Eoghan Quigg (album)
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| Eoghan Quigg | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | 3 April 2009 |
| Recorded | Early 2009 |
| Genre | Pop |
| Length | 42:26 |
| Label | RCA/SME |
| Producer | Nigel Wright |
| Singles from Eoghan Quigg | |
| |
Eoghan Quigg is the only studio album by Northern Irish pop singer Eoghan Quigg, released on 6 April 2009, and his only release by his label RCA Records. Quigg, who finished third in the fifth series of the UK television talent show The X Factor, was the first of the finalists from that series to release a studio album. The record predominantly features cover versions of songs that Quigg performed on The X Factor, and one original song, "28,000 Friends".
On its release, the album was described by multiple critics as the worst ever recorded.[1] Its commercial failure led to Quigg being dropped by RCA Records.[2]
After finishing third in The X Factor in 2008, Quigg was signed by record label RCA Records. Quigg began work on the album in London in early 2009, and was given a week to record it.[3] The album was recorded at Sphere Studios in Battersea and released on 6 April 2009 in the UK.[4] Quigg described the album's musical direction as drawing inspiration from Busted;[5] the album includes a cover of Busted's "Year 3000" and the original song "28,000 Friends" written by former Busted member James Bourne.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Daily Record | [7] |
| Digital Spy | [8] |
| Express | [9] |
| Music-News | [10] |
| Orange | [11] |
| Q | [12] |
| Star | [13] |
Eoghan Quigg was universally panned by music critics.[14][15] Simon Darnell of MK News wrote: "If I told you this album was dreadful, not only would I be doing a huge disservice to the word dreadful, in fact I'd almost be praising the quality of the music... this set of songs is so mind-numbingly, spirit-crushingly dismal."[16] Jon O'Brien of AllMusic described the album as "bad karaoke", with deficient production values failing to hide Quigg's "limited ability" and "bum notes".[6] Nick Levine of Digital Spy called it "amateurish as well as utterly redundant".[8] In particular, multiple reviewers panned the cover of Take That's "Never Forget";[6][8][11] Levine described the track's vocals as "positively wince-inducing".[8] Gigwise placed the record at number one in their "The 20 Worst Albums of 2009" in December of that year.[17]
The album has been called the worst ever made.[1] A Popjustice reviewer predicted that it would garner a lasting legacy as such, having been "recorded so cheaply and with such little regard for the art of pop that the final product simply does not count as music."[18] Peter Robinson of The Guardian called it "the worst album in the history of recorded sound" and an "album so bad that it would count as a new low for popular culture were it possible to class as either culture... or popular".[19]
Commercial performance
The album was initially a commercial success in Ireland where it debuted at no 1 on the Irish Albums Chart, knocking Lady Gaga's The Fame off the top spot. The album dropped from no 2 in its second week to no 20 in its third week and spent a total of eight weeks on the chart,[20] but failed to sell enough for a Gold certification, rendering the album a failure. In the UK the album peaked at no 14,[21] and exited the Top 100 after three weeks. The album had first-week sales of 16,362.[14]
Pointing to the record's lacklustre chart performance in the UK, Gail Walker of the Belfast Telegraph predicted that the public "may have seen the last of Eoghan Quigg".[1] His album was considered a failure, and Quigg was dropped by RCA Records.[2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "28,000 Friends" | James Bourne | Original song | 2:59 |
| 2. | "We're All in This Together" | Matthew Gerrard / Robbie Nevil | High School Musical cast | 3:52 |
| 3. | "All About You" | Tom Fletcher | McFly | 3:05 |
| 4. | "Learn to Fly" | Christian Ingebrigtsen / Chris Porter | A1 | 4:08 |
| 5. | "Does Your Mother Know" | Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus | ABBA | 3:04 |
| 6. | "Home" | Michael Bublé / Alan Chang | Michael Bublé | 3:40 |
| 7. | "When You Look Me in the Eyes" | Raymond Boyd / Kevin Jonas / Joe Jonas / Nicholas Jonas | Jonas Brothers | 3:53 |
| 8. | "Year 3000" | Bourne / Charlie Simpson / Steve Robson / Matt Willis | Busted | 3:24 |
| 9. | "She's the One" | Karl Wallinger | World Party | 4:16 |
| 10. | "Ben" | Don Black / Walter Scharf | Michael Jackson | 2:32 |
| 11. | "Never Forget" | Gary Barlow | Take That | 4:11 |
| 12. | "Imagine" (iTunes Bonus Track)" | John Lennon | John Lennon | 3:22 |
