| New Wave | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 February 1993 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock, indie pop | |||
| Length | 43:41 | |||
| Label | Hut | |||
| Producer | Phil Vinall, Luke Haines | |||
| The Auteurs chronology | ||||
  | ||||
New Wave is the 1993 debut album by British rock band the Auteurs. In 2014, British independent record label 3 Loop Music re-released the album on 180gsm Vinyl and as a 2CD Expanded Edition which included b-sides, rarities, radio session tracks and the original 4-track demos that led to the band's signing with Hut Records.
Background
After the demist of the Servants, musicians Luke Haines and Alice Readman formed the Auteurs; former Dog Unit drummer Glenn Collins joined soon after. The trio made their live debut in April 1992 at the Euston Rails Club in London, signing to Hut Records, a subsidiary of major label Virgin Records. British press saw the band as part of a potential glam rock revival, while American press would plainly compare them to Suede.[1] Author Dave Thompson wrote in his book Alternative Rock (2000) that New Wave laid the groundwork for what would subsequently become Britpop.[1]
Release and reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| AllMusic | |
| Alternative Rock | 8/10[3] | 
| Drowned in Sound | 9/10[4] | 
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[6] | 
| The Irish Times | |
| Record Collector | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Select | 4/5[10] | 
| The Village Voice | A−[11] | 
"Show Girl" was released the lead single in December 1992, ahead of New Wave, which appeared in early 1993. By this point, celloist James Banbury joined the band. By mid-1993, Collins was replaced by Barny C. Rockford.[1]
Thompson referred to the album as a "university thesis on how to build Brit-pop, shot through with such startlingly intelligent perversity that the end result is more of a template than a tribute." He singled "Show Girl" and "Junk Shop Clothes" as highlights.[3] In a retrospective review, Jake Kennedy of Record Collector said it was not the band's best effort, but considered it a "canny time capsule, bundled up with all the retro glam of the era", with a number of lyrical topics which "confuse and charm in equal measure".[8]
Thompson said that it was one of the most acclaimed albums in 1993. It was shortlisted for the 1993 Mercury Prize.[1] It is now included in the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list.[12]
Track listing
All songs written by Luke Haines.[13]
- Original 1993 CD/LP (CDHUT7/HUTLP7)
 
- "Show Girl" - 4:06
 - "Bailed Out" - 3:44
 - "American Guitars" - 3:31
 - "Junk Shop Clothes" - 2:42
 - "Don't Trust the Stars" - 2:25
 - "Starstruck" - 2:59
 - "How Could I Be Wrong" - 3:53
 - "Housebreaker" - 2:57
 - "Valet Parking" - 2:55
 - "Idiot Brother" - 5:45
 - "Early Years" - 2:40
 - "Home Again" - 3:24 / "Subculture (They Can't Find Him)" - 2:13 (hidden track; it follows 20 seconds of silence after the end of "Home Again")
 
- Free 7" (HUTL2)
 
- "She Might Take a Train" - 1:38
 - "Subculture (They Can't Find Him)" - 2:13
 
- 2014 expanded edition bonus tracks (Disc 1)
 
- "Subculture (They Can't Find Him)"
 - "She Might Take a Train"
 - "Glad to Be Gone"
 - "Staying Power"
 - "Wedding Day"
 - "High Diving Horses"
 
- 2014 Expanded Edition Bonus Tracks (Disc 2)
 
- "Housebreaker (Rough Trade Singles Club 7")"
 - "Valet Parking (Rough Trade Singles Club 7")"
 - "Housebreaker (Acoustic Version)"
 - "Junk Shop Clothes (Acoustic Version)"
 - "Starstruck (Acoustic Version)"
 - "Home Again (Acoustic Version)"
 - "Junk Shop Clothes (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
 - "New French Junkshop (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
 - "Government Bookstore (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
 - "How Could I Be Wrong (1993 BBC Radio 1 Session)"
 - "Bailed Out (Original 4-Track Demo)"
 - "American Guitars (Original 4-Track Demo)"
 - "Showgirl (Original 4-Track Demo)"
 - "Glad to Be Gone (Original 4-Track Demo)"
 - "Starstruck (Original 4-Track Demo)"
 - "Early Years (Original 4-Track Demo)"
 
Personnel
Personnel per booklet.[13]
- The Auteurs
 
- Luke Haines – guitar, piano, vocals
 - Alice Readman – bass guitar
 - Glenn Collins – drums
 
- Additional musicians
 
- James Banbury – cello
 - Chris Wyles – percussion
 - Kuljit Bhamra – percussion
 - Joe Beckett – percussion
 
- Production
 
- Phil Vinall – engineer, producer
 - Luke Haines – producer
 - Stefan de Batselier – photography
 - Peter Barrett – sleeve design
 - Andrew Biscomb – sleeve design
 
References
Citations
- 1 2 3 4 Thompson 2000, p. 162
 - ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "New Wave – The Auteurs". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
 - 1 2 Thompson 2000, p. 163
 - ↑ Slaughter, Matthew (24 January 2014). "Album Review: The Auteurs – New Wave (expanded edition)". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 15 November 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
 - ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
 - ↑ "The Auteurs: New Wave". Entertainment Weekly. 7 May 1993. p. 58.
 - ↑ Clayton-Lea, Tony (7 March 2014). "The Auteurs: New Wave (Expanded Edition)". The Irish Times. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
 - 1 2 Kennedy, Jake (March 2014). "Reviews". Record Collector (425): 88. ISSN 0261-250X.
 - ↑ Harris, Keith (2004). "The Auteurs". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 29–30. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
 - ↑ Cavanagh, David (March 1993). "The Auteurs: New Wave". Select (33): 67.
 - ↑ Christgau, Robert (6 April 1993). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
 - ↑ "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". 1001 Before You Die. Quintessence Editions Ltd. Retrieved 20 August 2014.
 - 1 2  New Wave (Booklet). The Auteurs. Hut Recordings. 1993. CDHUT 7/263 306.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) 
Sources
- Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-607-6.
 
