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Untitled (Marc and the Mambas album)

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Untitled
Studio album by
Marc and the Mambas
ReleasedSeptember 1982
RecordedMay–July 1982
StudioTrident Studios, London
GenreAlternative rock, new wave
Length60:35
LabelSome Bizzare
ProducerMarc and the Mambas
Marc and the Mambas chronology
Untitled
(1982) 		Torment and Toreros
(1983)

Untitled is the first studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond's band Marc and the Mambas. It was released by Some Bizzare in September 1982.

Background

Untitled was Almond's first album away from Soft Cell and was made in collaboration with a number of artists, including Matt Johnson of The The and Anni Hogan.[1] The album was produced by the band, with assistance from Stephen Short (credited as Steeve Short) and Flood.[2]

Jeremy Reed writes in his biography of Almond, The Last Star, that Untitled was "cheap and starkly recorded".[3] He states that Almond received "little support from Phonogram for the Mambas project, the corporate viewing it as non-commercial and a disquieting pointer to the inevitable split that would occur within Soft Cell".[4] An article in Mojo noted that "from the beginning, Almond and Ball had nurtured sideline projects, though only the former's – the 1982 double 12-inch set Untitled – attracted much attention, most of it disapproving." The article mentions that Almond "who preferred to nail a song in one or two takes" stated that it was all "about feel and spontaneity, otherwise it gets too contrived" when accused of singing flat.[5]

Simon Price of The Independent quotes Almond as calling the album "the deluded ramblings of self-indulgence fuelled by too much acid".[6]

The album was released on gatefold double vinyl with the first record playing at 33rpm and the second at 45rpm. The album reached number 42 in the UK Albums Chart.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Smash Hits6/10[8]

Neil Tennant, then a journalist at Smash Hits, reviewed the album saying that the band "have obviously enjoyed producing some intriguing, if self-indulgent, new music and their own versions of some old favourites".[8] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic also calls the album "intriguing" but states that Untitled "doesn't ever add up to anything cohesive", whilst acknowledging that Almond has "made a conscious departure from Soft Cell".[1]

Track listing

Side A
No.TitleWritten byLength
1."Untitled"Marc Almond, Matt Johnson4:54
2."Empty Eyes"Almond, Annie Hogan5:03
3."Angels"Almond, Johnson8:34
Side B
No.TitleWritten byLength
9."Big Louise"Scott Walker, from Scott 35:05
10."Caroline Says"Lou Reed, from Berlin3:39
11."Margaret"Hogan3:45
12."If You Go Away"Jacques Brel, originally "Ne me quitte pas"6:28
Side C
No.TitleWritten byLength
1."Terrapin"Syd Barrett4:18
2."Twilights & Lowlifes"Marc and the Mambas11:29
Side D
No.TitleWritten byLength
8."Twilights & Lowlifes (Street Walking Soundtrack)"Marc and the Mambas11:08

Personnel

Marc and the Mambas
Technical

Chart performance

Chart (1983) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 42

References

  1. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Marc and the Mambas Untitled review". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  2. ^ Reed, p. 168.
  3. ^ Reed, p. 50.
  4. ^ Reed, p. 54.
  5. ^ Paytress, Mark. "We Are The Village Sleaze Preservation Society". Mojo (September 2014): 69.
  6. ^ "Marc and the Mambas, Royal Festival Hall, London". The Independent. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  7. ^ a b "Marc and the Mambas | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  8. ^ a b Tennant, Neil. "Albums". Smash Hits (14 October 1982): 23.
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