Submarine Bells

Submarine Bells is an album by New Zealand group the Chills, released in 1990. This was the band's first album on a major label, as Martin Phillipps signed to Warner Bros. Records subsidiary Slash Records, to release the album in the U.S. The album reached #1 on the New Zealand album charts and had significant support from American college radio. The album was awarded gold status in New Zealand and represents the peak of the Chills' popularity at home. It is considered to be one of the defining albums of the Dunedin sound. The supporting tour for Submarine Bells culminated in a triumphant home-coming concert in Dunedin Town Hall.

Submarine Bells
Studio album by
The Chills
Released1990
RecordedAugust–October 1989
StudioJacobs, Surrey
Genre
Length35:52
Label
ProducerGary Smith
The Chills chronology
Brave Words
(1987)		 Submarine Bells
(1990)		 Soft Bomb
(1992)

Background

The Chills released their debut studio album Brave Words in 1987; they had relocated to London earlier in the year. The band promoted it with a performance at Glastonbury Festival in June 1987 to over 60,000 people. After playing at the New Music Seminar in New York City, the band went on tours of the UK and mainland Europe. "House with a Hundred Rooms" was released as a single, reaching number 21 on UK Independent Singles Chart. A tour of New Zealand and Australia followed at the end of the year. Drummer Caroline Easther left after New Years, and was replaced by James Stephenson, formerly of Bygone Era. They embarked on a tour of the United States; coinciding with this, they signed to independent label Slash Records and major label Warner Bros. Records. Upon returning to London in early 1989, the band started working with Gary Smith for their next album Submarine Bells.[1]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
Christgau's Consumer GuideA[4]
Mojo[5]
NME8/10[6]
The Philadelphia Inquirer[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[9]
Uncut8/10[10]
Under the Radar9/10[11]

Trouser Press singled out the "splendorous title track", the "should-have-been-a-smash 'Heavenly Pop Hit'", and many other individual tracks, but chiefly praised the album for its overall cohesion and consistency – signs of the Chills' evolution from "a first-rate singles band" to a fully formed artistic venture with a "mature, restrained and affectingly personal approach".[12] In his book Music: What Happened?, musician and critic Scott Miller calls it "a dynamite whole album", and "the international star and culmination of" the Dunedin sound.[13] He also ranks "Heavenly Pop Hit" among the year's best songs.[13]

Chart performance and awards

Submarine Bells was a huge success in the Chills' home country. It entered the New Zealand album chart at No. 7 in June 1990 and reached No. 1 the following week, ultimately spending 14 weeks on the chart in total.[14] The single "Heavenly Pop Hit" was released in July and peaked at No. 2.[15] Elsewhere, however, it made minimal commercial impact. The album did not chart in Australia, the UK, or the U.S., although "Heavenly Pop Hit" achieved some success on the U.S. Modern Rock Tracks chart.[16] "Part Past Part Fiction" was released by Slash as a single in Australia, but did not enter the chart.[17]

The album won Best Album at the 1990 New Zealand Music Awards, and "Heavenly Pop Hit" won Single of the Year.[18]

Track listing

All songs written by Martin Phillipps.

  1. "Heavenly Pop Hit"
  2. "Tied Up in Chain"
  3. "The Oncoming Day"
  4. "Part Past Part Fiction"
  5. "Singing in My Sleep"
  6. "I Soar"
  7. "Dead Web"
  8. "Familiarity Breeds Contempt"
  9. "Don't Be – Memory"
  10. "Effloresce and Deliquesce"
  11. "Sweet Times"
  12. "Submarine Bells"

Charts

Singles
Year Single Region Chart Position Citation
1990 "Heavenly Pop Hit" New Zealand NZ Singles Chart 2 [15]
1990 "Heavenly Pop Hit" U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks 17 [16]
1990 "Heavenly Pop Hit" UK UK Singles Chart 97 [22]
1990 "Part Past Part Fiction" Australia Australian Singles Chart – [17]

References
  1. Thompson, Dave (2000). Alternative Rock. Third Ear: The Essential Listening Companion. San Francisco, California: Miller Freeman Books. p. 260. ISBN 0-87930-607-6.
  2. Raggett, Ned. "Submarine Bells – The Chills". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  3. Kot, Greg (29 March 1990). "The Chills: Submarine Bells (Slash)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  4. Christgau, Robert (2000). "The Chills: Submarine Bells". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 55. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  5. Bungey, John (January 2021). "The Chills: Submarine Bells". Mojo. No. 326. p. 101.
  6. Williams, Simon (17 March 1990). "Sonar, So Good". NME. p. 38.
  7. Moon, Tom (1 April 1990). "The Chills: Submarine Bells (Slash/Warner Bros.)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  8. Considine, J. D. (1992). "Chills". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 132. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
  9. Weisbard, Eric (1995). "Chills". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. p. 83. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  10. Pattison, Louis (December 2020). "The Chills: Submarine Bells / Soft Bomb". Uncut. No. 283. p. 47.
  11. Berlyant, Matthew (25 February 2021). "The Chills: Submarine Bells and Soft Bomb (2021 Vinyl Reissues) [Flying Nun]". Under the Radar. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  12. Robbins, Ira A.; Sprague, David, eds. (1997). The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock (5th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. The Chills. ISBN 9780684814377.
  13. Miller, Scott (2010). Music: What Happened?. Alameda, CA: 125 Books. p. 147. ISBN 9780615381961.
  14. "Submarine Bells (album)". charts.nz. Hung Medien. 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  15. "Heavenly Pop Hit (song)". charts.nz. Hung Medien. 2017. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  16. "Alternative Songs: The Chills". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  17. "Part Past Part Fiction (song)". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
  18. "Awards 1990". Listing. NZ Music Awards. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  19. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  20. "Charts.nz – The Chills – Submarine Bells". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  21. "Top Selling Albums of 1990". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  22. "Singles Charts: The Chills". Official UK Charts. 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
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