Pillow Lips is an album by the English band Modern English, released in 1990.[3][4] It contains a rerecorded version of "I Melt with You", which charted.[5] The album peaked at No. 135 on the Billboard 200.[6] The band again broke up after promoting Pillow Lips.[7]
| Pillow Lips | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 32:40 | |||
| Label | TVT[2] | |||
| Producer | Pat Collier | |||
| Modern English chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production edit
The album was written over a period of 18 months, and was produced by Pat Collier.[8][9][10] Modern English recorded it as a trio.[11]
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [12] |
| Calgary Herald | B+[11] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
| MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide |  [13] |
| Ottawa Citizen | [14] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [15] |
Entertainment Weekly wrote that "even the lightest, most eager and abandoned melodies on this album tap a deeper vein of feeling than most songs do."[16] Trouser Press thought that "the diverse record contains some easy-to-like bounce-pop ('Beauty', 'Care About You') but other tracks either drift along listlessly (like the enervated title tune) or sag under clichéd lyrics ('Life's Rich Tapestry'...) and equally unimaginative melodies."[17]
The Ottawa Citizen stated that, "now with the band trimmed back to a trio, the sound is tighter, the spirit more lively, and the approach better conceived."[14] The Los Angeles Times concluded that the album was "recorded without a permanent lead guitarist in the group and suffers accordingly, with a thin, techno-pop approach somewhere between OMD and late-period Sparks."[18] The Dallas Morning News determined that, "having provided us a near-perfect pop song, the group now delivers a hodgepodge that includes everything from neo-Modern English to country to watered-down Big Audio Dynamite."[19]
AllMusic noted that "older fans of the band despaired of their new, slicker variant."[12]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Melt with You" | 4:15 |
| 2. | "Life's Rich Tapestry" | 4:06 |
| 3. | "Beauty" | 2:26 |
| 4. | "You're Too Much" | 2:31 |
| 5. | "Beautiful People" | 3:11 |
| 6. | "Care About You" | 2:57 |
| 7. | "Let's All Dream" | 2:37 |
| 8. | "Coming Up for Air" | 3:46 |
| 9. | "Pillow Lips" | 3:31 |
| 10. | "Take Me Away" | 3:44 |
References edit
- ^ Kostanczuk, Bob (July 6, 1990). "Modern English Speaks the Language". Lifstyles/Weekend. Post-Tribune. p. 4.
- ^ Sullivan, Jim (23 July 1990). "Modern English Picks Up Where It Left Off". Arts and Film. The Boston Globe. p. 50.
- ^ "Modern English Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ Okamoto, Shari (October 12, 1990). "With the re-release of Modern English's 'I Melt With You'...". Daily Breeze. p. E10.
- ^ Majewski, Lori; Bernstein, Jonathan (April 15, 2014). Mad World: An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s. Abrams.
- ^ "Modern English". Billboard.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 5. MUZE. p. 822.
- ^ Danner, Jennifer (July 1, 1990). "Modern English to bring 'new sound' to Club Met Tuesday". The Patriot-News. p. E2.
- ^ Gettelman, Parry (8 June 1990). "Modern English Speaks Up Again After 2-Year Hiatus". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 3.
- ^ The Encyclopedia of Record Producers. Billboard Books. 1999. p. 142.
- ^ a b Obee, Dave (2 Aug 1990). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. E3.
- ^ a b "Pillow Lips". AllMusic.
- ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. pp. 770–771.
- ^ a b Erskine, Evelyn (3 Aug 1990). "Modern English Pillow Lips". Ottawa Citizen. p. D6.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 482.
- ^ "Pillow Lips". Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ "Modern English". Trouser Press. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ Willman, Chris (9 Aug 1990). "Modern English Melts Down". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 2.
- ^ Samuels, Lennox (September 16, 1990). "Modern English CD fades after first cut". The Dallas Morning News. p. 9C.
External links edit
- Pillow Lips at the Internet Archive
- Pillow Lips at Discogs (list of releases)
