Alphabeat (album)

Alphabeat is the debut studio album by Danish band Alphabeat. It was first released in Denmark on 5 March 2007 by Copenhagen Records, and eventually in the rest of Europe in 2008 under the title This Is Alphabeat.

Alphabeat
Studio album by Alphabeat
Released	5 March 2007 (2007-03-05)
Recorded	2007–2008
Studio	Miloco Studios, London
Genre	Pop dance-pop indie pop
Length	39:29
Label	Copenhagen
Producer	Alphabeat Mike Spencer Rune Westberg
Alphabeat chronology
Alphabeat (2007) The Spell (2009)
Alternative cover
This Is Alphabeat cover
Singles from Alphabeat
"Fascination" Released: 6 June 2006 "10.000 Nights of Thunder" Released: 15 January 2007 "Fantastic 6" Released: 23 April 2007 "Boyfriend" Released: 1 October 2007 "Go-Go" Released: 21 April 2008 "What Is Happening" Released: 24 November 2008

In June 2018, This is Alphabeat was re-released exclusively on vinyl, in celebration of the album's 10th anniversary.[1]

Singles

"Fantastic 6" was released as a limited-edition 10-inch vinyl in the United Kingdom only, prior to the release of "Fascination". The video for "Fantastic 6" did not surface in the UK, but was released in Denmark—even though the single was not released there.

"Fascination" was released as the album's second single. It charted at number four on the Danish Singles Chart, number six on the UK Singles Chart and number seven on the UK Official Download Chart.

"10.000 Nights of Thunder", the third single, charted at number 16 in Denmark and the UK, as well as number 24 in the Netherlands.

The album's fourth single, "Boyfriend", reached number 11 in Denmark, number 15 in the UK, number 18 in the Netherlands and number 49 in Ireland.

"Go-Go" was released the fifth single from the album. It was only released in Denmark, where peaking at number fourteen.

The album's sixth and final single, "What Is Happening", was only released in the UK and peaked at number 110, becoming their lowest-charting single there.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	72/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3] (Alphabeat)
AllMusic	[4] (This Is Alphabeat)
Digital Spy	[5]
DIY	5/10[6]
Drowned in Sound	6/10[7]
The Guardian	[8]
The Observer	[9]
Pitchfork	5.5/10[10]
STV	[11]
Q	[12]

Alphabeat received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 72, based on seven reviews.[2]

Track listing

All tracks written by Alphabeat, except where noted.

Alphabeat – Danish edition[13]

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"10.000 Nights of Thunder"	Rune Westberg	4:23
2.	"Fascination"	Westberg	3:03
3.	"Into the Jungle"	Westberg	3:52
4.	"What Is Happening?"	Westberg	4:23
5.	"Rubber Boots/Mackintosh"	Westberg	6:13
6.	"Boyfriend"	Westberg	3:37
7.	"Ocean Blue"	Westberg	2:56
8.	"Fantastic 6"	Westberg	3:27
9.	"The Hours"	Westberg	3:09
10.	"Nothing but My Baby"	Westberg	4:26
Total length:			39:29

This Is Alphabeat – International edition[4]

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Fantastic Six"	Westberg	3:36
2.	"Fascination"	Westberg	3:01
3.	"10,000 Nights"	Westberg	4:24
4.	"Boyfriend"	Mike Spencer	3:12
5.	"What Is Happening"	Westberg Spencer^[a]	3:56
6.	"Go-Go"	Spencer	3:03
7.	"Touch Me Touching You"	Spencer Alphabeat	4:02
8.	"Rubber Boots"	Spencer Alphabeat	4:59
9.	"Public Image" (writers: Keith Levene, Jah Wobble, Jim Walker, John Lydon)	Spencer Alphabeat	2:49
10.	"Nothing but My Baby"	Westberg Spencer^[a] Alphabeat^[a]	3:13
Total length:			40:15

This Is Alphabeat - 10th Anniversary Edition[1]

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Fantastic Six"	Westberg	3:36
2.	"Fascination"	Westberg	3:01
3.	"10,000 Nights"	Westberg	4:24
4.	"Boyfriend"	Mike Spencer	3:12
5.	"What Is Happening"	Westberg Spencer^[a]	3:56
6.	"Go-Go"	Spencer	3:03
7.	"Touch Me Touching You"	Spencer Alphabeat	4:02
8.	"Rubber Boots"	Spencer Alphabeat	4:59
9.	"Public Image" (writers: Keith Levene, Jah Wobble, Jim Walker, John Lydon)	Spencer Alphabeat	2:49
10.	"Nothing But My Baby (Original Version)"	Westberg	4:26
11.	"Into the Jungle"	Westberg	3:52
12.	"Ocean Blue"	Westberg	2:56
Total length:			43:05

iTunes Store bonus tracks[14]

No.	Title	Length
11.	"10,000 Nights" (alternate version)	3:32
12.	"Fascination" (Alphabeat vs. Frankmusik)	4:27
13.	"Fascination" (Bimbo Jones Remix)	2:59
Total length:		47:13

Japanese edition bonus tracks[15]

No.	Title	Length
11.	"Into the Jungle"	3:52
12.	"Ocean Blue"	2:56
13.	"Fascination" (Bimbo Jones Remix Edit)	2:59
14.	"Fascination" (Linus Loves Dub Mix)	5:07
Total length:		51:09

Special edition bonus CD[16]

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Boyfriend" (Danish version)	Westberg	3:37
2.	"Into the Jungle" (Danish version)	Westberg	3:52
3.	"A Message" (B-side)	Alphabeat	4:11
4.	"Fascination" (live at Vega, Copenhagen)		3:29
5.	"Go-Go" (live at Vega, Copenhagen)		3:26
6.	"Boyfriend" (Napster live session)		2:49
7.	"Fascination" (Bimbo Jones Remix)	Westberg Bimbo Jones^[a]^[b]	2:59
8.	"Fantastic Six" (Radioclit Remix)	Westberg Radioclit^[b]	5:23
9.	"10,000 Nights" (Frankmusik Remix)	Westberg Frankmusik^[b]	4:20
10.	"Fascination" (The Count & Sinden Remix)	Westberg Joshua Harvey^[a]^[b] Graeme Sinden^[a]^[b]	5:13
11.	"Fantastic Six" (Muzzle Flash Remix)	Westberg Muzzle Flash^[b]	6:35
12.	"10,000 Nights" (Brodinski and Yuksek Remix)	Yuksek Brodinski^[c]	4:05

Notes

• ^{^a} signifies an additional producer
• ^{^b} signifies a remixer
• ^{^c} signifies a main producer and remixer

Personnel

Alphabeat

• Anders B – guitar
• Stine Bramsen – vocals
• Troels Hansen – drums
• Rasmus Nielsen – keyboards
• Anders Reinholdt – bass
• Anders SG – vocals

Additional personnel

Alphabeat[17]

• Christian Backman – A&R
• Ketil Duckert – horns, trumpet (tracks 3, 8)
• Jan Eliasson – mastering
• Morten Jerichau – photography
• Mads Mathias – saxophone (track 2)
• Jakob Sørensen – product management
• Spild af Tid ApS – artwork
• Rune Westberg – mixing, recording, production (all tracks); recorder (track 6); slide guitar (track 10)

This Is Alphabeat[18]

• Alphabeat – production (tracks 7–9); additional production (track 10)
• Laurence Aldridge – recording assistance (tracks 4–6, 8, 10)
• Christopher Allan – cello (track 5)
• Christian Backman – A&R
• Nell Catchpole – violin (track 5)
• Elias Christidis – A&R
• Alex Cowper – design
• John Davis – mastering
• Alison Dodds – violin (track 5)
• Ketil Duckert – horns, trumpet (track 1)
• Richard Edgeler – mixing assistance (tracks 2–5)
• Finn Eiles – recording (tracks 4, 6, 8, 10); additional recording (track 5)
• Eine – letter art
• Pete Hofmann – additional recording (track 9)
• Mads Mathias – saxophone (track 2)
• Rachel Robson – viola (track 5)
• Mike Spencer – production (tracks 4, 6, 7–9); additional production (tracks 5, 10); mixing (tracks 6–10)
• Magnus Unnar – photography
• Rune Westberg – mixing (track 1); production, recording (tracks 1–3, 5, 10); slide guitar (track 10)
• Jeremy Wheatley – mixing (tracks 2–5)

Charts

Weekly charts Alphabeat Chart (2007) Peak position Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[19] 2 This Is Alphabeat Chart (2008) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[20] 63 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[21] 5 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[22] 28 Irish Albums (IRMA)[23] 54 Scottish Albums (OCC)[24] 9 UK Albums (OCC)[25] 10

Year-end charts Alphabeat Chart (2007) Position Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[26] 23 This Is Alphabeat Chart (2008) Position Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[27] 54 UK Albums (OCC)[28] 118

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[29]	Platinum	30,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[30]	Gold	100,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Edition	Ref.
Denmark	5 March 2007	Copenhagen	Alphabeat	[13]
Germany	30 May 2008	EMI	This Is Alphabeat	[31]
Denmark	2 June 2008	Copenhagen		[32]
United Kingdom		Charisma		[33]
Japan	16 July 2008	EMI		[15]
Denmark	1 June 2018	Copenhagen / Universal	This is Alphabeat - 10th Anniversary Edition	[1]

References

1. "Alphabeat - This is Alphabeat (2018, 180g, 10th Anniversary Edition, Vinyl) Discogs". Discogs.com. Discogs. 1 June 2018. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
2. "Reviews and Tracks for This Is Alphabeat by Alphabeat". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
3. Hoffman, K. Ross. "Alphabeat – Alphabeat". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
4. Schnee, Steve "Spaz". "This Is Alphabeat – Alphabeat". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
5. Levine, Nick (4 June 2008). "Alphabeat: 'This Is Alphabeat'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
6. McCaighy, Stuart (2 June 2008). "Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat". DIY. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
7. Edwards, Tom (10 June 2008). "Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
8. Burgess, John (30 May 2008). "Alphabeat, This is Alphabeat". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
9. Robinson, Peter (18 May 2008). "Alphabeat, This Is Alphabeat". The Observer. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
10. Ewing, Tom (21 August 2008). "Alphabeat: This Is Alphabeat". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
11. Gaywood, Oliver (2 June 2008). "Alphabeat: This Is Alphabeat". STV. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
12. Cottingham, Chris (July 2008). "Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat". Q (264): 98.
13. "Alphabeat" (in Danish). Copenhagen Records. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
14. "This Is Alphabeat by Alphabeat". iTunes Store (GB). Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
15. アルファビート [Alphabeat] (in Japanese). EMI Music Japan. Archived from the original on 1 June 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
16. "This is Alphabeat (2CD) – Alphabeat" (in Danish). CDON.dk. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
17. Alphabeat (liner notes). Alphabeat. Copenhagen Records. 2007. CPHREC 0078.CS1 maint: others (link)
18. This Is Alphabeat (liner notes). Alphabeat. Charisma Records. 2008. CASCD2014.CS1 maint: others (link)
19. "Danishcharts.dk – Alphabeat – Alphabeat". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
20. "Ultratop.be – Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
21. "Danishcharts.dk – Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
23. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 23, 2008". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 23 October 2010.
24. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
25. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
26. "Chart of the Year 2007". TOP20.dk. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
27. "Album 2008 Top-100" (in Danish). Hitlisten.NU. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
28. "Official Album Chart" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. 2008. p. 7. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
29. "Guld og platin i 2007" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. 28 September 2007. Retrieved 8 August 2010.
30. "British album certifications – Alphabeat – This Is Alphabeat". British Phonographic Industry. 10 October 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type This Is Alphabeat in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
31. "Alphabeat // This Is Alphabeat" (in German). EMI Music Germany. Archived from the original on 10 February 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
32. "This Is Alphabeat" (in Danish). Copenhagen Records. Archived from the original on 2012-08-20. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
33. "This Is Alphabeat". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2017.