''Hi-Fi Serious'' is the third studio album by British
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...
band
A, released in 2002.
The name "Hi-Fi Serious" was derived from the name of the hi-fi electronics store
Alan Partridge
Alan Gordon Partridge is a comedy character portrayed by the English actor Steve Coogan. A parody of British television personalities, Partridge is a tactless and inept broadcaster with an inflated sense of celebrity. Since his debut in 1991, h ...
buys a Bang & Olufsen stereo from in the last episode of ''
I'm Alan Partridge'' series 1. The tour in support of this album's release was called the 'Inner City Sumo' tour - another reference to ''I'm Alan Partridge'' (Season 1 Episode 1).
Charts, sales and legacy
The album is certified Silver in the U.K., having sold over 60,000 copies.
First single, "Nothing", made it to 9 in the UK singles chart before the album's release, propelling the band higher up the ladder - the album peaked at No. 18 in the UK album charts - and although they were still not seen as a mainstream artist, the album still won them "Best British Band" at the
''Kerrang!'' Awards.
In 2005, readers of ''
Kerrang!
''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' magazine voted ''Hi-Fi Serious'' the 57th best British rock album ever.
Kerrang! The 100 Best British Rock Albums Ever!
(at the bottom of the page)
Track listing
# "Nothing
Nothing, the complete absence of anything, has been a matter of philosophical debate since at least the 5th century BC. Early Greek philosophers argued that it was impossible for ''nothing'' to exist. The atomists allowed ''nothing'' but only i ...
" – 3:43
# " Something's Going On" – 2:58
# "6 o'Clock on a Tube Stop" – 3:14
# "Going Down" – 4:09
# "Took It Away" – 3:29
# " Starbucks" – 3:18
# "The Springs" – 4:28
# "Shut Yer Face" – 3:43
# "Pacific Ocean Blue" – 3:27
# "The Distance" – 3:37
# "W.D.Y.C.A.I." (Why Don't You Cry About It) – 3:27
# "Hi-Fi Serious" – 5:57
# "Champions of Endings" (U.S. bonus track) - 4:25
B-Sides
* "Asshole" - 4:45
* "T-Shirt Money" – 3:27
* "Everybody In" – 4:16
* "Getting Me Off" - 3:10
* "Some People" - 2:05
* "Monterey" - 2:52
* "Coming Around" - 3:31
* "Rock" - 4:05
* "Human Condition" - 4:03
* "Sorry But..."
* " Just Like Paradise"
DVD features
''Hi-Fi Serious'' was later re-release
In the music industry, a reissue (also re-release, repackage or re-edition) is the release of an album or single which has been released at least once before, sometimes with alterations or additions.
Reasons for reissue
New audio formats
Rec ...
d with an additional DVD of live footage and other video clips of the band.
This included music videos for "Nothing", "The Distance" & "Old Folks" (From Monkey Kong), a 12-minute documentary, UK TV commercials for Hi-Fi Serious, and 20 minutes of "Live at Reading 2002" footage.
References
External links
Lyrics
{{Authority control
A (band) albums
2002 albums