The Luxury Gap

The Luxury Gap is the second studio album by English synth-pop band Heaven 17, released on 25 April 1983 by Virgin Records.[9][10] It is the band's best-selling studio album, peaking at number 4 on the UK Albums Chart – eventually becoming the 17th best-selling album of the year – and being certified platinum (300,000 copies sold) by the BPI in 1984.

The Luxury Gap
Studio album by
Heaven 17
Released25 April 1983 (1983-04-25)
Studio
GenreSynth-pop
Length37:39
LabelVirgin
Producer
Heaven 17 chronology
Penthouse and Pavement
(1981)		 The Luxury Gap
(1983)		 How Men Are
(1984)
Singles from The Luxury Gap
  1. "Let Me Go"
    Released: 30 October 1982
  2. "Temptation (UK/Europe only)"
    Released: 8 April 1983
  3. "We Live So Fast (US only)"
    Released: 8 April 1983
  4. "Come Live with Me"
    Released: 24 June 1983
  5. "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry"
    Released: 29 September 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christgau's Record GuideB+[2]
Mojo[3]
PopMatters5/10[4]
Record Collector[5]
Record Mirror[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Smash Hits8+1⁄2/10[8]

In contrast to Heaven 17's debut studio album Penthouse and Pavement (1981), the singles from The Luxury Gap charted strongly, particularly "Temptation", which reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart and was the 34th biggest selling single of 1983. Other hits included "Come Live with Me" (UK number 5) and "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry" (UK number 17).

Recording

The Luxury Gap was recorded at AIR Studios in Oxford Street, London with co-producer Greg Walsh. It was recorded under the working title Ashes and Diamonds.[11] The band's ambition was to combine their love of soul music with electronic music. Soul music was a particularly strong influence on the vocal arrangements, most notably on the song "Temptation", which became a hit single. Virgin Records did not require the band to work on a budget, which allowed them to write in the studio and to use the studio as a musical tool, creating complex and detailed arrangements and have three songs orchestrated.[12]

Numerous synthesizers and electronics were utilized to create the album, among which include the Linn LM-1 and Roland TR-606 drum machines, the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer, and the Roland Jupiter-8, Roland System-100M and Fairlight CMI synthesizers.[13]

Live performances

Heaven 17, in their current line-up of Martyn Ware and Glenn Gregory, performed all of The Luxury Gap on 14 October 2011 at the Roundhouse in London. The band performed the album using "3D sound" technology developed by Ware's Illustrious Company.[14] The show was a sequel of sorts to the Penthouse and Pavement concerts the band played in 2010.

A new deluxe edition of the album in 2012 was promoted with a tour of the UK in October and November, followed by some December dates in Germany and Belgium.[15][16] The band played the original album in its entirety, followed by a selection of Heaven 17 tracks and two Human League tracks: "A Crow and a Baby" and "Being Boiled". A cover version of "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", similar to the one recorded by the Human League in 1979, and a cover version of the Associates' "Party Fears Two" were also performed.

To commemorate the 35th anniversary of The Luxury Gap's release, Heaven 17 toured the UK from November to December 2018, again performing the album in full.[17]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Glenn Gregory, Ian Craig Marsh, and Martyn Ware.

Side one

  1. "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry" – 5:54
  2. "Who'll Stop the Rain" – 3:04
  3. "Let Me Go" – 4:23
  4. "Key to the World" – 3:42

Side two

  1. "Temptation" – 3:34
  2. "Come Live with Me" – 4:18
  3. "Lady Ice and Mr Hex" – 3:46
  4. "We Live So Fast" – 3:49
  5. "The Best Kept Secret" – 5:09

The US Arista issue of the album omitted "Who'll Stop the Rain" and "Let Me Go", both of which had appeared on a US-only release titled Heaven 17 (featuring most tracks from Penthouse and Pavement) in 1982. They were replaced with re-recorded versions of "Let's All Make a Bomb" and "Song with No Name" (from Penthouse and Pavement, and released as B-sides in the UK).

2006 remastered edition bonus tracks

  1. "Let Me Go" (extended mix) – 6:22
  2. "Who'll Stop the Rain (Dub)" – 6:15
  3. "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry (Parts 1 and 2)" – 6:59
  4. "Come Live with Me" (12" version) – 4:34

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[18]

Heaven 17

Additional musicians

  • Nick Plytas – grand piano (1, 3, 7)
  • Greg Walsh – acoustic piano and synthesizer programming (1, 4), arrangements
  • John Wilson – guitars and guitar synthesizer (1, 2, 3, 7)
  • Ray Russell – guitars and guitar synthesizer (2, 4, 6)
  • Simon Phillips – drums and percussion (7, 9)
  • Don Myrick – saxophones
  • Louis Satterfield – trombone
  • Michael Harris – trumpet
  • Rahmlee Michael Davis – trumpet
  • John Barker – orchestra arrangements and conductor (5, 6, 9)
  • Sarah Gregory – "screams" (2)
  • Carol Kenyon – backing vocals (4, 5)

Production
  • Ian Craig Marsh – producer, engineer
  • Martyn Ware – producer, engineer
  • Greg Walsh – producer, engineer
  • Ray Smith – cover concept, painting

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for The Luxury Gap
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Platinum 300,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. LeRoy, Dan. "The Luxury Gap – Heaven 17". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  2. Christgau, Robert (1990). "Heaven 17: The Luxury Gap". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. p. 187. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  3. Eccleston, Danny (December 2012). "Heaven 17: The Luxury Gap". Mojo. No. 229.
  4. O'Neil, Tim (1 December 2006). "Heaven 17: Penthouse and Pavement / The Luxury Gap / How Men Are". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 5 December 2006. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  5. Easlea, Daryl (November 2012). "The Luxury Gap: Collector's Edition | Heaven 17". Record Collector. No. 407. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  6. Reid, Jim (30 April 1983). "The Gap band". Record Mirror. p. 18.
  7. Fricke, David (1 September 1983). "Heaven 17: The Luxury Gap". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  8. Rimmer, Dave (12–25 May 1983). "Heaven 17: The Luxury Gap" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 5, no. 10. p. 35. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
  9. "Advertisement" (PDF). Record Mirror: 22. 23 April 1983. ISSN 0144-5804. Retrieved 16 October 2022. New album & chrome cassette V2253 available Monday 25th April
  10. "News: Luxury From Heaven" (PDF). Record Mirror: 6. 23 April 1983. ISSN 0144-5804. Retrieved 16 October 2022. Heaven 17 release a follow-up album to their "Penthouse and Pavement' LP next week.
  11. "Heaven Up Here". Smash Hits. Vol. 5, no. 3. 3–16 February 1983. p. 12. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  12. Wright, Jonathan (5 October 2018). "Living the High Life: Heaven 17 interview". Classic Pop. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  13. Jenkins, Mark (November 1983). "Heaven 17". Electronic Soundmaker (Nov 1983): 16–18.
  14. "Heaven 17 – Luxury Gap & B.E.F. Concerts" (Press release). Noble PR. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  15. "The Luxury Gap UK Tour 2012". heaven17.com. 20 March 2012. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  16. "The Luxury Gap Tour 2012 – Full UK & European dates". heaven17.com. 27 June 2012. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  17. "The Luxury Gap In Concert 35th Anniversary Celebration UK Tour 2018". heaven17.com. 19 March 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  18. The Luxury Gap (liner notes). Heaven 17. Virgin Records. 1983. V2253.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 137. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  20. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6243b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Heaven 17 – The Luxury Gap" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  22. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin: Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Heaven 17 – The Luxury Gap" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  24. "Charts.nz – Heaven 17 – The Luxury Gap". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – Heaven 17 – The Luxury Gap". Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  26. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  27. "Heaven 17 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  28. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1983" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
  29. Scaping, Peter, ed. (1984). "Top 100 LPs: 1983". BPI Year Book 1984. British Phonographic Industry. pp. 44–45. ISBN 0-906154-04-9.
  30. "British album certifications – Heaven 17 – The Luxury Gap". British Phonographic Industry. 2 February 1984. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
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