Make It Better is the third studio album by British dance-pop band Dubstar. It was released August 2000 on Food, and spawned two singles: "I (Friday Night)" and "The Self Same Thing".[1] The single "I (Friday Night) was released in the UK on 1 May.[2] Some releases of Make It Better exclude the tenth and thirteenth tracks, "New Friends" and "Stay Together", respectively.[3][4] Make It Better was recorded at Steve Hillier's house in Lansdowne, Brighton, Hove and the Newcastle Arts Centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyre, with the band and Mike "Spike" Drake (who also mixed the recordings) acting as producers.[5]

Make It Better
Studio album by
Released28 August 2000 (2000-08-28)
StudioSteve Hillier's house, Lansdowne, Brighton; Hove and Newcastle Arts Centre, Newcastle-upon-Tyre
GenreSynthpop, alternative dance
Length47:58
LabelFood (through EMI)
ProducerDubstar, Mike "Spike" Drake
Dubstar chronology
Goodbye
(1997)
Make It Better
(2000)
Stars: The Best of Dubstar
(2004)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [6]
Lancashire Telegraph9/10[7]
The List     [8]
NME     [9]

Writing for AllMusic, Dean Carlson found the album very pop orientated. He praised the first three tracks, noting the new use of crunching guitars and rough beats. However, he felt the following tracks were lacklustre.[6]

Track listing

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All songs written by Steve Hillier, music by Hillier and Chris Wilkie, except where noted.[5]

  1. "Take It" – 3:13
  2. "I" – 2:51
  3. "The Self Same Thing" – 3:26
  4. "Mercury" (Kirsty Hawkshaw) – 4:07
  5. "Stay" – 3:44
  6. "Another Word" (lyrics: Sarah Blackwood, Wilkie; music: Hillier, Wilkie) – 4:11
  7. "When the World Knows Your Name" – 3:33
  8. "Arc of Fire" – 3:56
  9. "Believe in Me" – 3:43
  10. "I'm Conscious of Myself" – 2:49
  11. "Rise to the Top" – 2:33
  12. "Swansong" – 3:33

Japanese edition track listing

  1. "Take It" – 3:13
  2. "I" – 2:51
  3. "The Self Same Thing" – 3:26
  4. "Mercury" – 4:07
  5. "Stay" – 3:42
  6. "Another Word" – 4:13
  7. "When the World Knows Your Name" – 3:33
  8. "Arc of Fire" – 3:56
  9. "Believe in Me" – 3:43
  10. "New Friends" – 2:26
  11. "I'm Conscious of Myself" – 2:49
  12. "Rise to the Top" – 2:33
  13. "Stay Together" – 3:57
  14. "Swansong" – 3:30

Personnel

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Personnel per booklet.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Amazon.com: Make It Better: Dubstar". Amazon. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  2. ^ "Dubstar Web Garden". Archived from the original on 3 January 2007. Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  3. ^ "Release: Make It Better – MusicBrainz". Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  4. ^ "Release: Make It Better – MusicBrainz". Retrieved 4 April 2008.
  5. ^ a b c Make It Better (booklet). Dubstar. Food Records. 2000. foodcd 30.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ a b Carlson, Dean. "Make it better". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  7. ^ "Pulse Reviews". Lancashire Telegraph. 9 September 2000. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  8. ^ Bromley, Catherine (6 July 2000). "Music Record Reviews". The List (390): 48. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Make It Better". NME. 12 September 2005. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
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