Seamonsters

Seamonsters is the third studio album by British rock band The Wedding Present. It was recorded in ten days in 1991 by American producer Steve Albini at Pachyderm Studio in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Albini had previously recorded two EPs with the group, Brassneck and 3 Songs and, like those records, Seamonsters has a rougher, harsher overall sound than the group's earlier two albums.

Seamonsters
Studio album by The Wedding Present
Released	27 May 1991
Recorded	1991, United States
Genre	Post-punk[1]
Length	46:58
Label	RCA
Producer	Steve Albini
The Wedding Present chronology
Bizarro (1989) Seamonsters (1991) Hit Parade 1 (1992)

In deliberate contrast to the full sentences featured on previous recordings—something for which the group had often been parodied within the music press—all of the songs on Seamonsters have one-word titles. The album enjoyed a strongly positive critical reception. Guitarist Peter Solowka was sacked between the recording and release of the album, replaced by Paul Dorrington.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
NME	5/10[3]
Select	4/5[4]

Rockdelux ranked the album the 5th best album of the year on their year-end list.[5] In 1999, Ned Raggett ranked the album at number 10 on his list of "The Top 136 Or So Albums Of The Nineties".[6] Alternative Press ranked it #81 and #18 in their lists of "The 90 Greatest Albums of the 90s" and "Top 99 Albums of '85 to '95" respectively.[7] Stylus ranked it at #200 on their "Top 101-200 Albums of All time" list.[8] The Guardian included it on their list of "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die".[9] Rockdelux also ranked it at #46 on their list of "The 150 Best Albums from the 90s".[10]

Track listing

All songs written by David Gedge unless otherwise noted.

1. "Dalliance" – 4:24
2. "Dare" – 3:45
3. "Suck" – 3:58
4. "Blonde" – 5:07
5. "Rotterdam" – 3:15
6. "Lovenest" – 5:10
7. "Corduroy" – 3:28
8. "Carolyn" – 3:39
9. "Heather" – 3:32
10. "Octopussy" – 6:21

U.S. edition

In addition to the original ten tracks, this edition added three bonus tracks.[11]

11. "Niagara" - 4:06
12. "Dan Dare" - 1:40
13. "Fleshworld" - 4:26

2001 reissue

The album was remastered and reissued in 2001 with additional songs from the 3 Songs EP and the Dalliance and Lovenest singles.[12]

11. "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" (Steve Harley) - 3:44
12. "Crawl" - 2:44
13. "Corduroy" (single version) - 3:23
14. "She's My Best Friend" Lou Reed - 2:55
15. "Niagara" - 4:06
16. "Mothers" (Jean-Paul Sartre Experience) - 2:56
17. "Dan Dare" - 1:40
18. "Fleshworld" - 4:26

Personnel

• David Gedge - vocals, guitar
• Peter Solowka - guitar
• Keith Gregory - bass
• Simon Smith - drums

References

1. O'Hara, Gail (September 1992). "Married With Singles". Spin. 8 (6): 38. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
2. Sendra, Tim. "Seamonsters – The Wedding Present". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
3. Lamacq, Steve (25 May 1991). "Kraken's Wake". NME.
4. Kessler, Ted (July 1991). "The Wedding Present: Seamonsters". Select (13): 76.
5. "Rock De Lux Best Albums Of The 90s". Rock De Lux Lists. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
6. "The Top 136 Or So Albums Of The Nineties". netcomuk.co.uk. Archived from the original on January 20, 2000. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
7. "Top 99 Of '85 to '95". rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
8. Top 101-200 Albums of All time Archived May 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
9. "1000 albums to hear before you die". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
10. "The Old Acclaimed Music Forum". bravenet.com. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
11. Bush, John. "Seamonsters [US Bonus Tracks]". Allmusic. Retrieved 3 April 2011.
12. Bush, John. "Seamonsters [Camden Deluxe Bonus Tracks]". Allmusic. Retrieved 3 April 2011.

External links

• Review of Seamonsters at Dailymusicguide