''Stars'' is the fourth album by British-based pop/

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

band

Simply Red Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since th ...

, released in September 1991. Five singles were released from the album, including the UK top ten hits "

Stars A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth ma ...

" and " For Your Babies". The album was a worldwide success, particularly in the band's home country where it has been certified twelve times platinum and was the best-selling album of the year in the UK for both 1991 and 1992, the first album to be the best-seller in two consecutive years since Simon & Garfunkel's '' Bridge over Troubled Water'' in 1970–71. As of July 2016 it is the 14th best-selling album of all time in the UK. The album was on the shortlist of nominees for the 1992

Mercury Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...

. In 2000 '' Q'' placed ''Stars'' at number 80 in its list of "The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever". In 2000 it was voted number 258 in

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by ''The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along wit ...

's ''

All Time Top 1000 Albums ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the ''Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by th ...

''.

Composition and recording

Recording for the album originally began in Paris in August 1990, but the initial sessions did not go well: the equipment in the studio did not live up to expectations, and with the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...

having just started and dominating television news reports, the band found the atmosphere in the bunker-like studios oppressive and not conducive to making music. The group moved to the more relaxed surroundings of Venice to resume recording in the Condulmer Studios. Simply Red's leader and singer

Mick Hucknall Michael James Hucknall (born 8 June 1960) is an English singer and songwriter. Hucknall achieved international fame in the 1980s as the lead singer and songwriter of the soul-influenced pop band Simply Red, with whom he enjoyed a 25-year career ...

had wanted the album to have a less electronic and more soulful sound than their previous work, and had recruited programmer

Gota Gota or Gøta or Göta may refer to: People *Gotabaya Rajapaksa (born 1949), 8th President of Sri Lanka *, Japanese freestyle skier *Gota Yashiki (born 1962), both an independent acid jazz artist and drum/bass player, as a member of the band S ...

after hearing his work with

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

. Hucknall did not realise that Gota was also a drummer until he heard him jamming on the drum kit one evening in Venice, after which Gota also became the band's full-time drummer. The songs had been written over the previous year: "Something Got Me Started" and "Stars" had been written on the road during the group's previous tour. "Thrill Me" was based on a riff that McIntyre had come up with, while Hucknall described "Wonderland" as "probably the most political song I've written", documenting his dissatisfaction with the British

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

government of the time.

Artwork

The album cover features a photograph of singer Hucknall in the Californian desert, wearing a Native American painted cloak that he had bought in Spain. Hucknall had insisted that in the shot he would be wearing the cloak and nothing else, displaying his bare legs. However, when photographer Zanna showed the photographs to EastWest Records, they were concerned that Hucknall's bare legs would offend sensibilities in the US, and Zanna had to digitally retouch the picture using a test photograph of her assistant's jeans-covered legs.

Release

''Stars'' was released 30 September 1991 and debuted at number one on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

. It sold around 150,000 copies in its first week and faced competition from

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

's ''

Diamonds and Pearls ''Diamonds and Pearls'' is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the first with his new backing band The New Power Generation. It was released on October 1, 1991, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Record ...

'' and

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

's greatest hits collection '' Simply the Best''. In one year, the album had sold 2.4 million copies in the UK. ''Stars'' was re-issued in 2008 as a Collector's Edition 2CD with bonus DVD digipack.

Critical reception

The album received mixed reviews in the UK. The alternative music magazines were cool towards the record: in the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' Andrew Collins dismissed ''Stars'' as "an exercise in no-style over no-content... this is the sound of some technicians desperately fanning some smouldering ashes for people with central heating", while in '' Melody Maker'' Caroline Sullivan simply stated that "within his strictly-defined ''oeuvre'' – sleek, airbrushed music best described as soulette – ucknalls miles ahead of the competition... Nor, on an objective level, can ''Stars'' be faulted... This is a pleasant album, the sleeve is pretty, and now, at least, you've got a Christmas present for Gran." However, reviews from newspaper critics and other magazines were more positive. In ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

Adam Sweeting Adam Sweeting is a British rock critic and writer. Sweeting started writing in 1979 for publications such as ''Beat Instrumental'', ''Trouser Press'', Australian magazine ''RAM''Adam Sweeting. "Have Faith and Go to the Pictures". '' RAM Magazine ...

wrote that "the new songs sound relaxed, refreshed and satisfyingly cohesive... Easy to listen to but not

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

, ''Stars'' keeps shining", while ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

''s Andy Gill was similarly impressed, observing that "Hucknall's socialist soul-boy's conviction and his determination to write songs with stings in their tales place Simply Red several notches above the rest of the smooth soul genre... And in simple evocations of love like 'Thrill Me' or 'For Your Babies', the spark of honesty sets them above the superficial, insincere protestations of love that dominate modern soul music". In '' Q'' Ian Cranna hailed the album as "a long overdue change in musical direction, with Hucknall for the most part abandoning his undoubtedly sincere but inevitably fruitless attempts to re-create himself as a soul singer. Instead he's eased Simply Red down a couple of gears into a more relaxed and flowing style which owes as much towards current hip hop-inspired club rhythms as it does to old-style soul or funk." He ended his review by describing ''Stars'' as "Simply Red's most accessible and danceable work to date". In his retrospective review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called ''Stars'' "Simply Red's best album since their debut. It's smoother and more polished than their previous work, yet Mick Hucknall is singing better than ever and his songwriting is improving... Having absorbed his pop, soul, and reggae influences, Hucknall is now successfully writing songs in his own style, something that, with the exception of '

Holding Back the Years "Holding Back the Years" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red, released as the third single from their debut studio album, ''Picture Book'' (1985). It reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the UK Sin ...

', he hadn't managed previously." The album was voted the second-worst record ever made in a 1998 '' Melody Maker'' poll of pop stars, DJs, and journalists.

Track listing

Original release

All songs written and composed by

, except where noted. # "

Something Got Me Started "Something Got Me Started" is a song by British soul and pop band Simply Red, released as the first single from their fourth album, ''Stars'' (1991). It was released in several forms — a 7-inch single, a 12-inch single, and a CD version, ...

" (Hucknall,

Fritz McIntyre Fritz Gerald McIntyre (2 September 1958 – 23 August 2021) was a British musician, most famous for his tenure as keyboard player in the original line-up of Simply Red. Early life McIntyre was born in Birmingham in 1958. His father was not ...

) – 4:01 # "

" – 4:08 # " Thrill Me" (Hucknall, McIntyre) – 5:04 # " Your Mirror" – 3:59 # "She's Got It Bad" – 3:33 # " For Your Babies" – 4:17 # "Model" – 3:46 # "How Could I Fall" – 4:45 # "Freedom" – 3:52 # "Wonderland" – 3:49

2008 Collector's Edition bonus tracks

Disc one (CD) – extra tracks :Robert Johnson Sessions

" Come On in My Kitchen" (
Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...
) – 1:32
" Ramblin' on My Mind" (Johnson) – 2:11
"
Me and the Devil Blues "Me and the Devil Blues" is a blues song by Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar ski ...
" (Johnson) – 2:03
" When You've Got A Good Friend" (Johnson) – 2:00

:Live at Hamburg (23 February 1992)

"Sad Old Red" (Hucknall) – 5:58
"More" (Hucknall) – 4:14
"Something Got Me Started" (Hucknall, McIntyre) – 4:12
"Thrill Me" (Hucknall, McIntyre) – 5:09
"Your Mirror" (Hucknall) – 3:57
"She's Got It Bad" (Hucknall) – 3:45

Disc two (CD) – Mixes # "Stars" M-ized Mix– 4:10 # "For Your Babies" dition Francais– 4:06 # "Something Got Me Started" -Smoove's Late Night Mix– 8:00 # "Thrill Me" teppin' Razor Mix– 6:37 # "Freedom" erfecto Mix– 6:24 # "Stars" omprende Mix– 6:38 # "Something Got Me Started" urley's 7" Mix– 3:56 # "Thrill Me" onnoisseurs Mix– 5:56 # "Freedom" ow Long Mix– 4:09 # "Something Got Me Started" erfecto Mix– 5:10 # "Thrill Me" ellee Hooper's Dub Mix– 4:28 # "Thrill Me" tewart Levine's Club Mix(iTunes Only Track) – 6:56 Disc three (DVD) :Live at Montreux Jazz Festival (8 July 1992) # " Love for Sale" ( Cole Porter) # " Drowning in My Own Tears" (Henry Glover) # " Every Time We Say Goodbye" (Porter) # "Sad Old Red" (Hucknall) # "

Grandma's Hands "Grandma's Hands" is a song written by Bill Withers about his grandmother. It was included on his first album '' Just as I Am'' (1971), and was released as a single, reaching number 18 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart and 42 on the ''Billb ...

" (

Bill Withers William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He had several hits over a career spanning 18 years, including " Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), " Grandma's Hands" (1971), " Use Me" (197 ...

) # "Enough" (Hucknall,

Joe Sample Joseph Leslie Sample (February 1, 1939 – September 12, 2014) was an American keyboardist and composer. He was one of the founding members of The Jazz Crusaders in 1960, the band which shortened its name to "The Crusaders" in 1971. He remained ...

) # "

If You Don't Know Me by Now "If You Don't Know Me by Now" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and recorded by the Philadelphia soul musical group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. It became their first hit after being released as a single in September 1972, topp ...

" (

Kenny Gamble Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...

Leon Huff Kenneth Gamble (born August 11, 1943, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and Leon A. Huff (born April 8, 1942, Camden, New Jersey) are an American songwriting and production team credited for developing the Philadelphia soul music genre (also known as ...

) # "How Could I Fall" (Hucknall) # "Lady Godiva's Room" (Hucknall) # "A New Flame" (Hucknall) # "Your Mirror" (Hucknall) # "She's Got It Bad" (Hucknall) # "Model" (Hucknall) # "

It's Only Love "It's Only Love" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written mostly by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first released in 1965 on the ''Help!'' album in the United Kingdom and on the ''Rubber Soul'' album in the ...

" (Jimmy Cameron, Vella Cameron) # "Joy and Pain" (

Frankie Beverly Frankie Beverly (born Howard Beverly, December 6, 1946) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and producer, known primarily for his recordings with the soul and funk band Maze. Beverly formed Maze, originally called Raw Soul, in his ...

) # "Come to My Aid" (Hucknall, McIntyre) # "Infidelity" (Hucknall,

Lamont Dozier Lamont Herbert Dozier (; June 16, 1941 – August 8, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He co-wrote and produced 14 US ''Billboard'' number-one hits and four number ones in the UK. Career Doz ...

) # "The Right Thing" (Hucknall) # "

" (Hucknall, Neil Moss) # "Stars" (Hucknall) # "Open Up the Red Box" (Hucknall) # "Thrill Me" (Hucknall, McIntyre) # " Money's Too Tight (To Mention)" (John Valentine, William Valentine) # "For Your Babies" (Hucknall) # "Something Got Me Started" (Hucknall, McIntyre) :Promotional videos # "Something Got Me Started" # "Stars" # "For Your Babies" # "Thrill Me" # "Your Mirror"

Personnel

Simply Red *

– lead vocals, backing vocals *

– keyboards, backing vocals on "Freedom", additional vocals on "Something Got Me Started" and "Wonderland" *

Tim Kellett Tim Kellett (born 23 July 1964 in Knaresborough, Yorkshire, England) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. Biography Kellett has worked in the British music industry for the past twenty eight years. His professional career b ...

– keyboards *

Heitor TP ''Heitor'' is the first compact disc studio solo album by the Brazilian musician Heitor Pereira, released in 1994 (see 1994 in music). Track listing Credits * Heitor T.P. - Bass, Cavaquinho, Drum programming, Engineer, Guitar, Matches, MIDI ...

– guitars * Shaun Ward – bass *

– drums, percussion, programming * Ian Kirkham – saxophones Additional personnel * Jess Bailey – keyboard programming Production * Producer – Stewart Levine * Co-Producer – Mick Hucknall * Album Coordination – Bob Harding * Engineered and Mixed by Darren Klein * Assistant Engineers – Sandro Franchin and Marnie Riley * Recorded at Condulmer Recording Studios (Venice, Italy). * Mixed at Conway Studios (Hollywood, CA). * Mastered by

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...

at Bernie Grundman Mastering (Hollywood, CA). * Art Direction and Photography – Zanna * Management – Andy Dodd and Elliot Rashman at So What Arts, Ltd.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

!scope="row", Worldwide , , 9,000,000 , -

References

External links

Albums
at Simply Red official website {{Authority control Simply Red albums 1991 albums East West Records albums Albums produced by Stewart Levine