The Comforts of Madness (album)

The Comforts of Madness is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Pale Saints. It was released on 12 February 1990 by 4AD.[3]

The Comforts of Madness
Studio album by
Released12 February 1990 (1990-02-12)
StudioBlackwing (London)
Genre
Length41:06
Label4AD
Producer
Pale Saints chronology
The Comforts of Madness
(1990)
In Ribbons
(1992)

The Comforts of Madness peaked at number 40 on the UK Albums Chart.[4] On 17 January 2020, 4AD released a remastered and expanded reissue of the album for its 30th anniversary.[5][6]

Critical reception

edit
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
Mojo     [8]
NME9/10[9]
Pitchfork7.6/10[2]
Q     [10]
Record Mirror4/5[11]
Uncut9/10[12]
Under the Radar9/10[13]

Reviewing The Comforts of Madness for NME, Simon Williams praised the album as an "unnervingly multi-dimensional collage of melody and friction" with "at least eight Great Pop Tunes, all hooklines and absolutely no stinkers."[9] The magazine later named it the 45th best album of 1990.[14]

In 2016, Pitchfork ranked The Comforts of Madness at number 21 on its list of the 50 best shoegaze albums of all time.[1]

Track listing

edit

All tracks are written by Pale Saints (Chris Cooper, Ian Masters, and Graeme Naysmith), except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Way the World Is" 2:40
2."You Tear the World in Two" 3:01
3."Sea of Sound" 5:52
4."True Coming Dream" 2:30
5."Little Hammer" 2:17
6."Insubstantial" 4:20
7."A Deep Sleep for Steven" 3:44
8."Language of Flowers" 2:54
9."Fell from the Sun"Kendra Smith4:45
10."Sight of You" 5:37
11."Time Thief" 3:26
Total length:41:06

Personnel

edit

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[15]

  • Pale Saints (Chris Cooper, Ian Masters, and Graeme Naysmith) – all instruments

Production

  • Al Clay – engineering (tracks 4, 6–8, 11)
  • Tim Davis – engineering assistance (tracks 4, 6–8, 11)
  • John Fryerproduction (tracks 1–3, 5, 9, 10), engineering (tracks 1–3, 5, 9, 10)
  • Gil Norton – production (tracks 4, 6–8, 11)

Design

  • Chris Bigg – art direction assistance, design assistance
  • Bleddyn Butcher – group photography
  • Vaughan Oliver – art direction, design
  • Sarah Tucker – cat photography

Charts

edit
Chart (1990–2020) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[16] 49
UK Albums (OCC)[4] 40

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 October 2016. p. 3. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  2. ^ a b Ham, Robert (23 January 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Pale Saints: 'The Comforts Of Madness'". 4AD. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  4. ^ a b "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  5. ^ "Pale Saints: 'The Comforts of Madness (30th Anniversary Remaster)'". 4AD. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Pale Saints: 30th Anniversary 'The Comforts of Madness' Out Now". 4AD. 21 January 2020. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  7. ^ Kellman, Andy. "The Comforts of Madness – Pale Saints". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  8. ^ Eccleston, Danny (March 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Mojo. No. 316. p. 107.
  9. ^ a b Williams, Simon (10 February 1990). "Beyond the Pale". NME. p. 36.
  10. ^ Paphides, Pete (April 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Q. No. 409. p. 118.
  11. ^ Southwell, Tim (10 February 1990). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Record Mirror. p. 14.
  12. ^ Dale, Jon (February 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness". Uncut. No. 273. p. 48.
  13. ^ Gourlay, Dom (21 January 2020). "Pale Saints: The Comforts of Madness: 30th Anniversary Remaster (4AD)". Under the Radar. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  14. ^ "NME's best albums and tracks of 1990". NME. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  15. ^ The Comforts of Madness (liner notes). Pale Saints. 4AD. 1990. cad 0002 cd.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
edit