Under the Sun (Paul Kelly album)

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Under the Sun
Studio album by
Paul Kelly
ReleasedNovember 1987
GenreAustralian Rock
Length45:14
LabelMushroom/White (Australia)
A&M (U.S.)
ProducerAlan Thorne and Paul Kelly except Dumb Things, produced by Martin Armiger and Paul Kelly
Paul Kelly chronology
Gossip
(1986) 		Under the Sun
(1987) 		So Much Water So Close to Home
(1989)
Singles from Under the Sun
  1. "To Her Door"
    Released: September 1987
  2. "Forty Miles to Saturday Night"
    Released: February 1988
  3. "Don't Stand So Close to the Window"
    Released: May 1988
  4. "Dumb Things"
    Released: 1988
Under the Sun
1988 North American/European release (A&M Records)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Robert ChristgauB[3]
Rolling Stone[2]

Under the Sun is the second album by Australian rock group Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls and was originally released in December 1987 by Mushroom Records.[4][5] In the North American and European markets, it was released by A&M Records in 1988 with the band credited as Paul Kelly & The Messengers, with a different track order and listing.[5]

On the Australian albums charts, it peaked at #19, with the single "To Her Door" peaking at #14.[6][7] Another single, "Dumb Things," peaked at #36 in early 1989 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) singles charts;[7] it reached #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart.[8] The song was included in the soundtrack for the 1988 Yahoo Serious film Young Einstein.[9]

"To Her Door" won an ARIA Award in 1988 for 'Best Video' directed by Claudia Castle.[10][11] In 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) listed the Top 30 Australian songs of all time,[12] including "To Her Door," written by Kelly.[13]

Background[edit]

After relocating from Melbourne to Sydney in 1985, Paul Kelly began to play and record with a full-time band, which included Michael Armiger on bass guitar, Michael Barclay on drums, Steve Connolly on guitar, eventually bassist Jon Schofield, and keyboardist Peter Bull joined.[5] Through a joke based on Lou Reed's song "Walk on the Wild Side", the band became known as Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls.[4][14] In September 1986 the band released their debut double LP Gossip.[5] Due to possible racist connotations the band changed its name, for international releases, to Paul Kelly and the Messengers.[4][14] They made an American tour, initially supporting Crowded House and then head-lining, travelling across the United States by bus.[4] Jon Schofield replaced Armiger on bass guitar, Chris Coyne on tenor saxophone and Chris Wilson on harmonica

On the Australian albums charts, it peaked at #19 with the single "To Her Door" peaking at #14.[6][7] First single from the album, "Bradman," had been released in January 1987 as a double-A side with "Leaps and Bounds" from Gossip but had little chart success.[6][7] The third and fourth singles, "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" and "Don't Stand So Close to the Window" also had little chart success.[6][7] Another single, "Dumb Things," peaked at #36 in early 1989 on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) singles charts;[7] it reached #16 on the Billboard Modern Rock chart.[8] The song was included in the soundtrack for the 1988 Yahoo Serious film Young Einstein.[9]

In 1988, "To Her Door" won an ARIA Award for 'Best Video' directed by Claudia Castle.[10][11] In 2001, the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) listed the Top 30 Australian songs of all time,[12] including "To Her Door," written by Kelly.[13]

"Desdemona" was featured in an episode of the Australian TV show Packed To The Rafters.

Track listing[edit]

All tracks written by Paul Kelly unless otherwise indicated.[13]

Original Australian LP/MC release

  1. "Dumb Things" (aka "I've Done all the Dumb Things) – 2:31
  2. "Same Old Walk" – 4:08
  3. "Big Heart" – 3:22
  4. "Don't Stand So Close to the Window" (Paul Kelly, A McGregor) – 2:35
  5. "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" – 3:11
  6. "I Don't Remember a Thing" – 2:04
  7. "Know Your Friends" – 3:37
  8. "To Her Door" – 3:18
  9. "Under the Sun" – 4:18
  10. "Untouchable" – 2:04
  11. "Desdemona" – 3:46
  12. "Happy Slave" – 2:30
  13. "Crosstown" – 2:23
  14. "Bicentennial" – 3:04

Bonus tracks for Australian CD release

  2. "Bradman" – 7:26
  3. "Pastures of Plenty" (Woody Guthrie) – 2:26

North American/European release

  1. "Dumb Things" – 2:31 ^^
  2. "Same Old Walk" – 4:08
  3. "Big Heart" – 3:22
  4. "Don't Stand So Close to the Window" (Paul Kelly, A McGregor) – 2:35
  5. "Forty Miles to Saturday Night" – 3:11 ^^
  6. "Untouchable" – 2:04
  7. "Know Your Friends" – 3:37
  8. "To Her Door" – 3:18 ^^
  9. "Under the Sun" – 4:18
  10. "Desdemona" – 2:07
  11. "Happy Slave" – 3:46
  12. "Crosstown" – 2:30
  13. "Little Decisions" – 2:25
  14. "Bicentennial" – 3:04

(^^) The European release featured slightly different mixes of these tracks.

Personnel[edit]

Paul Kelly and the Coloured Girls

Additional musicians

Recording details

  • Producer — Alan Thorne and Paul Kelly except "Dumb Things", produced by Martin Armiger and Paul Kelly
  • Engineer — Alan Thorne
    • Assistant engineer — Kathy Naunton
  • Recording & mixing studio — Alberts and Trafalgar Studios

Art work

  • Design — Melanie Nissen
  • Photography — Francine McDougall (cover photo), Isabel Snyder

Charts[edit]

Chart (1987/88) Peak
position
Australian (Kent Music Report)[15] 19
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16] 25

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[17] Platinum 70,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Format Country Label Catalogue No. Year
LP/CD/Cassette AUS Mushroom RML 53248 November 1987
LP/CD USA A&M Records SP 5157 1988
CD Germany A&M 396979-1 1988
CD AUS Mushroom/White MUSH322812 1997

References[edit]

  1. ^ AllMusic review
  2. ^ Rolling Stone magazine review
  3. ^ Christgau, Robert (14 March 1989). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d McFarlane, Ian (1999). "Encyclopedia entry for 'Paul Kelly'". Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  5. ^ a b c d Holmgren, Magnus. "Paul Kelly". Australian Rock Database. Passagen.se (Magnus Holmgren). Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  6. ^ a b c d Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Discography Paul Kelly". Australian Charts Portal. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
  8. ^ a b "Billboard singles charts". allmusic. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
  9. ^ a b "Young Einstein (1988) soundtrack". Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Retrieved 18 August 2008.
  10. ^ a b "ARIA Awards 2008: History: Winners by Artist search result". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  11. ^ a b Garcia, Alex S. (2008). "Paul Kelly - artist videography". mvdbase.com. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
  12. ^ a b Kruger, Debbie (2 May 2001). "The songs that resonate through the years" (PDF). Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 25 August 2008.
  13. ^ a b c "Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) search engine". APRA. Retrieved 12 October 2008. Note: requires user to input song title e.g. DUMB THINGS
  14. ^ a b Jenkins, Jeff; Ian Meldrum (2007). Molly Meldrum presents 50 years of rock in Australia. Melbourne, Vic.: Wilkinson Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921332-11-1. Retrieved 12 October 2008.
  15. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 164. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  16. ^ "Charts.nz – Paul Kelly – Under the Sun". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
  17. ^ McFarlane, Ian (1999). Encyclopedia of Australian Rock and Pop (doc). Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-86448-768-2. Retrieved 26 August 2008.
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