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Loss (Mull Historical Society album)

(Redirected from Watching Xanadu)

Loss is the debut album of Scottish indie pop band Mull Historical Society. It includes the singles "Barcode Bypass", "I Tried", "Animal Cannabus" and "Watching Xanadu". The album reached number 43 in the UK album chart.[9] It was inspired by the sudden death of his father in 1999[10] and his upbringing on the Isle of Mull.[11] It contains samples from a Caledonian MacBrayne ferry and the waves on Calgary Bay in Mull.[11] "Barcode Bypass" is about a small shopkeeper threatened by the supermarkets,[12] and "Watching Xanadu" is about watching the film Xanadu.[13]

Loss
Studio album by
Mull Historical Society
Released15 October 2001
RecordedFebruary–April 2001 at Gravity Studios, Glasgow
GenreIndie pop, electropop, electronica
LabelBlanco y Negro (UK)
XL (US)
ProducerColin MacIntyre
Mull Historical Society chronology
Loss
(2001) 		Us
(2003)
Singles from Loss
  1. "Barcode Bypass"
    Released: 13 November 2000
  2. "I Tried"
    Released: 19 March 2001
  3. "Animal Cannabus"
    Released: 9 July 2001
  4. "Watching Xanadu"
    Released: 28 January 2002
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Drowned in Sound8/10[2]
The Guardian [3]
The Independent(favourable) [4]
NME8/10[5]
Pitchfork6.1/10[6]
PopMatters(favourable) [7]
Rock Sound[8]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Colin MacIntyre

No.TitleLength
1."Public Service Announcer"4:22
2."Watching Xanadu"4:29
3."Instead"5:43
4."I Tried"4:40
5."This Is Not Who We Were"3:26
6."Barcode Bypass"7:05
7."Only I"4:10
8."Animal Cannabus"4:45
9."Strangeways Inside"4:15
10."Mull Historical Society"4:50
11."Paper Houses/Loss"10:15
  • "Loss" is a hidden unlisted track at the end of the album - "Paper Houses" ends at 5:18, and "Loss" begins after a 30-second gap.

The CD version of the album was released as an enhanced CD-ROM containing footage of Colin MacIntyre performing live acoustic versions of the songs "Barcode Bypass" and "I Tried".

Personnel

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  • Colin MacIntyre - all vocals, electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitar, keyboards, programming, tapes, baritone guitar on "Instead", whistling on "Instead"
  • Emma Barlow - additional vocals on "Strangeways Inside"
  • Phil Cunningham - accordion on "Only I"
  • Michael Ghia - cello on "Instead"
  • Brian MacNeil - additional keyboards on "Watching Xanadu", "Only I", "Paper Houses"
  • Alan Malloy - bass guitar on "I Tried", "Barcode Bypass", "Paper Houses"
  • Debbie Martin - flute on "Instead", "Mull Historical Society"
  • Stewart Nisbet - pedal steel guitar on "Only I"
  • Euan Sinclair - drums on "Barcode Bypass", "Mull Historical Society"
  • Tony Soave - drums and percussion on all tracks except "Barcode Bypass"
  • Iain Stewart - additional keyboards on "I Tried", "Barcode Bypass", "Strangeways Inside", "Mull Historical Society"
  • Graham Weir - trombone on "Only I", "Mull Historical Society"
  • Neil Weir - trumpet on "Only I", "Mull Historical Society"
  • David Lee, Graham McCusker, Cameron Dick - choirboys on "Instead"

Reception

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Q listed Loss as one of the best 50 albums of 2001.[14]

References

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  1. ^ DiGravina, Tim. Review - Loss at AllMusic
  2. ^ Westfox, James (18 November 2001). "Review - Loss". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  3. ^ Aizlewood, John (12 October 2001). "Review - Loss". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  4. ^ Gill, Andy (19 October 2001). "Review - Loss". The Independent. Retrieved 12 September 2011.[dead link]
  5. ^ Beaumont, Mark (9 October 2001). "Review - Loss". NME. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  6. ^ Tangari, Joe (16 June 2002). "Review - Loss". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  7. ^ Powers, Devon (22 July 2002). "Review - Loss". PopMatters. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  8. ^ Phull, Hardeep (November 2001). "Reviews: Indie". Rock Sound. No. 30. UK: IXO Publishing Ltd. p. 94.
  9. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  10. ^ "Lasting tribute to BBC journalist". BBC Online. 26 July 1999. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  11. ^ a b "Mull Historical Society play Loss album at Celtic Connections at The Arches". STV. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  12. ^ "Why the rest is history". The Scotsman. 17 January 2003. Archived from the original on 6 April 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2014.
  13. ^ "On top of the world From lowly support slots, Mull Historical Society are now on the brink of going global. John Williamson charts their rise". The Herald (Glasgow). 2 February 2002. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  14. ^ "The Best 50 Albums of 2001". Q. December 2001. pp. 60–65.


 

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