Schubert Dip
Schubert Dip is the debut album by British rock band EMF, released on Parlophone Records on 7 May 1991.[1] It features the worldwide hit single "Unbelievable" which reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100. The name of the album is a pun on the name of the popular sweet sherbet dip and the 19th-century composer Franz Schubert.
Schubert Dip | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 7 May 1991 | |||
Recorded | 1990 | |||
Genre | Alternative dance | |||
Length | 44:25 | |||
Label | Parlophone CDP-7-96238 | |||
Producer | Pascal Gabriel and Ralph Jezzard | |||
EMF chronology | ||||
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Singles from Schubert Dip | ||||
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Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
Entertainment Weekly | B−[4] |
Los Angeles Times | [5] |
NME | 9/10[6] |
Q | [7] |
The Village Voice | C+[8] |
Alex Henderson of AllMusic gave the album three stars out of five, feeling that overall it was not as good as the standout single "Unbelievable": "The only song that comes close to packing the punch of 'Unbelievable' is the intoxicating 'Long Summer Days'. For the most part, Schubert Dip is a prime example of an album that is simply decent when it should have been excellent."[2]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by James Atkin, Derry Brownson, Mark Decloedt, Ian Dench & Zac Foley, except where noted.
- "Children" – 5:15
- "Long Summer Days" – 4:00
- "When You're Mine" (Dench) – 3:22
- "Travelling Not Running" (Dench) – 4:20
- "I Believe" – 3:43
- "Unbelievable" 3:29
- "Girl of an Age" – 3:56
- "Admit It" (Dench) – 3:28
- "Lies" (Dench) – 4:27 (4:19 on reissue)
- "Longtime" – 4:25 (original length was 8:10, as it included "EMF" as a hidden track)
- "EMF" (Live at the Bilson) – 3:54 (hidden track on the original, later listed separately on reissue)
Note
- The track "Lies" on the first pressings of Schubert Dip originally began with a sample of the voice of John Lennon's assassin, Mark David Chapman, reciting the first two lines of the lyrics to Lennon's "Watching the Wheels". Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, objected to this sample and as a result all subsequent pressings of the album have omitted the sample of Chapman's voice.
- The Hungarian speech at the beginning of the track "Travelling Not Running": "Az nem lehet, hogy az ellenzéknek is ártani lehet, ezt majd a végső eredmény eldönti" ("It is impossible to harm the oppositionist, the final result will decide it".) The person was Berecz János, a Hungarian Communist Party politician at the end of the Iron Curtain era.
Sample credits
- "Unbelievable" includes samples of US comedian Andrew Dice Clay throughout the track.
- The song "Girl of an Age" contains a sample of the character Ernie from Sesame Street speaking to his friend Bert.
- The song "Longtime" contains a sample of a reading of The Hollow Men by T. S. Eliot.
Personnel
EMF
- James Atkin – vocals, guitars
- Derry Brownson – keyboards, samples
- Mark Decloedt – drums
- Ian Dench – keyboards and guitars
- Zac Foley – bass
Additional personnel
- DJ Milf – turntables, scratching & samples on "When You're Mine" & "Unbelievable"
- Claudia Fontaine – backing vocals on "Children", "I Believe", "Girl of an Age" & "Lies"
- Sindy Finn & Laurane McIntosh – backing vocals on "Travelling Not Running"
- Mastering by George Marino at Sterling Sound, NYC
Charts
Chart (1991) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] | 44 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10] | 8 |
UK Albums (Official Charts Company)[11] | 3 |
US Billboard 200[12] | 12 |
References
- "Sampled Notes". NME. London, England: 4. 13 April 1991.
- Henderson, Alex. "Schubert Dip – EMF". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958.
- Reynolds, Simon (24 May 1991). "Hybrid sounds". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- Cromelin, Richard (9 June 1991). "EMF 'Schubert Dip' EMI". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 13 February 2018.
- "EMF: Schubert Dip". NME. 4 May 1991. p. 34.
- "EMF: Schubert Dip". Q. No. 57. June 1991.
- Christgau, Robert (3 December 1991). "Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. Retrieved 13 November 2018.
- "australian-charts.com > EMF – Schubert Dip (album)". Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- "charts.nz > EMF – Schubert Dip (album)". Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- "Official Charts > EMF (albums tab)". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 30 October 2015.
- "Billboard > Artists / EMF > Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 30 October 2015.