Do It Yourself (The Seahorses album)
| Do It Yourself | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by The Seahorses | ||
| Released | 26 May 1997[1] | |
| Recorded | Royaltone Studios, North Hollywood, California, Autumn 1996 | |
| Genre | Alternative rock | |
| Length | 45:35 | |
| Label | Geffen Records | |
| Producer | Tony Visconti | |
| Singles from Do It Yourself | ||
|
||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Pitchfork Media | (6.7/10) [3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
Do It Yourself is the only album by the Seahorses, an English alternative rock band that John Squire, formerly guitarist in the Stone Roses formed. The album's cover features a photograph of Squire's 1996 sculpture in the shape of globe made of puzzle pieces and also named Do It Yourself.
The album was released to mixed-to-positive reviews, but was well received by the British public. It entered the UK album chart at #2, behind Gary Barlow's solo debut Open Road, and went on to gain platinum status after selling over 300,000 copies in the UK alone. The album featured three charting UK singles: "Love Is the Law" (#3), "Blinded by the Sun" (#7), and "Love Me and Leave Me" (#16), the latter of which was Liam Gallagher's first songwriting credit. NME readers voted The Seahorses the fourth best new act of 1997;[5] Guitarist magazine readers voted Do It Yourself the tenth-best album of the year.[6]
A short UK tour in December 1997, with support from American alternative rock band Third Eye Blind, promoted the album's release, as did subsequent support slots with The Rolling Stones, U2 and Oasis.[7] Ongoing recording sessions, which yielded the single "You Can Talk to Me" (UK #15, US Modern Rock Tracks #30), were aborted in January 1999, and the band split soon after, without completing the planned follow-up to Do It Yourself.[7]
Track listing
All songs composed by John Squire unless otherwise noted.
- "I Want You to Know" – 4:52 (Chris Helme, Stuart Fletcher)
- "Blinded by the Sun" – 4:39 (Helme)
- "Suicide Drive" – 3:31
- "Boy in the Picture" – 2:54
- "Love Is the Law" – 7:43
- "Happiness is Egg-Shaped" – 3:45
- "Love Me and Leave Me" – 3:55 (Squire, Liam Gallagher)
- "Round the Universe" – 3:45
- "1999" – 3:25
- "Standing on Your Head" – 4:39
- "Hello" – 2:22 (Helme)
Personnel
- Chris Helme - vocals, steel-string guitar, backing vocals
- John Squire - guitar
- Stuart Fletcher - bass guitar
- Andy Watts - drums, backing vocals
- Lili Hayden - violin
- Tony Visconti - mellotron, tambura, theremin
References
- ↑ "The Seahorses - Albums". Virgin Media. Retrieved 2013-10-15.
- ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Do It Yourself at AllMusic
- ↑ Pitchfork Media review
- ↑ Rolling Stone review
- ↑ "Pop Poll". NME. 1997. Retrieved 4 February 2012. Archived at rocklistmusic.co.uk.
- ↑ "Best of 1997". Guitarist. February 1998.
- 1 2 "Ex-Seahorses Singer Chris Helme On Life With John Squire and His Solo Future". live4ever. 6 Jan, 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
External links
- Do It Yourself at YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)