Baby, the Stars Shine Bright (album)
1986 studio album by Everything but the Girl
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Baby, the Stars Shine Bright is the third studio album by British musical duo Everything but the Girl. It was released on 25 August 1986 by Blanco y Negro Records. The album was reissued in 2012 as a remastered two-disc deluxe set by Edsel Records.
| Baby, the Stars Shine Bright | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 August 1986 | |||
| Recorded | March–April 1986 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Label | Blanco y Negro | |||
| Producer |
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| Everything but the Girl chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Pitchfork | 7.2/10[3] |
| Q | [4] |
| Record Mirror | 3+1⁄2/5[5] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [6] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 6/10[7] |
| Uncut | 5/10[8] |
Background
Following the duo's distinctively "anti-rock" approach and their unwillingness to adopt a synthetic sounding production that was fashionable at the time, the album took its influence from 1960s orchestrated music and the singer Dusty Springfield.[9]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Come on Home" | 3:21 | |
| 2. | "Don't Leave Me Behind" |
| 3:15 |
| 3. | "A Country Mile" | Thorn | 3:04 |
| 4. | "Cross My Heart" |
| 3:41 |
| 5. | "Don't Let the Teardrops Rust Your Shining Heart" | Watt | 3:21 |
| 6. | "Careless" | Watt | 3:26 |
| 7. | "Sugar Finney" |
| 3:34 |
| 8. | "Come Hell or High Water" |
| 3:22 |
| 9. | "Fighting Talk" |
| 3:20 |
| 10. | "Little Hitler" | Thorn | 4:05 |
2012 Edsel Records reissue
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Come on Home" (extended mix) |
| 4:12 |
| 2. | "Draining the Bar" | Thorn | 2:08 |
| 3. | "I Fall to Pieces" | 2:43 | |
| 4. | "Come on Home" (acoustic) |
| 2:36 |
| 5. | "Alfie" | 2:50 | |
| 6. | "Where's the Playground Susie?" | Jimmy Webb | 2:30 |
| 7. | "Almost Blue" | Declan MacManus | 3:20 |
| 8. | "Come on Home" (home demo, 1985) |
| 3:06 |
| 9. | "Sugar Finney" (home demo, 1985) |
| 3:21 |
| 10. | "Careless" (home demo, 1985) | Watt | 3:18 |
| 11. | "Cross My Heart" (home demo, 1985) |
| 2:48 |
| 12. | "Little Hitler" (home demo, 1985) | Thorn | 4:09 |
Personnel
- Everything but the Girl
- Tracey Thorn – vocals
- Ben Watt – guitar, orchestral arrangements
- Additional musicians
- Micky Harris – bass
- Cara Tivey – organ, piano
- Rob Peters – drums
- Jeff Daly, Philip Todd, Peter King, Nigel Nash, Ray Swinfield – saxophone
- Alan Downey, Derek Watkins, Luke Tunney, Stuart Brooks – trumpet
- Andy Fawbert, Peter Thoms, Chris Pyne, Alan Hutt – trombone
- James Handy, John Pigneguy – French horn
- Gavyn Wright, Wilfred Gibson, John Willison, Richard Studt, Dave Woodcock, James Archer, Levine Andrade, Basil Smart, Bill Benham, Peter Oxer, Tim Good – violin
- Kenneth Essex, George Robertson, Cathy Stevens, David Emanuel, Roger Garland – viola
- Chris Green, Paul Kegg, Helen Liebmann, Clive Anstee – cello
- Clare Torry, Linda Allen, Bob Saker, Lance Ellington, Gary Taylor, Tony Burrows, Vicky Silva, Tessa Niles – backing vocals
- Steve Henderson, Joao Bosco De Oliveira, Frank Ricotti, Martin Ditcham – percussion
- Nick Ingman – conductor, director
- Technical
- Caryn Gough – artwork
- Richard Haughton – photography
Charts
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[13] | Gold | 100,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||