Speed Ballads is the second album by the band Republica. Released in 1998, the album was the follow-up to Republica's self-titled debut album.
| Speed Ballads | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 5 October 1998 | |||
| Recorded | Republica, Westside, Metropolis, Strongroom, Whitfield Street, The Barge & Heirophony, London | |||
| Length | 39:38 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Republica chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| NME | [2] |
Release edit
Speed Ballads reached #37 on the UK Album Charts.[3] The album never received release in the United States.[4]
On 22 April 2023 - Record Store Day - the album was released on vinyl for the first time, with a run of 1,000 copies.[5]
Singles edit
The album spawned only one single, "From Rush Hour With Love." It achieved modest success, peaking at number 20 on the UK Singles chart, but spending only three weeks on the chart.[3] The follow-up single, "Try Everything,"[1] received only limited release, due to the bankruptcy and closure of Deconstruction Records, the group's label.[6]
Critical reception edit
The album was met with mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. AllMusic's Jason Damas felt that the album "exhibits some remarkable growth" over its predecessor, calling the album "far more diverse" and highlighting "Try Everything," "From Rush Hour with Love," and "Fading of the Man" as choice cuts.[1]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Saffron, Tim Dorney and Johnny Male, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "From Rush Hour with Love" | 3:25 |
| 2. | "Fading of the Man" | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Try Everything" (Saffron, Dorney, Male, Guy Batson) | 4:02 |
| 4. | "Luxury Cage" (Saffron, Dorney, Male, Andy Todd) | 5:03 |
| 5. | "Faster Faster" | 3:20 |
| 6. | "Nothing's Feeling New" (Saffron, Dorney, Male, Jeremy Williams) | 3:51 |
| 7. | "Millennium" (Saffron, Dorney, Male, Todd) | 3:14 |
| 8. | "Pretty Girl Hate" | 3:47 |
| 9. | "Kung Fu Movies" (Saffron, Dorney, Male, Pete Smith) | 4:00 |
| 10. | "Pub Pusher" | 4:22 |
| Total length: | 39:38 | |
B-Sides edit
There are known to be five B-sides from the Speed Ballads era.
- "World Ends in the Morning" (from the "From Rush Hour with Love" CD single)
- "Clone My Soul" (from the "From Rush Hour with Love" CD single)
- "House Special" (from the "From Rush Hour with Love" 7" Vinyl single)
- "Fading of the Man" (From the "Try Everything" CD1 promo single)
- "From Rush Hour with Love" [Westside Story] (From the "Try Everything" CD1 promo single)
- "Ready to Go" [Live from Cardiff] (From the "Try Everything" CD2 promo single)
- "Drop Dead Gorgeous" [Live from Cardiff] (From the "Try Everything" CD2 promo single)
Personnel edit
Republica
Additional musicians
- Pete Riley - drums
- Technical
- Ian Stanley - producer
- Andy Gray - producer, mixing
- Clive Langer - producer, mixing
- Alan Winstanley - producer, mixing
- Ian Broudie - producer
- Bob Kraushaar - mixing
- Gary Langan - mixing
- Ross Cullum - mixing
- Cenzo Townshend - mixing
- Brian Pugsley - additional engineering
- Jon Astley - mastering
- Mike Diver - photography, manipulation
- Big Active Ltd. - design
References edit
- ^ a b c Allmusic review
- ^ "Review: Republica – Speed Ballads". NME. 29 August 1998. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ^ a b "Republica chart history". Official Charts. Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- ^ Bush, John. "Republica bio". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
- ^ https://recordstoreday.co.uk/rsd-list/republica/
- ^ ""Try Anything" at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
External links edit
- Speed Ballads at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)