''Valhalla Avenue'' is an album by Irish alternative rock act

The Fatima Mansions The Fatima Mansions were an Irish rock band formed in 1988 by Cork singer/keyboardist Cathal Coughlan, formerly of Microdisney. Career The original line-up consisted of Coughlan, Nick Allum, Jonathan Fell, Zac Woolhouse and Aindrias O'Grua ...

. Released in 1992 by

Kitchenware Records Kitchenware Records was an independent record label based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. It was founded in 1982 by Keith Armstrong, Paul Ludford and Phil Mitchell, and was originally part of The Soul Kitchen, an artist collective and nightcl ...

, the album included the singles "Evil Man" and "1000%". Frontman Cathal Coughlan wrote, and with the assistance of Ralph Jezzard and Victor Van Vugt, produced and engineered the album. A limited edition was also released with several bonus tracks, including obscure cover versions of

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...

's " Shiny Happy People" and Ministry's "

Stigmata Stigmata (, plural of , 'mark, spot, brand'), in Roman Catholicism, Catholicism, are bodily wounds, scars and pain which appear in locations corresponding to the Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion Five Holy Wounds, wounds of Jesus in Christian ...

". The album reached number 52 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 ...

.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Canongate, , p. 281-282

Critical reception

The ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

'' wrote that the album contains "some strikingly tuneful songs." '' Select'' called it "compulsive, sick, angelic music for the permanently aggrieved."

Track listing

All songs written by Cathal Coughlan. # "Evil Man" (4:12) # "Something Bad" (3:04) # "Valhalla Avenue" (3:19) # "1000%" (3:58) # "North Atlantic Wind" (4:21) # "Purple Window" (5:01) # "Go Home Bible Mike" (3:40) # "Perfumes of Paradise" (3:03) # "Greyhair" (4:26) # "C^7/Breakfast with Bandog" (3:31) # "Ray of Hope, Hoe of Rape" (4:15) # "Be Dead" (2:05)

Personnel

* Cathal Ó Cochláin – vocals, robot keyboards * Sister Mary Ó Gruama – guitar * Duke Ó Málaithe – keyboards * Hugh Bunker – bass guitar * Nicholas Tiompan Allum – drums, woodwind scoring Additional Musicians;- * Simon Picard – soprano saxophone on "North Atlantic Wind" * Ann Rodgers - vocals on "North Atlantic Wind" * Mike Williams - clarinet on "Greyhair" and "Perfumes of Paradise"

References

{{Authority control 1992 albums The Fatima Mansions albums Albums produced by Victor Van Vugt