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 dialling code associated with sex hotlines in the UK at the time.
The album was released March 30, 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.[citation needed] 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.
- “Old Red Eyes Is Back” 3:35
- “We Are Each Other” 3:39
- “The Rocking Chair” 4:43
- “We’ll Deal With You Later” 4:07
- “The Domino Man” 2:40
- “36D” 5:16
- “Here It is Again” 3:27
- “Something That You Said” 4:20
- “I’m Your No. 1 Fan” 4:28
- “Bell Bottomed Tear” 4:35
- “You Play Glockenspiel, I’ll Play Drums” 5:06
- “When I’m 84” 4:32
Paul Heaton – Vocals
David Rotheray – Guitar
Dave Hemmingway – Vocals
Sean Welch – Bass
David Stead – Drums
Briana Corrigan – Vocals
The Beautiful South were an English pop rock group formed in 1988 by Paul Heaton and Dave Hemingway, two former members of the Hull group The Housemartins, both of whom performed lead and backing vocals. Other members throughout the band’s existence were former Housemartins roadie Sean Welch (bass), Dave Stead (drums) and Dave Rotheray (guitar). The band’s original material was written by the team of Heaton and Rotheray.
RadioMaxMusic 