Stars (Simply Red album)

Stars is the fourth album by British-based pop/soul/jazz band Simply Red, released in September 1991. Five singles were released from the album, including the UK top ten hits "Stars" and "For Your Babies". The album was a worldwide success, particularly in the band's home country where it has been certified twelve times platinum[1] and was the best-selling album of the year in the UK for both 1991 and 1992,[2][3] the first album to be the best-seller in two consecutive years since Simon & Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water in 1970–71. As of July 2016 it is the 14th best-selling album of all time in the UK.[4]

Stars
Studio album by
Simply Red
Released30 September 1991
Recorded1990–91
StudioCondulmer Studio, Venice, Italy
GenrePop, blue-eyed soul
Length41:17
LabelEastWest Records
ProducerStewart Levine
Simply Red chronology
A New Flame
(1989)		 Stars
(1991)		 The Montreux EP
(1992)
Singles from Stars
  1. "Something Got Me Started"
    Released: 9 September 1991
  2. "Stars"
    Released: 18 November 1991
  3. "For Your Babies"
    Released: 27 January 1992
  4. "Thrill Me"
    Released: 21 April 1992
  5. "Your Mirror"
    Released: 13 July 1992

The album was on the shortlist of nominees for the 1992 Mercury Prize. In 2000 Q placed Stars at number 80 in its list of "The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever".[5]

In 2000 it was voted number 258 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[6]

Composition and recording

Recording for the album originally began in Paris in August 1990, but the initial sessions did not go well: the equipment in the studio did not live up to expectations, and with the Gulf War having just started and dominating television news reports, the band found the atmosphere in the bunker-like studios oppressive and not conducive to making music. The group moved to the more relaxed surroundings of Venice to resume recording in the Condulmer Studios.[7]

Simply Red's leader and singer Mick Hucknall had wanted the album to have a less electronic and more soulful sound than their previous work, and had recruited programmer Gota after hearing his work with Soul II Soul. Hucknall did not realise that Gota was also a drummer until he heard him jamming on the drum kit one evening in Venice, after which Gota also became the band's full-time drummer. The songs had been written over the previous year: "Something Got Me Started" and "Stars" had been written on the road during the group's previous tour. "Thrill Me" was based on a riff that McIntyre had come up with, while Hucknall described "Wonderland" as "probably the most political song I've written", documenting his dissatisfaction with the British Conservative government of the time.[8]

Artwork

The album cover features a photograph of singer Hucknall in the Californian desert, wearing a Native American painted cloak that he had bought in Spain. Hucknall had insisted that in the shot he would be wearing the cloak and nothing else, displaying his bare legs. However, when photographer Zanna showed the photographs to EastWest Records, they were concerned that Hucknall's bare legs would offend sensibilities in the US, and Zanna had to digitally retouch the picture using a test photograph of her assistant's jeans-covered legs.[9]

Release

Stars was released 30 September 1991 and debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart. It sold around 150,000 copies in its first week and faced competition from Prince's Diamonds and Pearls and Tina Turner's greatest hits collection Simply the Best.[10] In one year, the album had sold 2.4 million copies in the UK.[11]

Stars was re-issued in 2008 as a Collector's Edition 2CD with bonus DVD digipack.

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
Chicago Tribune[13]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[14]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[15]
NME4/10[16]
Q[17]
Smash Hits7/10[18]
Uncut[19]

The album received mixed reviews in the UK. The alternative music magazines were cool towards the record: in the NME Andrew Collins dismissed Stars as "an exercise in no-style over no-content... this is the sound of some technicians desperately fanning some smouldering ashes for people with central heating",[16] while in Melody Maker Caroline Sullivan simply stated that "within his strictly-defined oeuvre – sleek, airbrushed music best described as soulette – [Hucknall]'s miles ahead of the competition... Nor, on an objective level, can Stars be faulted... This is a pleasant album, the sleeve is pretty, and now, at least, you've got a Christmas present for Gran."[20]

However, reviews from newspaper critics and other magazines were more positive. In The Guardian Adam Sweeting wrote that "the new songs sound relaxed, refreshed and satisfyingly cohesive... Easy to listen to but not easy listening, Stars keeps shining",[21] while The Independent's Andy Gill was similarly impressed, observing that "Hucknall's socialist soul-boy's conviction and his determination to write songs with stings in their tales place Simply Red several notches above the rest of the smooth soul genre... And in simple evocations of love like 'Thrill Me' or 'For Your Babies', the spark of honesty sets them above the superficial, insincere protestations of love that dominate modern soul music".[22] In Q Ian Cranna hailed the album as "a long overdue change in musical direction, with Hucknall for the most part abandoning his undoubtedly sincere but inevitably fruitless attempts to re-create himself as a soul singer. Instead he's eased Simply Red down a couple of gears into a more relaxed and flowing style which owes as much towards current hip hop-inspired club rhythms as it does to old-style soul or funk." He ended his review by describing Stars as "Simply Red's most accessible and danceable work to date".[17]

In his retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Stars "Simply Red's best album since their debut. It's smoother and more polished than their previous work, yet Mick Hucknall is singing better than ever and his songwriting is improving... Having absorbed his pop, soul, and reggae influences, Hucknall is now successfully writing songs in his own style, something that, with the exception of 'Holding Back the Years', he hadn't managed previously."[12]

The album was voted the second-worst record ever made in a 1998 Melody Maker poll of pop stars, DJs, and journalists.[23]

Track listing

Original release

All songs written and composed by Mick Hucknall, except where noted.

  1. "Something Got Me Started" (Hucknall/Fritz McIntyre) – 4:01
  2. "Stars" – 4:08
  3. "Thrill Me" (Hucknall/McIntyre) – 5:04
  4. "Your Mirror" – 3:59
  5. "She's Got It Bad" – 3:33
  6. "For Your Babies" – 4:17
  7. "Model" – 3:46
  8. "How Could I Fall" – 4:45
  9. "Freedom" – 3:52
  10. "Wonderland" – 3:49

2008 Collector's Edition bonus tracks

Personnel

Charts

Certifications and sales

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Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[47] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[48] 2× Platinum 100,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[49] Platinum 250,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[50] Gold 50,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[51] Gold 34,401[51]
France (SNEP)[52] 2× Platinum 600,000*
Germany (BVMI)[53] 5× Gold 1,250,000^
Italy — 500,000[54]
Japan — 50,000[55]
Netherlands (NVPI)[56] 2× Platinum 200,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[57] Platinum 15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[58] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[59] 2× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[1] 12× Platinum 3,450,000[60]
United States (RIAA)[61] Gold 579,000[62]
Summaries
Scandinavia — 150,000[55]
Worldwide N/A 9,000,000[62]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

See also

References
  1. "British album certifications – Simply Red – Stars". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Stars in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  2. "Top 100 Albums". Music Week: 21. 11 January 1992.
  3. "Top Albums". Music Week: 10. 16 January 1993.
  4. Copsey, Rob (4 July 2016). "The UK's 60 official biggest selling albums of all time revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  5. "The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever!". Q. London, England: EMAP (165): 59–95. June 2000.
  6. Colin Larkin (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 2115. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  7. Southall, Brian; Hucknall, Mick (2010). Simply Red: The Official Story. Carlton Books. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-84732-599-0.
  8. Southall, Hucknall (2010). pp. 72–73.
  9. Southall, Hucknall (2010). p. 80.
  10. Jones, Alan (12 October 1991). "Chart Focus". Music Week. p. 15.
  11. Jones, Paula (26 September 1992). "On View: Music Video Autumn Highlights". Music Week. p. 36.
  12. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Stars – Simply Red". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  13. DeKnock, Jan (14 November 1991). "Simply Red: Stars (EastWest)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  14. Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  15. DiMartino, Dave (11 October 1991). "Stars". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  16. Collins, Andrew (12 October 1991). "Review: Simply Red – Stars". NME. p. 34.
  17. Cranna, Ian (November 1991). "Review: Simply Red – Stars". Q. No. 62. p. 131.
  18. Birkbeck, Polly (16 October 1991). "Simply Red: Stars (East West)". Smash Hits. No. 336. p. 43.
  19. "Review: Simply Red – Stars". Uncut. p. 111. [L]urking beneath its overt radio-friendliness was a voice of dissent. 'Your Mirror' was the nearest Mick Hucknall came on record to a socialist rallying cry...
  20. Sullivan, Caroline (12 October 1991). "Review: Simply Red – Stars". Melody Maker. p. 38.
  21. Sweeting, Adam (10 October 1991). "Review: Simply Red – Stars". The Guardian. London, England. p. 32.
  22. Gill, Andy (3 October 1991). "Review: Simply Red – Stars". The Independent. London, England. p. 22.
  23. "Sgt Pepper scorned by new stars". BBC News. 9 December 1998. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  24. "Australiancharts.com – Simply Red – Stars". Hung Medien.
  25. "Austriancharts.at – Simply Red – Stars" (in German). Hung Medien.
  26. "Top Albums/CDs – Volume 54, No. 24". RPM. 16 November 1991. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
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  29. "Offiziellecharts.de – Simply Red – Stars" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts.
  30. "Gli album più venduti del 1991". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  31. "Charts.nz – Simply Red – Stars". Hung Medien.
  32. "Norwegiancharts.com – Simply Red – Stars". Hung Medien.
  33. "Swedishcharts.com – Simply Red – Stars". Hung Medien.
  34. "Swisscharts.com – Simply Red – Stars". Hung Medien.
  35. "Simply Red | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  36. "Simply Red Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  37. Kimberley, Christopher (2000). Zimbabwe Albums Chart Book: 1973–1998. Harare.
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  53. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Simply Red; 'Stars')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  54. Startton, Sally (21 October 1995). "The Challenge of Marketing Post 'Stars'" (PDF). Music & Media. p. 11. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  55. Meads, Jeff Clark (22 February 1992). "How Simply Red Simply Shoots For The 'Stars'" (PDF). Billboard. p. 12. Retrieved 3 January 2020 – via American Radio History.
  56. "Dutch album certifications – Simply Red – Stars" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 9 July 2019. Enter Stars in the "Artiest of titel" box.
  57. "New Zealand album certifications – Simply Red – Stars". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  58. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 933. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
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  60. Copsey, Rob (13 October 2018). "The UK's biggest studio albums of all time". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  61. "American album certifications – Simply Red – Stars". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  62. Sexton, Paul (16 September 1995). "Simply Red Comes Back to 'Life'". Billboard. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  • Albums at Simply Red official website
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