39 Minutes
1988 studio album by Microdisney
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39 Minutes is the fourth and final studio album by the Irish pop group Microdisney, released in 1988.[1][2] It was a commercial disappointment.[3] The first single was "Singer's Hampstead Home", allegedly a criticism of Boy George's celebrity persona.[4] It was followed by the release, from this album, of Microdisney's final single, "Gale Force Wind",[5] which reached number 98 on the UK singles chart.[6]
| 39 Minutes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 37:49 (Vinyl) | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer | Jamie Lane | |||
| Microdisney chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 39 Minutes | ||||
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Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
| The Virgin Encyclopedia of Eighties Music | [8] |
The album attracted some derisive reviews at the time, with singer Cathal Coughlan saying in a 2022 interview with the BBC, "The press on 39 Minutes, as I recall, was pretty bad."[9] David Stubbs, in a review for Melody Maker, described the album as "horrible, frankly".[10] However, the album was acclaimed by Hot Press as "some of the best and most provocative pop music ever to have emanated from this country".[11]
Trouser Press later opined that 39 Minutes "restores the group's sense of purpose, balancing the slick production of recent efforts with a slightly more aggressive attack and Coughlan's sharpest lyrics in ages."[12]
Track listing
All tracks composed by Cathal Coughlan and Sean O'Hagan.
Side one
- "Singer's Hampstead Home" (4:02)
- "High & Dry" (3:04)
- "Send Herman Home" (4:03)
- "Ambulance for One" (3:26)
- "Soul Boy" (5:04)
Side two
- "Back to the Old Town" (3:13)
- "United Colours" (3:16)
- "Gale Force Wind" (3:57)
- "Herr Direktor" (3:42)
- "Bluerings" (3:55)
