- A Flock of Seagulls (album)
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A Flock of Seagulls 
Studio album by A Flock of Seagulls Released April 1982 Recorded Battery Studios, London, England Summer-Late Autumn, 1981 Genre New Wave, New Romantic, Synthpop, Space rock Length 39:45 Label Jive Producer Mike Howlett, Bill Nelson A Flock of Seagulls chronology A Flock of Seagulls
(1982)Listen
(1983)A Flock of Seagulls is the eponymous debut album by the Liverpudlian New Wave band A Flock of Seagulls. It was released in 1982 on Jive (see 1982 in music), and featured the international hit single "I Ran (So Far Away)," which reached the Top 10 in the U.S. and New Zealand, as well as #1 in Australia. The song "Space Age Love Song" also managed to score radio play. On the success of the singles, the album reached #10 in the States.
Contents
Reception
Professional ratings Review scores Source Rating Allmusic 
linkRobert Christgau A- link The album received good reviews upon its release. It is generally recognized as a concept album about alien abduction with the tracks thus following a sequential story line.[1] In his review for Allmusic, Tom Demalon gave the album 4.5 stars, calling it "great fun and a wonderful collection of new wave ear candy." Robert Christgau ("The Dean Of American Rock Critics") was also happy with it, giving it an A- and saying that it is "so transparently, guilelessly expedient that it actually provides the hook-chocked fun most current pop bands only advertise." Other reviews pointed out the bands "pioneering sounds, compelling hooks and undeniably addictive gimmicks."[2]
The band, and particularly this album, were influential during the 1980s, if not for their memorable image[3] then for their surprisingly effective production techniques, which at one point garnered the respect of legendary record producer Phil Spector, who in the 1980s called the album "phenomenal."[4]
The album track, "D.N.A." won a Grammy Award in 1983 for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by A Flock of Seagulls, except where noted.
No. Title Length 1. "I Ran (So Far Away)" 5:05 2. "Space Age Love Song" 3:45 3. "You Can Run" (Don Covay, Willie Dennis, A Flock Of Seagulls) 4:28 4. "Don't Ask Me" 2:46 5. "Messages" 2:51 6. "Telecommunication" 2:31 7. "Modern Love is Automatic" 3:49 8. "Standing in the Doorway" 4:41 9. "D.N.A." 2:30 10. "Man Made" 5:38 Note: this is the tracklisting for the UK and U.S.
Alternative Track listing
No. Title Length 1. "Modern Love is Automatic" 3:50 2. "Messages" 2:52 3. "I Ran (So Far Away)" 5:05 4. "Space Age Love Song" 3:48 5. "You Can Run" 4:26 6. "Telecommunication" 2:32 7. "Standing in the Doorway" 4:40 8. "Don't Ask Me" 2:46 9. "D.N.A." 2:31 10. "Tokyo" 2:54 11. "Man Made" 5:40 Additionally, some LP copies contained the 3:58 edited version of "I Ran" that was heard in the song's music video.
Personnel
A Flock of Seagulls
- Mike Score – lead vocals, keyboards, additional rhythm guitar
- Paul Reynolds – lead & rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- Frank Maudsley – bass guitar, backing vocals
- Ali Score – drums, percussion
Production
- Produced By Mike Howlett, Bill Nelson
- Engineers: Mark Dearnley, Mike Shipley
- Mastered By "BillBo"
Chart performance
Chart (1982) Peak
positionCanada Albums Chart[5] 5 German Albums Chart[6] 26 Swedish Albums Chart[7] 32 UK Albums Chart[8] 32 U.S. Billboard 200[9] 10 References
- ^ The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition Nathan Brackett [Paperback]Fireside; 4 Rev Upd edition 2004
- ^ The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard - 2004
- ^ "Never mind the hair bands, here's a Flock of Seagulls!". http://www.salon.com/entertainment/music/feature/2001/08/30/eighties. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ Wall of pain: the biography of Phil Spector. D Thompson - 2003 - Sanctuary Pub Ltd
- ^ "Canadian Collections". http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "German charts". http://www.charts-surfer.de/. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "A Flock of Seagulls Swedish Charts". Swedishcharts.com. http://www.swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=A+Flock+Of+Seagulls&titel=A+Flock+Of+Seagulls&cat=a. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "A Flock of Seagulls Chart Stats (UK)". Chartstats.com. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=40265. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ^ "A Flock of Seagulls Billboard charts". Allmusic.com. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r7468/charts-awards. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
Categories:- A Flock of Seagulls albums
- 1982 albums
- Debut albums
- Albums produced by Mike Howlett
- Jive Records albums
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