''Denim on Ice'' is the second album by
Denim
Denim is a sturdy cotton warp-faced textile in which the weft passes under two or more Warp (weaving), warp threads. This twill weave produces a diagonal ribbing that distinguishes it from cotton duck. Denim, as it is recognized today, was f ...
. It was released in 1996. The band went on their first tour supporting
Pulp
Pulp may refer to:
* Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit
* Pulp (band), an English rock band
Engineering
* Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper
* Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture
...
on their stadium tour.
[
The song "The Great Pub Rock Revival" jokingly namechecks musician ]Wreckless Eric
Eric Goulden (born 18 May 1954), known as Wreckless Eric, is an English rock music, rock and New wave music, new wave singer-songwriter, best known for his 1977 single "Whole Wide World (song), Whole Wide World" on Stiff Records. More than two d ...
, who in retaliation penned a scathing response with his group The Hitsville House Band, entitled "Lawrence of Arabia on Ice".
Track listing
All songs written by Lawrence, except where noted.
#"The Great Pub Rock Revival" – 4:14
#"It Fell Off the Back of a Lorry" – 3:21
#"Romeo Jones Is in Love Again" – 1:44
#"Brumburger" – 4:23
#"The Supermodels" – 4:02
#"Shut Up Sidney" – 2:27
#"Mrs. Mills" – 3:55
#"Best Song in the World" – 2:44
#"Synthesisers in the Rain" – 4:59
#"Job Centre" – 3:00
#"Council Houses" – 2:39
#"Glue and Smack" – 3:44
#"Jane Suck Died in 77" – 3:09
#"Grandad's False Teeth" – 2:53
#"Silly Rabbit" – 2:03
#"Don't Bite Too Much Out of the Apple" – 3:20
#"Myriad of Hoops" – 2:32
#"Denim on Ice" – 1:32
Personnel
* Lawrence – Lead Vocals & Lyrics
* Tony Barber – Guitar, Synthesizer
* Bill Bass – Bass, Background Vocals
* K.V. Brake – Engineer
* Paul Brook – Programming
* Kevin Dempsey – Guitar
* Denim – Mixing, Primary Artist, Producer
* Tim Dorney – Electronics, Programming
* Duncan Goddard (Radio Massacre International
Radio Massacre International is a trio of British musicians, Steve Dinsdale (keyboards and drums), Duncan Goddard (keyboards and bass), and Gary Houghton (guitar, synth). They specialize in improvisational experimental electronic music, utilisin ...
) – Synthesizer
* Gerry Hogan – Dobro, Guitar, Pedal Steel
* Gerard Johnson – Engineer, Synthesizer, Vocoder
* Alex Jones – Engineer
* Terry Miles – Farfisa Organ, Hammond Organ, Piano, Synthesizer, Background Vocals, Wurlitzer
* Russell Milton – Bass
* Brian O'Shaughnessy – Engineer, Producer, Roland MC-303, Synthesizer
* Peter Phipps (drummer)
Peter William Phipps (born 5 August 1951) is a rock drummer, singer and songwriter known for his work with Gary Glitter, the Glitter Band, and later Eurythmics, XTC and Denim. He is currently a member of both the Glitter Band and Mud.
Biograp ...
– Drums (Simmons kit), Background Vocals
* Sean Read – Background Vocals
* John A. Rivers – Mixing, Clap Trap, Programming
* Neil Scott – Guitar, Background Vocals
* Gerry Shephard – Guitar, Background Vocals
* Steve Walwyn
Stephen Martin Walwyn (born 8 June 1956 in Southam, Warwickshire, England) is an English rhythm and blues guitarist, best known for his playing with Dr. Feelgood (band), Dr. Feelgood, but who has also played with Eddie and the Hot Rods, Steve Ma ...
– Guitar
* Norman Watt-Roy
Norman Joseph Watt-Roy (born 15 February 1951) is an English musician, arranger and composer.
Watt-Roy's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the late 1970s, during the punk and new wave era of rock music as the bass ...
– Bass
* John Williams – Roland MC-303
* Pete Z. – Mellotron, Hammond Organ, Piano, Roland MC-303, Synthesizer
* Smithy – Synthesizer, 303, piano, guitar, backing vocals, human beatbox, some arranging
Reception
Upon its release, Simon Price
Simon Price (born 25 September 1967) is a British music journalist and author. He is known for his weekly review section in ''The Independent on Sunday'' and his books ''Everything (A Book About Manic Street Preachers)'' and ''Curepedia: An ...
of the 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 ...
magazine gave it a favorable review, stating that the album was "possibly the funniest record ever made" and "an act of aesthetic warfare...and commercial suicide". John Sutherland included "Denim on Ice" in a list of "great storytelling albums", alongside The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...
and The Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music ...
. In April 2024, Uncut Magazine
''Uncut'' is a monthly magazine based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections. A DVD magazine under the ''Uncut'' brand was published quarterly from 2005 to 2006 ...
placed the album in the 222th spot while listing the "500 Greatest Albums Of The 1990's".
References
1996 albums
Denim (band) albums
The Echo Label albums
New wave albums by English artists
{{1990s-alt-rock-album-stub