Voices Carry (album)

Voices Carry is the first studio album by American new wave band 'Til Tuesday, released in 1985.

Voices Carry
Studio album by
'Til Tuesday
ReleasedApril 20, 1985
StudioR.P.M. Sound Studios, New York, NY
GenreRock, new wave
Length41:52
LabelEpic
ProducerMike Thorne
'Til Tuesday chronology
Voices Carry
(1985)		 Welcome Home
(1986)
Singles from Voices Carry
  1. "Voices Carry"
    Released: March 1985
  2. "Looking Over My Shoulder"
    Released: 1985
  3. "Love in a Vacuum"
    Released: 1985

'Til Tuesday's debut single was the album's title track, which went to #8 on the Billboard singles chart and remains the band's best-known song. The "Voices Carry" video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist and was played heavily on MTV. It depicts a boyfriend trying to convert Aimee Mann to his upper-class lifestyle; she finally lashes out at him during a concert at Carnegie Hall, standing up from her seat in the audience and belting the lyrics ("He said, shut up! He said, shut up! Oh God, can't you keep it down?...") as she removes her cap to reveal her signature spiky, rat-tailed hair, while her boyfriend hides his face in embarrassment and the rest of the attendees look on in shock.

Except for one short establishing shot of the exterior of New York City's Carnegie Hall, the video was shot completely on-location in Boston, MA. The Strand Theater in Dorchester's Upham's Corner doubled for the interior of Carnegie Hall during the video's final crane shot.

The album's second and third singles were "Looking Over My Shoulder" (which peaked at No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100) and "Love in a Vacuum".

Production

Martin Rushent was being considered for the role of producer for Voices Carry.[1]

Release

Voices Carry was released on April 20, 1985.[2] The album entered the Billboard 200 at 152nd place on June 25.[3] The album spent 31 weeks on the chart peaking at 19.[4]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB−[5]

From contemporary reviews, Spin described the album as "a pleasure, but not a revelation." and that "almost all the tunes are instantly catchy, if not especially inspired."[6] Spin praised the group's vocalist stating that "in lead singer Aimee Mann they may have a star. [...] she has her own look and a voice that's evocative, thought not yet distinctive enough to stake out its own turf in the crowded field of female vocalists."[6] Robert Christgau gave the album a B− rating, stating that the group rolls out "synth-pop hooks like vintage A Flock of Seagulls, but Aimee Mann's throaty warble sounds almost human. And while the generalization level of her aggressively banal lyrics signals product, not expression, every one lands square on a recognizable romantic cliché."[5]

From retrospective reviews, AllMusic wrote that "While most bands from Boston suffered from lack of production, Mike Thorne does a decent job on much of the album and excellent work on the title track."[1] The review found that "Love in a Vacuum" was "over-produced, creating a good album track when the true follow-up hit was actually in hand."[1] The review went on to note haunting lyrics on "I Could Get Used to This" and "No More Crying" which "separate this recording from work of similar '80s bands". The review concluded that "this album and its follow-ups should have had as much commercial success as the Cars, because artistically, they are equal to that band's dynamic debut."[1]

Legacy

The popular Canadian teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation, which is known for naming each episode after an ‘80s hit song or album, named a two-part episode after this album.[7][8]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Aimee Mann; all music is composed by 'Til Tuesday

No.TitleLength
1."Love in a Vacuum"3:34
2."Looking Over My Shoulder"4:15
3."I Could Get Used to This"3:02
4."No More Crying"4:18
5."Voices Carry"4:20
6."Winning the War"4:03
7."You Know the Rest"4:26
8."Maybe Monday"3:40
9."Are You Serious?"3:15
10."Don't Watch Me Bleed"3:26
11."Sleep"3:40

Personnel
'Til Tuesday

Production

  • Produced By Mike Thorne
  • Executive Producer: Dick Wingate
  • Engineered By Dominick Maita
  • Mixed By Harvey Goldberg; assisted by Moira Marquis
  • Studio Assistants: Mike Krowiak & Jeff Lippay
  • Mastered By Jack Skinner
  • Britain Hill - photography

Charts
Chart (1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] 81
United States (Billboard 200) 19

Certifications

[14][15]

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[16] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes
  1. Viglione, Joe. "Voices Carry". AllMusic. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  2. Viglione, Joe. "Voices Carry". AllMusic. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  3. "Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  4. "'Til Tuesday". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  5. "'Til Tuesday". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  6. Brooks, E. (May 1985). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 1, no. 1. SPIN Media LLC. p. 29.
  7. "Degrassi: The Next Generation: Episode List". IMDB. IMDB.com. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  8. "Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season 4". TV.com. TV.com. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  9. Voices Carry - 'Til Tuesday | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-03-02
  10. Voices Carry - 'Til Tuesday | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-03-02
  11. Voices Carry - 'Til Tuesday | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-03-02
  12. Voices Carry - 'Til Tuesday | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2021-03-02
  13. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 310. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  14. Gold/Platinum - Music Canada
  15. Gold & Platinum - RIAA
  16. "Canadian album certifications – 'Til Tuesday – Voices Carry". Music Canada. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  17. "American album certifications – 'Til Tuesday – Voices Carry". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 22 December 2016.

References
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