''Force'' is the fifth Album#Studio, studio album by the English post-punk band A Certain Ratio, released in November 1986 by Factory Records; their final release on the label. Stuart James co-produced the album with the band. It was recorded and mixed between July and August 1986 at Yello 2 Studios in Stockport. It is the first studio album by the band to feature saxophonist Tony Quigley and the final to feature keyboardist Andy Connell as a full-time member who left the band to concentrate on his work with the Pop music, pop band Swing Out Sister who had started to gain mainstream success around the time that this album was released. Corinne Drewery of Swing Out Sister provided additional vocals on the track "Bootsy". The album received good reviews from music critics, and spent nine weeks on the UK Independent Singles and Albums Charts, UK Independent Albums Chart, peaking at No. 2.Lazell, Barry (1997) ''Indie Hits 1980–1989'', Cherry Red Books, , p. 1 "Mickey Way" was the first single from the album, released exclusively in the UK. "Bootsy" was the second single from the album and was released exclusively in Australia. Neither single charted. In 1994, Creation Records re-issued the album on CD without any bonus content. The album was later re-issued again in 2009 by LTM Recordings but this time featuring two bonus tracks: "The Runner" and the Australian single remix of "Bootsy". "Nostromo a Gogo" was added to the original Factory Records Cassette tape, cassette version of the album which was contained within a blue Hessian fabric, hessian-covered box, the same design as for the cassette version of the contemporary release of ''Brotherhood (New Order album), Brotherhood'' by New Order (band), New Order which was also on Factory Records.

Critical reception

''Force'' received a mostly positive response from critics. ''The Quietus'' wrote: "To the band's surprise, ''Force'' immediately struck a nerve, not just within the confines of Manchester either, pushing the band close to the success they always deserved. [...] ''Force'' remains their purest moment". ''Trouser Press'', on the other hand, wrote that the album "[abandons] the raw, stark and chilling sound of the band's seminal work. Professionally executed but completely boring and devoid of spontaneity, there's little here that Chuck Mangione fans might not enjoy." In a retrospective review for AllMusic, critic Ned Raggett described the album as "a record of its time as a result -- the sometimes airless, compressed production often fights against more inspired individual elements song for song, like Quigley's layered brass break on "Bootsy," one of the album's highlights and clearly a bit of a nod to the legendary Parliament-Funkadelic, P-Funk bassist Bootsy Collins." Raggett also further added that "Donald Johnson's drumming and Martin Moscrop's multi-instrumental work remain hyperactive and sometimes subtly surprising, and at the album's best."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''Force'' liner notes. A Certain Ratio * Jeremy Kerr – Lead vocalist, lead vocals; bass guitar; tapes * Andy Connell – piano; vocoder; synthesizer; keyboard Sampling (music), samples * Martin Moscrop – guitar; guitar synthesizer; trumpet * Donald Johnson – Drum kit, drums; Backing vocalist, backing vocals; lead vocals on "Inside" * Anthony Quigley – Soprano saxophone, soprano and tenor saxophones Additional musicians * Tom Barnish – trombone on "Bootsy" and "Mickey Way" * Corinne Drewery – additional vocals on "Bootsy" * Paul Harrison – Yamaha DX7 bass Programming (music), programming

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Force (A Certain Ratio Album) 1986 albums A Certain Ratio albums Factory Records albums