STACK #166 Aug 2018

MUSIC

NEWS

month the band began work on a debut album at Chapel Studio. Produced by Jim Abbiss – who had previously worked with Editors and Kasabian – the album was recorded at a frenetic pace. Its title, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not , was taken from a line in 1958 novel Saturday Night and Sunday Morning , written by Alan Sillitoe and later adapted into

[The album] instantly connected with a generation, providing drunken anthems for throwing fists and kisses

VINYL REVIVAL

ARCTIC MONKEYS Accompanying the release of their sixth studio album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino in May this year, Arctic Monkeys (and their label Domino) have recently reissued all of the band's earlier albums on vinyl. Here's the story of the seminal debut that started it all: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not .

film. Turner drew kitchen-sink comparisons between events in the book and his own experiences some 40 years later. For the album cover artwork, the Monkeys hatched a plan. They handed good friend Chris McClure some money and directed him to go out on the town, ensuring he understood he was to hold nothing back. The following morning the band caught up with McClure in a bar, and took the cover photograph. Of the 13 tracks recorded, seven had already appeared on the free gig-pedalled CD release, including I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor . In October 2005, the band decided to release I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor as a single – and the hype surrounding Arctic Monkeys went into overdrive. Finally released in January 2006, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not instantly connected with a generation, providing drunken anthems for throwing fists and kisses around pubs and clubs on a Saturday night. The band delivered songs with sweat, fury and authenticity – this was music honed in the suburbs of a Northern English town known primarily for its steel. The record sold an incredible

Words Paul Jones

R ay Davies, Paul Weller, Damon Albarn, Jarvis Cocker – Britain has a knack for developing singer-songwriters who possess an intrinsic understanding of an era or a time, and are able to capture it accurately through word and song. Another socially in- tune singer-songwriter you can comfortably fit amongst the aforementioned list of lyric luminaries is Alex Turner. Arctic Monkeys began as a foursome in Sheffield, learning their instruments as a collective before playing their first gig in 2003. Gaining experience on the live circuit, the band were soon writing songs and recording demos, and the following year they burnt 18 tracks onto a CD and distributed it for free at gigs. But the digital world – although still in its relative infancy – presented the musicians with an opportunity. A close friend uploaded the demo online so that fans could fileshare the songs; word spread like wildfire, further reinforced by Arctic Monkeys’ growing reputation as an energetic and tight band live. It was an unprecedented strategy, in a new

world. And it worked. Bands like The Libertines, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand had opened the door to a new direction in music, and Arctic Monkeys were ready to seize the opportunity. In June 2005 they signed with Domino, a then- fledgling label which owner Laurence Bell ran from his flat in South West London. The same

360,000 copies in its first week of sale alone, and quickly reached #1 on charts around the world. It won two BRIT Awards, received Album Of The Year status from Q, NME , and Time , and was awarded the 2006 Mercury

Prize. To date, the album boasts a whopping five times platinum status in the UK, gold in Canada and the States, and platinum in Australia.

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