When in Rome (When in Rome album)
| When in Rome | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 3 May 1988 |
| Genre | Synth-pop |
| Length | 37:41 (US) 45:24 (UK) |
| Label | Virgin Records |
| Producer | Michael Brauer Ben Rogan Richard James Burgess[1] |
| Singles from When in Rome | |
| |
When in Rome is the self-titled debut album of English dance group When in Rome. It is the only studio album by the original lineup to date.
Released in 1988, the album contained the song "The Promise", which was the group's biggest hit. The album peaked at #84 on the Billboard 200.
Background[edit]
In a 1988 interview with the Evening Times, keyboardist Michael Floreale spoke of the album, "Ben Rogan was great to work with - his ideas on the backing tracks were quite complementary to our own. The songs are the best from our first couple of years, so whenever the album comes out they should still stand up as songs. We just want to be able to sell enough copies of our first album to be offered the chance to do another one."[2]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Daily Union | mixed[4] </ref> |
On its release, Curt Anderson of the Daily Union considered When in Rome to "sound like a lot of today's pop music: synthesizer-based, danceable and rather empty-headed". They added, "The two singers harmonize perfectly, singing lead vocals together on nearly every tune. The music is generally bright and perky, sort of what the Pet Shop Boys probably sound like when they've had too much coffee. Most of the record thumps along in this vein, although on Side 2 there is a greater reliance on real instruments that makes things more interesting."[4] In a retrospective review, William Cooper of AllMusic concluded, "Like many one-hit wonders of the '80s, When in Rome failed to maintain the momentum set by its only hit song by releasing a dud of an album. 'The Promise' starts things off nicely, but the remainder of the album is embarrassingly weak."[5]
Track listing[edit]
All songs composed by When in Rome (Clive Farrington, Michael Floreale, Andrew Mann).
- "The Promise" - 3:40
- "Heaven Knows" - 3:56
- "Something Going On" - 3:35
- "I Can't Stop" - 3:44
- "If Only" - 4:08
- "Sight of Your Tears" - 3:34
- "Wide, Wide Sea" - 4:05
- "Child's Play" - 4:00
- "Total Devotion" - 3:05
- "Everything" - 4:00
The UK CD release also included "Big City" as track 6, and "Whatever the Weather" as track 11, displacing the list accordingly.
Personnel[edit]
When in Rome[edit]
- Clive Farrington: Vocals
- Andrew Mann: Vocals
- Michael Floreale: Keyboards, piano, backing vocals
Additional personnel[edit]
- Maxi Anderson, Rose Stone: Backing Vocals
- J.J. Belle, Michael Thompson: Guitars
- Phil Spalding: Bass
- Richard James Burgess, Mike Timoney: Keyboards
- David Ervin: Keyboards, Drum Programming
- Preston Heyman: Drums
- Martin Ditcham, Robin Jones: Percussion
- Tony Charles: Steel Drums
- Mark Chandler, Richard Edwards, Kevin Robinson: Brass
- Ian Gardiner: Brass Arrangements
- Nick Ingman: String Arrangements
- Larry Stabbins: Saxophone
Production[edit]
- Produced By Michael Brauer & Ben Rogan
- Engineers: Chris Fuhrman, Teri Reed
- Assistant Engineers: Martin Horenburg, Alex Rodriquez
- Mixing: Michael Bauer
- Mastering: Tom Baker, Dan Hersch
Charts[edit]
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Swedish Albums Chart[6] | 42 |
| US Billboard Top Pop Albums[7] | 84 |
References[edit]
- ^ "When In Rome - When In Rome at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
- ^ Evening Times – Google News Archive Search
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ a b Daily Union – Google News Archive Search
- ^ Cooper, William. "When in Rome - When in Rome : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "When In Rome - When In Rome". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
- ^ When in Rome. "When in Rome - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
