To Sir With Hate Explained

To Sir With Hate
Type:studio
Artist:Fifth Column
Cover:To Sir With Hate.jpg
Released:1985
Genre:Post-punk
Label:Hide Records
Producer:Michael Phillip Wojewoda
Next Title:All Time Queen of the World
Next Year:1990

To Sir With Hate is the debut album by Canadian post punk band Fifth Column, released in 1985 on Hide Records.[1] Considered a classic of Canadian music, it was named a shortlisted nominee in the 1976-1985 category for the 2016 Polaris Music Prize,[2] the 2017 Polaris Music Prize, and the 2018 Polaris Music Prize.

The album was produced by Michael Phillip Wojewoda[3] with Fifth Column.

The cover photo is by Toronto artist John Brown.

A video for the song "Where Are They Now?" was directed by Marc de Guerre and released in 1985. A video for "The Fairview Mall Story" followed in 1986, directed by Steven Rumbelow.

This album was followed by All Time Queen of the World in 1990, and 36-C in 1994.

Critical reaction

Liam Lacey reviewed the album favourably for The Globe and Mail in 1986, writing "Let these rude girls loose in England, and they'd be the heroines of the alternative charts in six weeks."[4] Trouser Press wrote that "while unfailingly thought-provoking — particularly on drummer-cum-guitarist (and noted film-maker) Gloria Berlin Jones’ darker compositions — the album ultimately falls victim to overly antiseptic production that blunts its punch considerably".[5]

Personnel

Notes and References

  1. "Fifth Column young and restless". The Globe and Mail, September 8, 1986.
  2. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7517906/polaris-heritage-prize-short-list-2016 "Polaris Heritage Prize: Neil Young, Alanis Morissette and Arcade Fire Make Short List for Pre-2005 Prize"
  3. Michael Barclay, Ian A.D. Jack and Jason Schneider, . ECW Press. .
  4. "To Sir With Hate: Fifth Column". The Globe and Mail, July 24, 1986.
  5. Web site: Fifth Column . Trouser Press . 2 August 2020.