Love Not Money

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Not to be confused with For Love or Money, Love and Money, or Love v Money.

Love Not Money
Studio album by
Everything but the Girl
Released15 April 1985 (1985-04-15)
RecordedPower Plant (London)
GenreJangle pop[1]
Length35:48
Label
ProducerRobin Millar
Everything but the Girl chronology
Everything but the Girl
(1984) 		Love Not Money
(1985) 		Baby, the Stars Shine Bright
(1986)
Singles from Love Not Money
  1. "When All's Well"
    Released: 1985
  2. "Angel"
    Released: 1985

Love Not Money is the second studio album by British band Everything but the Girl, which consisted of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt. It was produced by Robin Millar, recorded at Powerplant Studios in London[2] and was released in the UK on 15 April 1985 by Blanco y Negro Records. It spent nine weeks on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number 10. In the United States, Sire Records issued the album with two additional tracks.

Love Not Money is EBTG's "most overtly politicised" album. Besides Thorn and Watt, notable performers on the album include June Miles-Kingston, Phil Moxham, Neil Scott and B.J. Cole. The tracks "When All's Well" and "Angel" were released as singles in the UK. Love Not Money was reissued in 2012 as a remastered two-disc deluxe set by Edsel Records.

Themes[edit]

The band's Tracey Thorn told CMJ New Music Monthly her partner and bandmate Ben Watt had been buying guitars and wanted to make an electric-guitar-based album.[1] Love Not Money's songs cover subjects such as social stratification, sexism, and the sectarian conflict and terrorism in Northern Ireland.[3] "Ugly Little Dreams" is dedicated to American actor Frances Farmer.[4] Thorn said, "It's our most overtly politicised set of lyrics—some good, some a bit crass".[1]

Chart performance[edit]

Love Not Money spent nine weeks on the UK Albums Chart. It debuted and peaked at number 10 on 27 April 1985 and slowly declined, falling to number 69 on 22 June, its final week on the chart.[5]

Singles[edit]

In the UK, two tracks from Love Not Money were released as singles. "When All's Well" entered the UK Singles Chart on 23 March 1985 at number 88; it peaked at number 77 the following week, its last week on the chart.[6] "Angel" charted on 8 June 1985 at number 97 and peaked at number 93 the following week then left the chart.[6]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Pitchfork5.8/10[7]
Q[8]
Record Mirror3/5[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[10]
Sounds[11]
Spin Alternative Record Guide5/10[12]
Uncut7/10[13]
a young woman and man are seated next to each other.
Ben Watt and Tracey Thorn as photographed in the 1990s.

Reviewing the 2012 reissue, Jess Harvell of Pitchfork called Love Not Money "a near-total reinvention [of EBTG] and a complete stylistic mish-mash".[7] She said its guitars are covered with "about nine pounds of agreeably dated glitz" and compared their sound with that of Icicle Works' music.[7] Harvell also said, "it's the most soporific and studiously 'serious' album EBTG ever made, and parts of it are a real drag"; that the title track "Love Not Money" "plays the dreaminess of 80s soft-focus indie against the stark [political] reality that so much 80s pop was rushing to avoid"; and called "Sean" and its tin flute instrumentation "Celtic kitsch" that is "so ham-fisted you'll cringe".[7]

Also reviewing the reissue, the BBC's Ian Wade compared the album with the music of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions and The Smiths, and wrote that "it sounded a desire for EBTG to be heard above the bigger crowds [EBTG] were beginning to play to".[14]

In 2015, Emily Barker of NME rated Love Not Money in 16th place on her list of "50 Albums Released In 1985 That Still Sound Great Today", saying it "confirmed the duo as one of our nation's little treasures ..."[15]

Track listing[edit]

Original UK release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When All's Well"Ben Watt3:03
2."Ugly Little Dreams"Tracey Thorn2:54
3."Shoot Me Down"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
4:13
4."Are You Trying to Be Funny?"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:18
5."Sean"Watt3:32
6."Ballad of the Times"Watt3:29
7."Anytown"Watt3:27
8."This Love (Not for Sale)"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:07
9."Trouble and Strife"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:08
10."Angel"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
5:37

[2]

Original US release
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When All's Well"Watt3:03
2."Heaven Help Me"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:20
3."Are You Trying to Be Funny?"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:18
4."Ugly Little Dreams"Thorn2:54
5."Shoot Me Down"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
4:13
6."Sean"Watt3:32
7."Ballad of the Times"Watt3:29
8."Kid"Chrissie Hynde3:46
9."Anytown"Watt3:27
10."This Love (Not for Sale)"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:07
11."Trouble and Strife"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:08
12."Angel"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
5:37

[16]

2012 Edsel Records reissue[edit]

Disc 1
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."When All's Well"Watt3:03
2."Ugly Little Dreams"Thorn2:54
3."Shoot Me Down"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
4:13
4."Are You Trying to Be Funny?"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:18
5."Sean"Watt3:32
6."Ballad of the Times"Watt3:29
7."Anytown"Watt3:27
8."This Love (Not for Sale)"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:07
9."Trouble and Strife"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:08
10."Angel"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
5:37
Disc 2
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heaven Help Me"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:24
2."Kid"Hynde3:50
3."Pigeons in the Attic Room"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
1:45
4."Charmless Callous Ways"
  • Thorn
  • Watt
1:55
5."Easy as Sin" (Version)Watt4:16
6."Angel" (home demo, 1984)
  • Thorn
  • Watt
5:11
7."Ugly Little Dreams" (home demo, 1984)Thorn2:52
8."Are You Trying to Be Funny?" (home demo, 1984)
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:07
9."This Love (Not for Sale)" (BBC session recording, 1984–85)
  • Thorn
  • Watt
2:50
10."Ballad of the Times" (BBC session recording, 1984–85)Watt2:47
11."Are You Trying to Be Funny?" (BBC session recording, 1984–85)
  • Thorn
  • Watt
3:15

[17]

Personnel[edit]

Everything but the Girl
Additional musicians
  • June Miles-Kingston – drums, backing vocals
  • Philip Moxham – bass
  • Neil Scott – electric guitar
  • Dick Pearce – trumpet
  • Nigel Nash – tenor saxophone
  • B.J. Cole – pedal steel
  • Dick Pearce – flugelhorn, trumpet
  • Peter King – alto saxophone
  • Chris Thompson – banjo
  • Dave Golding – tin whistle
  • Robin Millar – piano on "Angel"[2]
Technical
  • Ben Rogan, Mike Pela – engineering
  • Caryn Gough – cover design
  • Humphrey Spender – cover photography, taken from Worktown People: Photographs from Northern England 1937–38
  • Richard Haughton and Jean-Louis Gregoire – inner bag photography[2]
Thanked

Charts[edit]

Chart (1985) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 51
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[19] 26
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[20] 38
UK Albums (OCC)[21] 10

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c White, Michael (August 2001). "Everything But the Marine Girls". CMJ New Music Monthly. New York. p. 36. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Love not Money (album cover). Blanco y Negro Records / WEA Records. 1985.
  3. ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Love Not Money – Everything But the Girl". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  4. ^ O'Brien, Lucy (10 August 2015). "From the archive, 10 August 1988: Profile – Tracey Thorn, Everything But The Girl". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  5. ^ "love not money; full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  6. ^ a b "EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL; Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d Harvell, Jess (9 July 2012). "Everything But the Girl: Reissues". Pitchfork. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  8. ^ Rogers, Jude (July 2012). "Everything but the Girl: Eden / Love Not Money / Baby, the Stars Shine Bright / Idlewild". Q. No. 312.
  9. ^ Reid, Jim (20 April 1985). "Everything but the Girl: Love Not Money". Record Mirror. p. 16.
  10. ^ Sarig, Roni (2004). "Everything but the Girl". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 288–289. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  11. ^ Murphy, Kevin (20 April 1985). "Prickly pair". Sounds. p. 24.
  12. ^ Crist, Renée (1995). "Everything but the Girl". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 136–137. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  13. ^ Richards, Sam (July 2012). "Everything but the Girl". Uncut. No. 182. p. 98.
  14. ^ Wade, Ian (2012). "Everything but the Girl Eden / Love Not Money / Baby, the Stars Shine Bright / Idlewild Review". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  15. ^ Barker, Emily (13 February 2015). "50 Albums Released In 1985 That Still Sound Great Today". NME. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  16. ^ "Love Not Money (U.S. Version) by Everything But The Girl on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  17. ^ "Love Not Money (Deluxe Edition) by Everything But The Girl on Amazon Music". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  18. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  19. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Everything but the Girl – Love Not Money" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Charts.nz – Everything but the Girl – Love Not Money". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  21. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  22. ^ "British album certifications – Everything but the Girl – Love Not Money". British Phonographic Industry. 12 May 1988. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
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