Human Racing is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Nik Kershaw, released on 27 February 1984 by MCA Records. Several songs like "Drum Talk" were based around improvisation; other songs, like "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", had a political message.
| Human Racing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 27 February 1984 | |||
| Recorded | Summer 1983 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:39 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer | Peter Collins | |||
| Nik Kershaw chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Human Racing | ||||
| ||||
Kershaw's most commercially successful solo album, it peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and reached the top 10 in several other countries, including Germany, Finland, and Norway. The album spawned four charting singles in the United Kingdom. "Wouldn't It Be Good" peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart; "Dancing Girls" peaked at No. 13; "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" at No. 2; "Human Racing" at No. 19. Human Racing was the 22nd best-selling album of 1984 in the UK and received a nomination for Best British Album at the Brit Awards 1985.[2] The album has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI).
The album was re-released on 27 February 2012,[3] on Universal's new Re-presents imprint featuring rare bonus content. The reissue is a 2-CD set with the original album digitally remastered from the original 1/2" mix tapes; the bonus content consists of associated 12" mixes and B-sides including a previously unreleased version of "Bogart", a special brass mix of "Shame on You" and a live version of "Cloak and Dagger" recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon.
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Billboard | Favourable[5] |
| Record Mirror | [6] |
| Smash Hits |   [7] |
Smash Hits magazine gave the album a highly negative review, awarding it 1 out of 10, and calling it "Competent but relentlessly dull synthesised meanderings of no importance to anyone but Mr Kershaw himself (and even he doesn't sound that interested)."[7] Reviewing retrospectively for AllMusic, critic Scott Bultman wrote of the album: "His debut, although rough around the edges, showed talent and promise."[4]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Nik Kershaw
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dancing Girls" | 3:46 |
| 2. | "Wouldn't It Be Good" | 4:32 |
| 3. | "Drum Talk" | 3:10 |
| 4. | "Bogart" | 4:38 |
| 5. | "Gone to Pieces" | 3:11 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Shame on You" | 3:33 |
| 7. | "Cloak and Dagger" | 4:55 |
| 8. | "Faces" | 4:05 |
| 9. | "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" | 3:23 |
| 10. | "Human Racing" | 4:26 |
| Total length: | 39:39 | |
Additional tracks
| Bonus tracks on 2012 release | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Original track listing | |
|---|---|
|
The master tapes for Human Racing are shown in the booklet that accompanies the 2012 re-release. They show the original track listing of the album was:[8] Side 1
Side 2
"Wide Boy" was dropped before the album's official release, but was later released on Kershaw's next studio album, The Riddle (1984). The master tapes also show that the album was completed in November 1983. The master tapes were later baked for preservation purposes.[9] Side 1 was baked on 15 September 2011, and Side 2 on 23 February 2005. | |
Personnel edit
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[10]
Musicians
- Nik Kershaw – lead and background vocals; vocal percussion and effects; guitar; bass guitar; keyboards; percussion
- Paul "Wix" Wickens – keyboards; Fairlight CMI
- Charlie Morgan – drums
- Reg Webb – keyboards
- Nick Glennie-Smith – keyboards
- Don Snow – keyboards
- Paul Westwood – additional bass guitar on "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
- Martin Ditcham – percussion
- Jerry Hey – horns
- Gary Grant – horns
- Larry Williams – horns
- Bill Reichenbach – horns
- Kim Hutchcroft – horns
- Sheri Kershaw – backing vocals on "Faces"
- Lynda Hayes – voice-over on "Bogart"
Production and artwork
- Peter Collins – producer
- Julian Mendelsohn – engineer; mixer
- Stuart Bruce – assistant engineer
- Keith Finney – assistant engineer
- Bob Kraushaar – assistant engineer
- Roger Howorth – assistant engineer
- Nick Campey – assistant engineer
Charts edit
Weekly charts edit
|
Year-end charts edit
|
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[27] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[28] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ Kershaw 2012, p. 2–3.
- ^ "Shows". Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- ^ "Nik Kershaw To Release Expanded Reissue Of 'Human Racing'". thisisnotretro.com. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ^ a b Bultman, Scott. "Human Racing – Nik Kershaw". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ Billboard magazine - Reviews: albums - April 21, 1984 - page 60
- ^ Hills, Simon (3 March 1984). "Albums". Record Mirror.
- ^ a b Cranna, Ian (1 March 1984). "Album Reviews". Smash Hits. Vol. 6, no. 5. p. 37.
- ^ Kershaw 2012, p. 14-15.
- ^ "Nik Kershaw talks 80s pop and Human Racing 28 years on". Superdeluxeedition.com. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ Human Racing liner notes. MCA Records. 1984.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 165. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6785a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Nik Kershaw – Human Racing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 1, no. 19/20. 13 August 1984. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Nik Kershaw – Human Racing" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ "Nik Kershaw Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums of 1984". RPM. Vol. 41, no. 17. 5 January 1985. p. 8. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1984" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Albums (January 3–December 29, 1984)" (PDF). Music Week. 26 January 1985. p. 42. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". Music Canada. 1 August 1984. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- ^ "British album certifications – Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". British Phonographic Industry. 8 October 1984. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- Kershaw, Nik (2012). Human Racing (2CD Expanded Edition) (CD booklet). Nik Kershaw. Universal/Island Records Ltd. UMCREP2013.
External links edit
- Human Racing at Discogs (list of releases)