Life is the first studio album by the British indie rock band Inspiral Carpets. It was released on 23 April 1990 by Cow Records, through Mute Records, during the period dubbed Madchester by the British media. The group released three singles from this album: "Move", "This Is How It Feels" and "She Comes in the Fall", with the latter two in different versions from those found on the album.
| Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 April 1990 | |||
| Recorded | September 1989 Out of the Blue Studios North American bonus tracks: July 1990 Jacobs Studios | |||
| Genre | Madchester | |||
| Length | 40:00 (original UK LP issue) 43:28 (original UK CD and MC issues) 57:54 (original US issue) 55:15 (original Japanese issue) 76:03 (2013 extended reissue) | |||
| Label | Mute | |||
| Producer | Inspiral Carpets & Nick Garside | |||
| Inspiral Carpets chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[3] |
| NME | 8/10[4] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music | [5] |
It was reissued in 2013 with the PlaneCrash and TrainSurfing EPs and an unreleased John Peel session as bonus tracks, plus the 21790 live video on a bonus DVD. The 2013 reissue is based on the original UK CD release.
A slightly modified version of Life was released in North America. It dropped the track "Besides Me" and added "Commercial Rain" (a re-recorded version of a B-side to the "Joe" single) and three tracks from their then-forthcoming Island Head EP.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Real Thing" | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Song for a Family" | 3:03 |
| 3. | "This Is How It Feels" | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Directing Traffik" | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Besides Me" | 2:24 |
| 6. | "Many Happy Returns" | 3:07 |
| 7. | "Memories of You" | 2:15 |
| 8. | "She Comes in the Fall" | 4:41 |
| 9. | "Monkey on My Back" | 1:59 |
| 10. | "Sun Don't Shine" | 3:35 |
| 11. | "Inside My Head" | 2:01 |
| 12. | "Sackville" | 6:43 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Move" | 3:26 |
| 13. | "Sackville" | 6:43 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Keep the Circle Around" | 3:48 |
| 15. | "Theme from Cow" | 1:49 |
| 16. | "Seeds of Doubt" | 2:04 |
| 17. | "Garage Full of Flowers" | 2:14 |
| 18. | "96 Tears" | 2:38 |
| 19. | "Butterfly" | 2:33 |
| 20. | "Causeway" | 2:57 |
| 21. | "You Can't Take the Truth" | 2:43 |
| 22. | "Greek Wedding Song" | 2:42 |
| 23. | "So Far" | 2:12 |
| 24. | "Monkey on My Back" | 1:58 |
| 25. | "Greek Wedding Song" | 2:32 |
| 26. | "Whiskey" | 2:24 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Whiskey" | 2:18 |
| 15. | "Tune for a Family" | 2:53 |
| 16. | "Seeds of Doubt" | 1:51 |
| 17. | "This Is How It Feels" (Extended mix) | 4:44 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Real Thing" | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Song for a Family" | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Commercial Rain" | 4:43 |
| 4. | "This Is How It Feels" | 3:05 |
| 5. | "Directing Traffik" | 3:54 |
| 6. | "Many Happy Returns" | 3:07 |
| 7. | "Memories of You" | 2:15 |
| 8. | "She Comes in the Fall" | 4:41 |
| 9. | "Monkey on My Back" | 1:59 |
| 10. | "Sun Don't Shine" | 3:55 |
| 11. | "Inside My Head" | 2:01 |
| 12. | "Move" | 3:26 |
| 13. | "Weakness" | 4:16 |
| 14. | "Biggest Mountain" | 4:27 |
| 15. | "I'll Keep It in Mind" | 3:12 |
| 16. | "Sackville" | 6:43 |
Singles
edit- Dung 6 – "Move" (1989) (UK #49)
- Dung 7 – "This Is How It Feels" (1990) (UK #14)
- Dung 10 – "She Comes in the Fall/Sackville" double A-side (1990) (UK #27, released in the US as single for "Commercial Rain")
- Dung 11 — “Island Head EP” (1990) (UK #21)
Personnel
edit- Clint Boon – keyboards, backing vocals
- Craig Gill – drums
- Tom Hingley – lead vocals
- Graham Lambert – guitars
- Martyn Walsh – bass guitar
Charts
edit| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] | 140 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[7] | 22 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[8] | 2 |
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[9] | 51 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[10] | 22 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[11] | Gold | 100,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ Fetherston, Daniel. "Life – Inspiral Carpets". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ Heim, Chris (31 January 1991). "Inspiral Carpets Life (Mute/Elektra)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ Robbins, Ira (26 October 1990). "Life". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ Lamacq, Steve. "Inspiral Carpets: Life". NME. Archived from the original on 12 October 2000. Retrieved 24 June 2018.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music. Virgin. p. 245. ISBN 9780753501597.
- ^ "Inspiral Carpets chart history, received from ARIA on 23 November 2021". ARIA. Retrieved 24 June 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column indicates the release's peak on the national chart.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Inspiral Carpets – Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
- ^ "British album certifications – Inspiral Carpets – Life". British Phonographic Industry.
