Human Racing

Human Racing is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Nik Kershaw. It was originally released in February 1984, on the label MCA. Several songs like "Drum Talk" were based around improvisation; other songs, like "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me", had a political message.

This article is about the Nik Kershaw album. For the title track, see Human Racing (song).

Human Racing
Studio album by
Nik Kershaw
Released27 February 1984 (1984-02-27)
RecordedSummer 1983
StudioSarm East Studios, London;
Sarm West Studios, London;
Marcus Music; and
Cherokee Studios, Los Angeles[1]
Genre
Length39:39
LabelMCA
ProducerPeter Collins
Nik Kershaw chronology
Human Racing
(1984)		 The Riddle
(1984)
Singles from Human Racing
  1. "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
    Released: 16 September 1983
  2. "Wouldn't It Be Good"
    Released: 21 January 1984
  3. "Dancing Girls"
    Released: 2 April 1984
  4. "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me (Re-release)"
    Released: June 1984
  5. "Human Racing"
    Released: August 1984
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Billboardfavourable[3]
Record Mirror[4]
Smash Hits[5]

Kershaw's most commercially successful solo album, it went on to peak at No. 5 on the UK Albums Chart and reached No. 35 on the Australian ARIA Charts. The album also reached the top ten in several other countries including Germany, Finland, and Norway. The album launched four charting singles in the UK. "Wouldn't It Be Good" peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart; "Dancing Girls" peaked at No. 13; "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" at No. 2; "Human Racing" at No. 19. The album was the 22nd highest selling album of 1984 in the UK and received a nomination for Best British Album at the 1985 Brit Awards.[6] The album was certified multi-platinum by the BPI.

The album was re-released on 27 February 2012,[7] on Universal's new Re-presents imprint featuring rare bonus content. The reissue is a 2-CD set with the original album digitally remastered from the original 1/2" mix tapes; the bonus content consists of associated 12" mixes and B-sides including a previously unreleased version of "Bogart", a special brass mix of "Shame on You" and a live version of "Cloak and Dagger" recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon.

Critical reception

Smash Hits magazine gave the album a highly negative review, awarding it 1 out of 10, and calling it "Competent but relentlessly dull synthesised meanderings of no importance to anyone but Mr Kershaw himself (and even he doesn't sound that interested)."[5] Reviewing retrospectively for AllMusic, critic Scott Bultman wrote of the album: "His debut, although rough around the edges, showed talent and promise.".[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Nik Kershaw.

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Dancing Girls"3:46
2."Wouldn't It Be Good"4:32
3."Drum Talk"3:10
4."Bogart"4:38
5."Gone to Pieces"3:11
Side two
No.TitleLength
6."Shame on You"3:33
7."Cloak and Dagger"4:55
8."Faces"4:05
9."I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"3:23
10."Human Racing"4:26
Total length:39:39
Additional tracks

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[11]

Additional personnel
Production team

Chart performance
Chart (1984) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 35
Canadian Albums Chart[13] 19
Dutch Albums Chart[14] 13
German Albums Chart[15] 8
New Zealand Albums Chart[16] 32
Norwegian Albums Chart[17] 7
Swedish Albums Chart[18] 38
Swiss Albums Chart[19] 12
UK Albums Chart[20] 5
US Billboard 200[21] 70
Chart (2012) Peak
position		 Total
weeks
UK Albums Chart 159 1

Singles
  • "I Won't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (No. 47 on first release in 1983; No. 2 on re-release in 1984)
    • B-side – "Dark Glasses"
  • "Wouldn't It Be Good" (No. 4)
    • B-side – "Monkey Business"
  • "Dancing Girls" (No. 13)
    • B-side – "She Cries"
  • "Human Racing" (No. 19)
    • B-side – "Faces" (Simon Boswell remix)

See also

References
  1. Kershaw 2012, p. 2-3.
  2. Scott Bultman. "Human Racing – Nik Kershaw | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  3. Billboard magazine - Reviews: albums - April 21, 1984 - page 60
  4. Hills, Simon (3 March 1984). "Albums". Record Mirror.
  5. Cranna, Ian (1 March 1984). "Album Reviews". Smash Hits. Vol. 6 no. 5. EMAP Metro. p. 37.
  6. "Shows". Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  7. "Nik Kershaw To Release Expanded Reissue Of 'Human Racing'". thisisnotretro.com. 15 February 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  8. Human Racing, AllMusic, retrieved 14 August 2014
  9. Kershaw 2012, p. 14-15.
  10. "Nik Kershaw talks 80s pop and Human Racing 28 years on". Superdeluxeedition.com. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  11. Human Racing liner notes. MCA Records. 1984.
  12. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 165. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. "Welcome to the LIBRARY AND ARCHIVES CANADA website | Bienvenue au site Web BIBLIOTHÈQUE ET ARCHIVES CANADA". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  14. Steffen Hung. "Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  15. Steffen Hung. "germancharts.com – Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". Germancharts.de. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  16. Steffen Hung. "Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". charts.nz. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  17. Steffen Hung. "Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  18. Steffen Hung. "Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  19. Steffen Hung. "Nik Kershaw – Human Racing". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  20. "NIK KERSHAW - full Official Chart History - Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  21. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (21 July 1984). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books.
  • Kershaw, Nik (2012). Human Racing (2CD Expanded Edition) (CD booklet). Nik Kershaw. Universal/Island Records Ltd. UMCREP2013.
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