''Extra Virgin'' is the debut album by British

trip hop Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...

band

Olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

, originally released in 1996. The album includes the single " You're Not Alone", which originally reached number 42 in the UK Singles Chart in 1996 and when re-released in 1997 it reached number one. Two other singles were released from the album: "

Outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...

" (UK No. 14) and "

Miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

" (UK No. 41). The trip hop influence of

Massive Attack Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert Del Naja, Robert "3D" Del Naja, Daddy G, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Tricky (musician), Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew Vowles, Andrew "Mushroom" ...

and Portishead, while in small quantities, are evident, mixed in with synth-based electronic dance. The album was re-released in 1997 following the success of "You're Not Alone" and peaked at number 15 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

Recording

Synthesizers A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

used on the album are a

Roland Juno-60 The Roland Juno-60 is an analog synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1982 and 1984. It followed the Juno-6, an almost identical synthesizer released months earlier. The Juno synthesizers introduced Roland's digitally contro ...

, an

E-mu Systems E-mu Systems was a software synthesizer, audio interface, MIDI interface, and MIDI keyboard manufacturer. Founded in 1971 as a synthesizer maker, E-mu was a pioneer in samplers, sample-based drum machines and low-cost digital sampling musi ...

Vintage Keys, and an Akai S3000XL sampler. Mixing was done on a

Mackie Mackie may refer to: Organizations * Mackie (company), American manufacturer of professional audio equipment * Mackie International, a textile machinery engineering plant and foundry in Northern Ireland * Mackie Academy, a secondary school in Sto ...

mixing console A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for Audio mixing (recorded music), mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals fro ...

. The band created some samples by recording live sounds, edited and subsequently filtered.

Critical reception

Jeremy Helligar from ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' magazine wrote, "

Ruth-Ann Boyle Ruth-Ann Boyle (born 26 April 1970) is an English singer. Together with producers Tim Kellett and Robin Taylor-Firth, she formed the British band Olive (band), Olive. The band's single "You're Not Alone (Olive song), You're Not Alone" reached n ...

's warmed-honey vocals offset the iciness of titles like "Killing" and "Blood Red Tears"; her voice caresses arrangements at once gentle and unsettled. The intriguing combination makes ''Extra Virgin'' a bittersweet delight."

Track listing

Personnel

Olive *

– vocals *

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 ...

–

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

, keyboards, trumpet * Robin Taylor-Firth – keyboards Other musicians * Darren Campbell – bass guitar * Duke Quartet – strings: ** Louise Fuller – violin ** Richard Koster – violin ** Ivan McCready –

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

** John Metcalfe –

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

* Tony Foster – bass, guitar * Adrian Hackett – drums * George Lambert – digital EQ * Henrik Linnermann – flute * James McNichol – assistant

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

* Omith Mukherjee – guitar * Heitor Teixeira Pereira – guitar * Geoff Pesche – mastering * David F. Revill – engineer * Mark Sheridan – flute, guitar *

Leon Zervos Leon Zervos is a mastering engineer who has worked with artists including Pink, Rihanna, Maroon 5, Beastie Boys, and Willie Nelson. Life and career Leon Zervos began his mastering career in 1982 at the then EMI Studios 301 in Sydney, where ...

– mastering Metcalfe had previously played for The Durutti Column alongside Kellett, as had Pereira for

Simply Red Simply Red are an English soul music, soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. Band leader, singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall was the only original member left by the time Simply Red initially disbanded in 2010. They have released thir ...

Charts and sales

References

{{Authority control 1996 debut albums Olive (band) albums RCA Records albums