Real Life (Magazine album)
| Real Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| File:Magazine - Real Life.jpg | ||||
| Studio album by Magazine | ||||
| Released | June 1978 | |||
| Recorded | March–April 1978 at the Virgin Mobile and Abbey Road Studios, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:24 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | John Leckie | |||
| Magazine chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Real Life | ||||
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Real Life is the debut studio album by English rock band Magazine. It was released in June 1978 by record label Virgin. The album includes the band's debut single "Shot by Both Sides", and was also preceded by the non-album single "Touch and Go", a song from the album's recording sessions.
Real Life has received critical acclaim and is considered a pioneering post-punk record. It has also been described as new wave[1] and art rock.[2]
Contents
Background and recording
The album was written over the preceding year by the band, with Howard Devoto providing all of the lyrics. The two earliest songs, "Shot by Both Sides" and "The Light Pours Out of Me", were co-written with Devoto's former Buzzcocks bandmate Pete Shelley. The majority of the material on the album was written by Devoto in collaboration with guitarist and founding member John McGeoch. "Motorcade" was co-written with the group's keyboardist, Bob Dickinson, who played with the group in mid-1977 before being dismissed. The music for the album's final track, "Parade", was written by Dickinson's replacement, Dave Formula, with bassist Barry Adamson.
Having toured much of the album through 1977 and early 1978, the group's then lineup of Devoto (vocals), McGeoch (guitar and saxophone), Adamson (bass), Formula (keyboards) and Martin Jackson (drums) recorded the album in sessions using the Virgin Mobile and at Abbey Road Studios between March and April 1978. The album was produced and engineered by John Leckie.
The original artwork and monoprint for the album was designed by Linder, with photography by Adrian Boot.
Release
Real Life was released on LP and cassette in June 1978. It peaked at No. 29 on the UK Album Chart.[3]
The album was reissued in remastered form by Virgin/EMI in 2007, along with the other three of the band's first four studio albums, and included four bonus tracks and liner notes by Kieron Tyler.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| BBC Music | favourable[4] |
| Stylus | B+[5] |
| Uncut | very favourable[6] |
Real Life has been critically acclaimed since its release. Melody Maker declared that "no one that has the slightest interest in the present and future of rock 'n' roll should rest until they've heard Real Life".[citation needed]
Legacy
Real Life is included on several "best of" lists.
- It was included in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[7]
- It was included in The Guardian's similar "1,000 Albums to Hear Before You Die" list in 2007.[8]
- Sounds ranked it No. 89 in their "100 Best Albums of All Time" list in 1986.[9]
- In 2006, Uncut ranked it No. 37 in their "100 Greatest Debut Albums" list.[9]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Howard Devoto.
| Side A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
| 1. | "Definitive Gaze" | Devoto, John McGeoch | 4:25 |
| 2. | "My Tulpa" | Devoto, McGeoch | 4:47 |
| 3. | "Shot by Both Sides" | Devoto, Pete Shelley | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Recoil" | Devoto, McGeoch | 2:50 |
| 5. | "Burst" | Devoto | 5:00 |
| Side B | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
| 6. | "Motorcade" | Devoto, Dickinson | 5:41 |
| 7. | "The Great Beautician in the Sky" | Devoto, McGeoch | 4:56 |
| 8. | "The Light Pours Out of Me" | Devoto, McGeoch, Shelley | 4:36 |
| 9. | "Parade" | Barry Adamson, Dave Formula | 5:08 |
| 2007 remastered edition bonus tracks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
| 10. | "Shot by Both Sides (Original Single Version)" | Devoto, Shelley | 4:01 |
| 11. | "My Mind Ain't So Open" | Devoto, McGeoch | 2:18 |
| 12. | "Touch and Go" | Devoto, McGeoch | 2:58 |
| 13. | "Goldfinger" | John Barry, Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley | 3:50 |
Personnel
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Chart positions
- Album
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Album Chart | 29[3] |
- Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | "Shot by Both Sides" | UK Singles Chart | 41[3] |
References
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External links
- Real Life (Magazine album) at Discogs (list of releases)
