"Dumb Waiters" is a song by the English
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
the Psychedelic Furs
The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler (singer), Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from ...
, released as a single in April 1981 by
. Written by the band and produced by
Steve Lillywhite
Stephen Alan Lillywhite (born 15 March 1955) is an English record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts The Alarm ...
, it was included on the band's second studio album ''
Talk Talk Talk
''Talk Talk Talk'' is the second studio album by the English rock band the Psychedelic Furs. It was released on 15 May 1981 by Columbia Records. It was reissued with bonus tracks in 2002 by Columbia/Legacy and on vinyl in the UK in 2011 withou ...
'' (1981).
Release
To help promote ''Talk Talk Talk'', the UK single for "Dumb Waiters" was packaged in an embossed plastic sleeve, playable at 33⅓ RPM on a turntable, which contained a track with excerpts from the songs "Into You Like a Train", "I Wanna Sleep with You" and "
Pretty in Pink
''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. The film stars Molly Ringwald, alongside Harry Dean Stanton, Jon Cryer, Annie Potts, James Spader, a ...
".
[
]
Lead vocalist
Richard Butler opened the track by saying, "This is a Psychedelic Furs commercial. Buy ''Talk Talk Talk''".
"Dumb Waiters" was the first Psychedelic Furs single to chart in the UK, peaking at No. 59.
[
]
It also reached No. 27 on the U.S.
National Disco Action Top 80 chart.
[
]
Critical reception
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 ...
writer
Dave Thompson said that the song "captures the band at its most frenzied, a state of mind which subsequent live versions only amplified".
[
]
AllMusic's Ned Raggett called the song "especially striking. . .with its queasy, slow-paced arrangement that allows both
uncanKilburn's harmonica and
ohnAshton's guitar to go wild".
[
]
Cover versions
New York City
dance-punk
Dance-punk (also known as disco-punk) is a post-punk subgenre that emerged in the late 1970s, and is closely associated with the disco, post-disco and new wave movements.Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978-1984. Simon Reynolds.Faber an ...
band
the Rapture
The Rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all dead Christian believers will be resurrected and, joined with Christians who are still a ...
recorded a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of the song, which was included on the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
of their 1998 debut single, "The Chair That Squeaks".
Track listing
7" vinyl
# "Dumb Waiters" – 3:35
# "Dash" – 3:06
* Playable sleeve contains "A Psychedelic Furs Commercial" – 4:39
Chart performance
References
External links
*
{{authority control
1981 singles
The Psychedelic Furs songs
Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite
1981 songs
Columbia Records singles
Songs written by Tim Butler
Songs written by John Ashton (musician)
Songs written by Richard Butler (singer)