Velveteen (album) explained

Velveteen
Type:	studio
Artist:	Transvision Vamp
Cover:	TransvisionVamp-Velveteen.jpg
Released:	June 1989
Recorded:	1989
Studio:	Moody Studios, Acton, London; Eastcote Studios, Kensal Road, London; The Town House, London
Length:	50:10
Label:	MCA
Producer:	Duncan Bridgeman Zeus B. Held^[1]
Prev Title:	Pop Art
Prev Year:	1988
Next Title:	The Complete 12"ers Collection Vol. 1
Next Year:	1990

Velveteen is the second studio album by English rock band Transvision Vamp, released in June 1989 by MCA Records. The album includes the single "Baby I Don't Care", which reached number 3 in the United Kingdom and Australia. Velveteen reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart and number 2 in Australia, where it became the 39th best-selling album of the year.

An accompanying video album, titled The Velveteen Singles, features the videos for all four singles released from the album, as well as behind-the-scenes footage.

Critical reception

Jeff Clark-Meads, reviewer of British music newspaper Music Week, said that the band is more successful with loud and fast songs. He noted with satisfaction that "there are enough tracks here with pace and raunch to carry the casual listener through the slower, limits-of-ability-defining tracks," and summarized: "Indeed, as a package the album has life, verve and muscle and will appeal to anybody who finds the band's singles attractive."^[2]

Track listing

All tracks written by Nick Christian Sayer, except where noted.

1. "Baby I Don't Care" – 4:37
2. "The Only One" – 4:19
3. "Landslide of Love" – 3:48
4. "Falling for a Goldmine" (Sayer, Marcus Myers) – 4:28
5. "Down on You" – 4:20
6. "Song to the Stars" – 1:50
7. "Kiss Their Sons" – 4:16
8. "Born to Be Sold" – 3:44
9. "Pay the Ghosts" – 4:37
10. "Bad Valentine" – 3:45
11. "Velveteen" – 9:51

Personnel

Transvision Vamp

• Wendy James – vocals
• Nick Christian Sayer – guitar
• Dave Parsons – bass
• Tex Axile – keyboards
• Kevin Armstrong – guitar

with:

• Richard Niles – string arrangements on "Landslide of Love" and "Velveteen"

Technical

• Ben Kape, Philip Bagenal – engineer
• Peter Ashworth – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1989)! scope="col"

Peak position
European Albums (Music & Media)^[3]	10
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)^[4]	6

Year-end charts

Chart (1989)! scope="col"

Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[5]	39
European Albums (Music & Media)^[6]	77
UK Albums (Gallup)^[7]	31

Notes and References

1. Velveteen. Transvision Vamp. 1989. MCA Records.
2. Clark-Meads. Jeff. Review: Transvision Vamp – Velveteen. Music Week. 24 June 1989. 20 February 2022. 24. London. Spotlight Publications Ltd.. World Radio History. 0265-1548. https://web.archive.org/web/20211029184833/https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1989/MW-1989-06-24.pdf. 29 October 2021.
3. European Top 100 Albums . . 6 . 28 . 15 July 1989 . VIII . 29800226 . World Radio History.
4. Book: Pennanen, Timo . Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 . fi . 1st . Helsinki . . 2006 . 978-951-1-21053-5.
5. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Albums for 1989 . . 18 May 2022.
6. European Top 100 Albums 1989 . Music & Media . 6 . 51 . 23 December 1989 . 9 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
7. Year End Albums . Record Mirror . 20 January 1990 . 42 . 0144-5804 . World Radio History.