Suddenly (The Sports album)

Suddenly is the third studio album by Australian rock and pop band the Sports, released in March 1980. The album peaked at number 13 on the Australian Kent Music Report.

Suddenly
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 1980
Recorded1979
StudioEden Studios, Chiswick, London
Genre
LabelMushroom
ProducerPeter Solley
The Sports chronology
O.K, U.K!
(1979)
Suddenly
(1980)
Sondra
(1981)
Singles from Suddenly
  1. "Strangers on a Train"
    Released: January 1980
  2. "Perhaps"
    Released: April 1980
  3. "No Mama No"
    Released: October 1980

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]

Steve Schnee from AllMusic wrote: "Although they are fully formed three-minute slices of Aussie pop/rock, the melodies aren't as immediate and engaging as before. There are moments that are equal to the previous album, including 'Strangers on a Train', 'Never Catch Her', 'Oh Mama No', and the title track, but those high points don't occur quite as often," adding "through it all, Stephen Cummings' 'angry young man' vocals are energetic and spirited and the band is tight and inspiring."[1]

Luis Feliu from The Canberra Times opined that it showed "trimmed up reggae-favoured tunes and souped-up straight, melodic rockers... [and] has its fair share of goodies" while he "had reservations about the overall slickness, and excesses in production for the sake of commercial acceptance" by Solley.[2]

Ian McFarlane noticed that it "featured an even slicker, more commercial pop sound."[3]

Track listing

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Vinyl/cassette (L 37131)
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Suddenly"Stephen Cummings, Andrew Pendlebury2:33
2."No Mama No"Martin Armiger3:16
3."Between Us"Cummings, Pendlebury3:13
4."Go"Cummings, Pendlebury3:27
5."Strangers on a Train"Armiger2:39
6."It Hurts"Cummings, Pendlebury, Wilson2:58
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Murmurs"Cummings, Pendlebury2:31
2."I Tried To Love Her"Armiger2:26
3."Blue Hearts"Cummings, Armiger4:05
4."Perhaps"Cummings, Wilson4:18
5."The Lost and the Lonely"Cummings, Armiger3:10
6."Never Catch Her"Cummings, Pendlebury2:23

Personnel

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The Sports
  • Steve Cummings - vocals
  • Martin Armiger - guitar, backing vocals
  • Andrew Pendlebury - guitar, backing vocals
  • Jim Niven - keyboards, backing vocals
  • Robert Glover - bass
  • Paul Hitchins - drums

with:

  • Herbie Flowers - string bass on "The Lost and the Lonely"
  • The Chanter Sisters - backing vocals on "Blue Hearts" and "Perhaps"

Charts

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Chart (1980) Peak
position
Australian Kent Music Report[4] 13

References

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  1. ^ a b "The Sports - Suddenly". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  2. ^ Feliu, Luis (14 March 1980). "Slickness, Who Needs It?". The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995). National Library of Australia. p. 25. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  3. ^ McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'The Sports'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86508-072-1. Archived from the original on 6 August 2004. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
  4. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. p. 238. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. NOTE: Used for Australian Singles and Albums charting from 1970 until ARIA created their own charts in mid-1988.