0898 Beautiful South, also referred to as 0898, is the third studio album by English band the Beautiful South. After the success of their previous work over 1989–1991, the band hired prolific record producer Jon Kelly and recorded the album at AIR Studios in London. The album contains a more "muscular" yet sometimes more sombre sound than their previous albums, although still entirely retains lyricist Paul Heaton's witty and bitter lyrical style. The album "deals in fragile melodies and harmonies, soulful but low-key instrumentation, and lyrics full of subtle social commentary and humour." The album title refers to the 0898 premium rate telephone prefix associated with sex hotlines in the UK at the time.
The album was released in March 1992 by the band's record label Go! Discs. Four singles were released from the album, two of them prior to its release; "Old Red Eyes Is Back", "We Are Each Other", "Bell Bottomed Tear" and "36D". It reached number 4 on the UK Album Chart, unlike their previous two albums which reached number 2; the record company blamed this on the cover which showed ladies' faces on the back of terrapins' shells. While the first two singles – "Old Red Eyes Is Back" and "We Are Each Other" – charted in the UK at No. 22 and No. 30 respectively, third single "Bell Bottomed Tear" was the only Top 20 hit from the album, reaching No. 16. "36D" was a relative disappointment after this success, only managing No. 46 in the singles charts. "We Are Each Other" was also a success on American alternative rock radio and peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1992. It was the band's biggest hit in the United States.
The album was a critical success, with reviewers praising its production, lyrics and distinct tone, although some critics recognise the album as being underrated. The album appeared on numerous lists of the best albums of 1992; Vox ranked it 18th,Vox December 1992 issue NME ranked it 44th and Robert Christgau placed it 53rd. The album was certified "Gold" by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of over 200,000 copies.
Background and recording After forming in 1989, the Beautiful South's debut album Welcome to the Beautiful South, released October the same year, was a major chart success, reaching number 2 in the UK Albums Chart and featuring two top 10 hits, "Song For Whoever" and "You Keep It All In". Featuring Paul Heaton's witty lyrics and vocals from him, Dave Hemingway and Briana Corrigan, it was a critical success too, being widely hailed for "reinserting cynicism, doubt, and biting sarcasm into pop music." The album was a transformation for lead singer and lyricist Paul Heaton after his previous band the Housemartins; according to Robert Christgau, he turned "his talents to the interpersonal. The surprise was that he didn't then cop out." The third single from the album, "I'll Sail This Ship Alone", reached number 31.
Working in a short space of time, the band quickly released their second album Choke a year later in October 1990. Although it reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart, it was not as much a critical success as its predecessor, despite drawing favourable reviews. Two singles from the album, "My Book" and "Let Love Speak Up Itself", charted outside the Top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, but the album also provided the band's only number 1 hit, a Hemingway/Corrigan duet called "A Little Time", and its music video, featuring the aftermath of a domestic fight, won the 1991 BRIT Award for Best Video.
As with before, the band were quick to begin work on their third album. After working with Mike Hedges on their first two albums, the band hired Jon Kelly to produce the new album, a British producer famous for working with Pele, Prefab Sprout, Deacon Blue, Heather Nova, the Levellers, Fish, Lynsey De Paul, Nolwenn Leroy, the Damned, Kate Bush, The band decamped to AIR Studios in London to record the new album, the official recording studios of Associated Independent Recording. This credit has caused confusion, as the studio closed in 1989 before officially reopening as "AIR Lyndhurst" in a redeveloped hall in December 1992 after a year of construction and remodeling. It is unknown which of the two locations the band recorded in.
Music and lyrics Styles and themes
According to Roch Pairisen of Allmusic, "there are no big poses or walls of crunchy guitars on [the album]. Instead, the group – which includes three lead vocalists – deals in fragile melodies and harmonies, soulful but low-key instrumentation, and lyrics full of subtle social commentary and humour." He noted that "at times, the group even couches itself in the guise of a smooth lounge act, rebelling against current trends by having something to say while not making a racket about it," and noted that producer Jon Kelly has "contributed an incisive and full-bodied production" to the album, "a great improvement over the rather thin sound" of Choke. According to Craig Tomashoff and David Hiltbrand of Picks and Pans, the album contains "sweet pop music with insidious lyrics. It starts with the best pop melodies you can hum—sort of like Elton John Does Detroit. Harmonious piano arrangements blend with songwriter Paul Heaton's soulful vocals and occasional backing horns to create 12 songs that work like aural lithium." They noted the contrast between the happy music and dark lyrics, saying "one hit and you're happy for hours. Until you actually listen to what Heaton and his two co-lead vocalists, Dave Hemingway and Briana Corrigan, are saying. The tunes suggest light, happy odes to love. The words are dark, sardonic musings on human nature."
According to Trouser Press, the album "features even more uplifting melodies and more balanced lyrics: 'Old Red Eyes Is Back', 'We Are Each Other' and the Corrigan-sung 'Bell-Bottomed Tear' benefit immeasurably by demonstrating a bit more compassion for their subjects. Heaton hits particular peaks in his dialogue songs. (He writes alternating-verse male/female numbers better than just about anyone.)" Marie Lamie, writing in The Rough Guide to Rock, said "there are some very sombre moments here, both musically and lyrically, making something of a new direction." A reviewer for Record Rewind Play said "the whole album is full of hints of the sinister, but compassion finds a way in."
Songs Ted Kessler of Select said the first two songs "Old Red Eyes Is Back" and "We are Each Other" "set the tone" for the album. "Pianos, strings and percussion are right down in the mix, the lead instruments are the gorgeous voices of Heaton, Hemingway and Briana Corrigan. There isn't a wailing guitar in sight". "Old Red Eyes Is Back", described as the band's "best song ever" by Sputnikmusic's Nick Butler, is the tale of an "old drunken waster looking back on his life, battling to overcome his alcohol dependency . Every time he falls off the wagon and succumbs to drink again....well, old red eyes is back." The song ends sadly, "Old Red he died, and every single landlord in the district cried/An empty bottle of whiskey lying by his side..." "We Are Each Other" is "typical of the band from this period. Although a guitar is the first sound you hear on the song, it's restrained, and quickly gives way to the melody, harmony, and biting vocals that drive the song." It is more guitar-led than most of their output, and deals with "a couple so close that their relationship can no longer function properly." Butler commented that "the structure of the song is brilliant (this sort of attention to detail is just one of the many things that elevate The Beautiful South far beyond the vast majority of pop bands) – observe how the chorus is split into 2 halves, effectively making 2 brilliant hooks for the price of one." Robert Christgau considers the song to contain Heaton's "meanest" line, "Closer than a sister to her baby brother/Closer than a cat to the child that she'll smother."
"36D" is a scathing attack on the British glamour industry, described by Nick Butler of Sputnikmusic as "a distant relative of 'Little Baby Nothing' by the Manic Street Preachers, though far more upbeat than that song," "features Heaton addressing a woman who's got by on looks and sex alone, telling her to 'Close your legs, open your mind' (and that's just the opening line!). The chorus packs a sonic punch you wouldn't expect from the band, as Heaton and Hemmingway ask '36D, so what? Is that all that you got?'." "Something that You Said" refers to the serial murders of a lover's family ("So if you walk into your house and she's cutting up your mother/ She's only trying to tell you that she loves you like no other"). Kessler said that "Hemingway and Corrigan provide us with an action replay of 'A Little Time'" on the song, but "this is Paul Heaton's show, and he doesn't let anyone steal it." The song's opening line, "The perfect love song it has no words it only has death threats/and you can tell a classic ballad by how threatening it gets," contrasts the "peaceful" music.
Vocal duties on "Bell Bottomed Tear" are handled mainly by Briana Corrigan, though Heaton does appear at points. It has been noted that "the strengths of her voice is exploited very well here – sugary, with a slight hiccup, but always fragile and vaguely damaged." One reviewer said "her character here is never made explicitly clear – she's a man who has got her pregnant, though whether she and the man are still together isn't made clear. Either way, he's ruined her life. Quietly devastating." "Here it is Again" is a "brooding" song, whilst "You Play Glockenspiel, I'll Play Drums" is "odd". Closing song "When I'm 84" encapsulates the album's "dizzily wayward feel" and is a song of "innante funkiness," "blessed with a groovy electronic piano and a bassline worth suing for. It contains Heaton's hedonistic and bold plans for retirement. 'Exercise your muscles?', he spits. 'I'd rather jack.'"
Release 0898 Beautiful South was released on 30 March 1992 on CD, LP and cassette by the band's label Go! Discs in the United Kingdom, whilst it was released on 4 May in Australia. The album cover, which depicts ladies faces on the back of terrapins shells, each representing a different mood on the album, was painted by artist David Cutter, as are the numerous illustrations in the liner notes, each of which is based on a song from the album, with one illustration for each song. The illustrations for the album's four singles also appeared as the covers for those singles. The full title of the album is 0898 Beautiful South, but it is usually shortened to just 0898, which is how it appears on the back cover of the album.Album packaging. The spacing and typography difference on the front cover and spine can be taken to imply it should be read as "0898" (by) "Beautiful South" – two separate phrases, although the spine of the album features both the band name and the full title separately. The title refers to the 0898 premium rate telephone prefix associated with sex hotlines in the UK at the time.