Rotund for Success
1989 studio album by Severed Heads
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Rotund for Success is a studio album by the Australian electronic music group Severed Heads, released in 1989.[3] Three singles were released from the album: "Greater Reward", "All Saints Day" and "Big Car", the first two reaching the top 30 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart.[4] Much like the rest of the band's discography, the album has been issued many times in several formats through a variety of labels.
| Rotund for Success | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | EDM, synth-pop | |||
| Length | 49:54 | |||
| Label | Nettwerk[1] Volition Records | |||
| Producer | Tom Ellard, Robert Racic | |||
| Severed Heads chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Rotund for Success | ||||
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Critical reception
Trouser Press wrote that "[Tom] Ellard’s lyrical sensibility is typically off-kilter and flashes of a twisted mind do erupt now and again in the mix, but the diminution of musical disturbance and the elimination of the band’s creative challenge is most disturbing."[1] Option wrote that "each song has a catchy simple melody defined by a 'cheap & nasty synthesizer with knobs.'"[5]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Tom Ellard.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All Saints Day" | 5:23 |
| 2. | "Triangle Tangle Tango" | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Bad Times Too" | 4:00 |
| 4. | "Midget Sings" | 3:17 |
| 5. | "Seven Miles" | 3:51 |
| 6. | "Greater Reward" | 4:15 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big Car Intro" | 2:29 |
| 2. | "Big Car" | 6:56 |
| 3. | "First Steps" | 4:07 |
| 4. | "Rotund for Success" | 3:24 |
| 5. | "L.F.M." | 4:57 |
| 6. | "Chasing Skirt" | 3:18 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "All Saints Day (Original Mix)" | 4:24 |
| 14. | "Bad Times Three" | 5:25 |
| Total length: | 59:43 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Star Spangled Bradbury (Prank Caller Bratbury)" | 4:35 |
| 16. | "Bombs Fell (Mindless Delta Scratch)" | 3:21 |
| 17. | "Lovesick Fascist Meatloaf" | 4:49 |
| 18. | "Rich Baby (Balloon Folding Soundtrack)" | 6:08 |
| Total length: | 78:36 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Star Spangled Bradbury" | 4:35 |
| 16. | "Bombs Fell" | 3:21 |
| 17. | "L.F.M (Part Two)" | 4:49 |
| Total length: | 72:28 | |
2021 Medical Records 2LP reissue
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All Saints Day" | 5:25 |
| 2. | "Triangle Tango Tango" | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Bad Times Too" | 3:58 |
| 4. | "Midget Sings" | 3:09 |
| 5. | "Seven Miles" | 3:53 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big Car Intro" | 2:29 |
| 2. | "Big Car" | 6:54 |
| 3. | "First Steps" | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Rotund for Success" | 3:23 |
| 5. | "LFM" | 4:57 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "All Saints Day Original" | 4:19 |
| 2. | "Bad Times Three" | 5:22 |
| 3. | "The Star Spangled Bradbury" | 3:08 |
| 4. | "LFM Dub" | 4:18 |
| 5. | "Chasing Skirt" | 3:18 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Greater Reward" | 4:16 |
| 2. | "Greater Dub" | 7:12 |
| 3. | "Big Car Crash" | 7:44 |
| Total length: | 1:21:58 | |
Personnel
- Tom Ellard – vocals, synthesizers, production
- Stephen Jones – photography, circuit design, video synthesizers
- Robert Racic – production
- Wayne Miller – co-production
- Adrian Bolland – co-production
- Repo Graphics – cover artwork
- Tony Mott – photography
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog | Release Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 1989 | Nettwerk | LP | W1-30035 | First vinyl pressing |
| Volition Records | VOLT 028 | ||||
| North America | Nettwerk | CS | W4-30035 | First cassette pressing, same track list as the vinyl edition | |
| CD | W2-30035 | First CD pressing, includes two extra tracks not included on the vinyl and cassette editions | |||
| Europe | Volition Records | VOLT 028 | |||
| Australia | 2002 | Sevcom | CD-R | N/A | Sevcom CD-R reissue, includes four extra tracks, including the 1989 CD edition bonus tracks |
| United Kingdom | 2004 | LTM | CD | LTMCD 2404 | LTM CD reissue, includes three extra tracks plus the 1989 CD edition bonus tracks |
| United States | 2021 | Medical Records | 2LP | MR-089 | Expanded version, with several bonus tracks from previous (re)issues, plus two 12" single remixes |