6, 10), Phil Harding & Ian Curnow (tracks: 4, 7, 11), Pete Hammond (tracks: 5, 8, 9),

The album includes their UK Top 40 hit singles "Blame It on the Boogie" (a cover of The Jacksons' 1978 hit), "Can't Shake the Feeling" and "Handful of Promises". Also included is their cover of "Hey There Lonely Girl", which was released as a single but stalled at #62 in the UK.

The group never released any other albums.

In 2010 the album was released by the Cherry Pop label, including unreleased and rare songs, among them their duet with Sonia, "You've Got a Friend", which was released as a charity single in 1990, and a cover of the Carole King song of the same name which both artists also recorded but was never released.

Critical reception edit

A review published in Music Week magazine gave a negative review, stating that "it's a sad indictment of the UK public that such mediocre performances can sell in such quantity", and considered the band's inability to reach the high notes on "Hey There Lonely Girl" as a proof of a "severe lack of talent".[2]

Track listing edit

  1. "Handful of Promises"
  2. "Blame It on the Boogie" (12")
  3. "Can't Shake the Feeling"
  4. "Fight for the Right to Party"
  5. "Not That Kinda Guy"
  6. "We're in This Love Forever"
  7. "Why Did You Break My Heart"
  8. "Bring Your Love Back"
  9. "The Heaven I Need"
  10. "Hey There Lonely Girl"
  11. "I Feel the Earth Move" (CD and Cassette bonus track)

2010 re-release (Cherry Pop records) edit

  1. "Handful of Promises"
  2. "Blame It on the Boogie"
  3. "Can't Shake the Feeling"
  4. "Fight for the Right to Party"
  5. "Not That Kinda Guy"
  6. "We're in This Love Forever"
  7. "Why Did You Break My Heart"
  8. "Bring Your Love Back"
  9. "The Heaven I Need"
  10. "Hey There Lonely Girl"
  11. "You've Got a Friend" (with Sonia)
  12. "I Feel the Earth Move (Club Mix) *"
  13. "Blame It on the Boogie (PWL Mix)"
  14. "Can't Shake the Feeling (12" Remix) *"
  15. "Handful of Promises (12" Version)"
  16. "I Feel the Earth Move (The Techno Mix) +"
  17. "You've Got a Friend (Cover version) (with Sonia)+ "
+ Previously unreleased
* First time on CD

Charts edit

Weekly charts edit

1990 weekly chart performance for A Pocketful of Dreams
Chart (1990) Peak
Position
European Albums (European Albums Chart)[3] 26
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[4] 36
German Albums (Media Control Charts)[5] 39
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[6] 12
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 7

Certifications edit

Certifications for A Pocketful of Dreams
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[8] Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References edit

  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 57. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ "LP Reviews" (PDF). Music Week. 12 May 1990. p. 26. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  3. ^ "Hits of the World – Eurochart". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 26 May 1990.
  4. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 263. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  5. ^ "Album: Big Fun, A Pocketful Of Dreams". officialcharts.de.[dead link]
  6. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  7. ^ "Big Fun | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  8. ^ Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
  9. ^ "British album certifications – Big Fun – A Pocket Full of Dreams". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 July 2012.