Tenement Symphony (Marc Almond album)
Tenement Symphony (subtitled Kies und Glanz • Grit and Glitter • Grès et Paillettes) is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Marc Almond. It was released in October 1991 and reached number 39 on the UK Albums Chart.[1] Tenement Symphony includes three UK top 40 hit singles; "Jacky", "My Hand Over My Heart" and "The Days of Pearly Spencer" (which would become Almond's last UK top 10 hit to date).
| Tenement Symphony | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 14 October 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:54 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
| |||
| Marc Almond chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Tenement Symphony | ||||
| ||||
Background
Working with former La Magia and Willing Sinners member Billy McGee, and his former Soft Cell bandmate David Ball as well as various studio musicians, Almond recorded the album at Maison Rouge, Sarm West Studios, Fishermans Room, Berlin, CTS Studios, Berwick St Studios, RAK and Pacific Studios.
Composition
The album is divided into two sections; 'Grit' and 'Glitter'. The first five songs constituted the 'Grit' and were produced by Almond, Billy McGee, Nigel Hine, and The Grid. The 'Glitter' side (the Tenement Symphony) was produced by Trevor Horn. The artwork was designed by Green Ink with a cover photograph by Klanger and Boink. The album cover mimics the style of German record label Deutsche Grammophon's classical records.
Almond wrote in his autobiography that the album's concept was largely down to Rob Dickins and that he did not feel the album truly reflected his artistic direction at that time, though he was pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Trevor Horn.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
| NME | 6/10[4] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Marc Almond; except where indicated
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Meet Me in My Dream" |
| 4:24 |
| 2. | "Beautiful Brutal Thing" | 5:02 | |
| 3. | "I've Never Seen Your Face" |
| 5:02 |
| 4. | "Vaudeville and Burlesque" | 6:52 | |
| 5. | "Champagne" | 5:47 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "i. Prelude" | Ball | 0:23 |
| 7. | "ii. Jacky" | 4:49 | |
| 8. | "iii. What Is Love?" | 5:04 | |
| 9. | "iv. Trois Chansons de Bilitis – Extract" | Claude Debussy | 0:54 |
| 10. | "v. The Days of Pearly Spencer" |
| 4:22 |
| 11. | "vi. My Hand Over My Heart" |
| 5:15 |
Personnel
- Marc Almond – vocals, keyboards, arranger
- David Ball - synthesizer, programming
- Anne Dudley – keyboards, arranger, orchestration
- J.J. Belle – guitar
- Sally Bradshaw – vocals
- Betsy Cook – vocals
- Mitch Dalton – guitar
- Andy Duncan – drums, percussion, percussion programming
- Trevor Horn – bass on "What Is Love?", organ
- Billy McGee – keyboards, arranger
- Julian Mendelsohn – mixing
- Richard Norris – percussion programming
- Nick Plytas – piano on "I've Never Seen Your Face"
- Lynda Richardson – choir master
- Richard Riley – guitar
- Philip Todd – soprano and tenor saxophone
- Tim Weidner – bass
- Bruce Woolley – keyboards, vocals
- Gavyn Wright – string conductor
- Nigel Hine – programming
- Julian Stringle – clarinet
- Steve Rapport – artwork
- Inga Humpe – programming, vocals
- Eric Caudieux – guitar, keyboards, programming
- Max Loderbauer – programming
See also
- The Big Store § Musical numbers – musical with song "Tenement Symphony" sung by Tony Martin
References
- "The Official Charts Company - Marc Almond". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
- Allmusic review
- Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
- Page, Betty (19 October 1991). "Long Play". New Musical Express. p. 36.
- "Marc Almond | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.