30 Something
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''30 Something'' is the second album by
Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine (also known as Carter USM or simply Carter) were an English indie rock band formed in 1987 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les " Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style ...
, released in 1991 on
Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...
. It was recorded in 20 days on 8-track, costing only £4,000. The album was given a 10/10 review in ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'', which described ''30 Something'' as a "brilliant, bold record". It was prefaced with a single "Anytime Anyplace Anywhere", which was a major indie hit and also included on the album. The success of the album coincided with the renewed success of the "Sheriff Fatman" single, which generated more sales. It reached number eight in the UK charts on its original release, and number 21 when re-issued in early 1992. The album was certified Gold (100,000 units sold) by the
British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...
(BPI). The other single from the album, "Bloodsport For All", an attack on racism and bullying in the army, was released at the start of the
Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...
and was denied airplay by the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
.


Music and lyrics

An
alternative dance Alternative dance (also known as indie dance or underground dance in the United States) is a musical genre that mixes alternative rock with electronic dance music. Although largely confined to the British Isles, it has gained worldwide exposure ...
and grebo album heavy on puns and sampling, ''30 Something'' was described by Ned Raggett of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
as being largely similar to their debut album ''101 Damnations'', but showing "a growing sophistication that fleshed out both sound and lyrics." He said that its primary similarity with the former album is "the typical Carter trappings still running rampant: puns explode everywhere without restraint, musical and lyrical references creep in from
the Clash The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
and
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
to traditional football chants, and so forth," as well as "the still cheap-and-cheery sound of the band's keyboards, drum machines and more," but said that the differences show the band "a little more comfortable in the studio here. The two are able to whip up their surging numbers to a higher level–the group's stated fondness for
Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...
actually makes a little more sense here, while "Billy's Smart Circus" is flawless in its soaring, anthemic power. Meanwhile, their bluer moods get more gently evocative accompaniment, often addressing getting addicted to the bottle and the unfortunate results." Opening instrumental "Surfin' USM" opens with a sampled monologue of
Chris Barrie Chris Barrie (born Christopher Jonathan Brown; 28 March 1960) is a British actor and comedian. He worked as a vocal impressionist on the ITV sketch show '' Spitting Image'' (1984–1996) and as Lara Croft's butler Hillary in '' Lara Croft: ...
in character as Rimmer in ''
Red Dwarf A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...
'' Series 3 episode " Bodyswap" talking about getting fat with age–described by Raggett as "a great snippet about what growing old really means". It then gives way to a crowd chanting "You Fat Bastard", which Bob said was taken from a gig at the
University of Kent The University of Kent (formerly the University of Kent at Canterbury, abbreviated as UKC) is a Collegiate university, collegiate public university, public research university based in Kent, United Kingdom. The university was granted its roya ...
.Bob 2004, p. 217 The track is an instrumental indie dance track with chainsaw guitars and a David Bowie sample. "My Second to Last Will and Testament" shows Bob "settling affairs all around, down to organ donation" with the lyrics "They can take my lungs and kidneys/But my heart belongs to Daphne." Melding genres, the song sees a similar aesthetic to the opener, although with "snarling punk vocals from Jim Bob juxtaposing with some lovely harmonising from Fruitbat. The whole thing builds to a massive chorus before ending abruptly with Jim Bob throatily yelling "...die."" Samples of
Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...
's character Alfie appear on several tracks.


Critical reception

''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' gave the album 10/10, saying, "This brilliant, bold record will still be among the best ten albums of the year come the end of '91: testimony to how Carter, the unlikely lads of the past two years, have nailed down their instinctive feel for pop with a hookline and a point of view." ''
New Internationalist ''New Internationalist'' (''NI'') is an international publisher and left-wing magazine based in Oxford, England, owned by a multi-stakeholder co-operative and run day to day as a worker-run co-operative with a non-hierarchical structure. Known ...
'', who give different ratings for different components of the albums they review, rated the album four stars out of five based on "Politics" and three stars out of five based on "Entertainment." The magazine said "1991 appears to belong to Carter. They are that rare thing, a band that wholeheartedly addresses its time, that truly belongs to it." They were very favourable towards the band's lyrics, saying "Carter's bluff, seedy ebullience is a welcome antidote to the rather fey self-regard that's dominated indie pop over the last decade, from
the Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...
to the current blissed-out hedonism of
Happy Mondays Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up consisted of brothers Shaun Ryder (vocals) and Paul Ryder (bass), Gaz Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry la ...
and their
baggy Baggy is a British alternative dance genre popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and generally associated with the Northern UK's Madchester scene. The style saw alternative rock bands draw influence from psychedelia as well as dance music ...
ilk," but did however note that "it has to be said that Carter's musical style is limited in the extreme – for the most part, a ragged thrash that happens to be played largely on sequencers rather than guitars. The music and the rasping vocals give diminishing returns – the real pleasure has to be sought in the pun-laden lyrics."


Legacy

At the end of 1991, ''NME'' ranked the album at number 8 in their list of the top 50 "Albums of the Year", ahead of My Bloody Valentine's ''
Loveless Loveless may refer to: Comics and literature * Loveless (comics), ''Loveless'' (comics), a comic book series by Brian Azzarello, Marcelo Frusin, Danijel Zezelj, and Werther Dell'Edera * Loveless (manga), ''Loveless'' (manga), a manga series by Y ...
'', whilst ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
'' ranked it at number 21 in their own 1991 "End of Year Critic's List" for the top 50 albums of the year. '' Vox'' included the album in their list "Vox 50 Albums of 1991." In 2014, ''NME'' included in their list of "21 1990s Albums NME Has Given 10/10." Recalling the era, Andrew Collins in ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' said:


Track listing

All songs written and composed by
Morrison Morrison may refer to: People * Morrison (surname), people with the Scottish surname Morrison * Morrison Heady (1829–1915), American poet * Morrison Mann MacBride (1877–1938), Canadian merchant Places in the United States * Morrison, Colorad ...
and
Carter Carter(s), or Carter's, Tha Carter, or The Carter(s), may refer to: Geography United States * Carter, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Carter, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Carter, Montana, a census-designated place * Carter ...
, except for "Alternate Title", which was composed by
Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. ( ; born March 8, 1945) is an American musician and actor. He was the drummer and one of two primary vocalists for the pop rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and reunions until 2021), and a co-star of the TV series ''T ...
and performed by
The Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...
, ;Notes (CD bonus tracks) *1–3 from "Anytime Anyplace Anywhere" Single (October 1990) *4–5 from "Bloodsport For All" Single (January 1991) *6 from 7" Promo Giveaway At The Town & Country Club, London (14 December 1990) *7–22 BBC In Concert: Live At Kilburn - 7 December 1991


Personnel

* Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison – performer * Les " Fruitbat" Carter – performer * Sex Machine – producer * Simon Painter – producer * Simon Painter – engineer * Kevin Metcalf – mastering (at the Townhouse) * Carter – sleeve design * Flat Earth – sleeve design * Mark Baker – team photo * Jon ‘Fat’ Beast – cover star (and subject of track ‘Surfing USM’)


Charts


Certifications


References

Citations Sources * {{Authority control 1991 albums Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine albums Rough Trade Records albums