Strange Boutique (album)
Strange Boutique is the debut studio album by English band The Monochrome Set. It was released in 1980, through record label Dindisc.
| Strange Boutique | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1980 | |||
| Studio | Sound Suite, Camden, England | |||
| Genre | Post-punk | |||
| Length | 35:24 | |||
| Label | Dindisc | |||
| Producer | Bob Sargeant | |||
| The Monochrome Set chronology | ||||
| ||||
Track listing
All tracks are written by Bid except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Monochrome Set (I Presume)" | 5:12 | |
| 2. | "The Lighter Side of Dating" | Bid, Lester Square | 2:42 |
| 3. | "Espresso" | 3:11 | |
| 4. | "The Puerto Rican Fence Climber" | Square | 2:59 |
| 5. | "Tomorrow Will Be Too Long" | Bid, J.D. Haney | 2:59 |
| 6. | "Martians Go Home" | Bid, Square | 2:01 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Love Goes Down the Drain" | 2:27 | |
| 2. | "Ici Les Enfants" | Haney, Bid | 3:06 |
| 3. | "The Etcetera Stroll" | Square | 4:42 |
| 4. | "Goodbye Joe" | 2:42 | |
| 5. | "The Strange Boutique" | Bid, Square | 3:09 |
| Total length: | 35:24 | ||
Release
The album reached number 62 on the UK Albums Chart.[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Smash Hits | 6/10[3] |
Writing for Smash Hits in 1980, Red Starr, in a mixed review, described Strange Boutique as "virtually impossible to pigeonhole. Starr described the lyrics as an "odd mixture of amusing fantasy and sudden seriousness". Starr finished by saying the album was "light, modern and attractive, but difficult to take too seriously".[3]
AllMusic gave the album a mildly favourable review, writing "amid the austerity of post-punk England, and before we became awash with irony and archness, we needed a band who could raise their eyebrows and smirk at it all without ever being condescending (or maybe only a little bit condescending)."[2]
Personnel
- The Monochrome Set
- Bid – lead vocals, guitar
- Lester Square – lead guitar, vocals
- Andy Warren – bass guitar, vocals
- J.D. Haney – drums, percussion, vocals
- Technical
- Bob Sargeant – keyboards, vocals, production
- Alvin "2 Shades" Clark – engineering
- Peter Saville, The Monochrome Set - cover design
References
- "Monochrome Set | Artist | Official Charts Company". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- Ogg, Alex. "Strange Boutique – The Monochrome Set : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
- Starr, Red. "Albums". Smash Hits (May 15–28, 1980): 31.
External links
- Strange Boutique at Discogs (list of releases)