Great Expectations (album)

Great Expectations
Studio album by
Tasmin Archer
Released19 October 1992
Recorded1991–1992
StudioSarm West
(London, England)
Genre
Length46:06
Label
ProducerJohn Hughes & Steve Fitzmaurice (track 10), Julian Mendelsohn (tracks 1–9 & 11), Paul "Wix" Wickens (tracks 1, 4, 5 & 11), Peter Kaye (track 2, 3 & 6–9)
Tasmin Archer chronology
Great Expectations
(1992) 		Shipbuilding
(1994)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Calgary HeraldC+[2]
Chicago Tribune[3]
NME5/10[4]
Select[5]

Great Expectations is the debut album by English singer-songwriter Tasmin Archer,[6][7] released in late 1992 on EMI Records. The first single released from the album, "Sleeping Satellite", went to number one both in the UK and Ireland, while sitting just outside the top 10 in Germany (No. 12). Three more UK singles were released from the album in the wake of Archer's initial success: "In Your Care" (UK No. 16), "Lords of the New Church" (UK No. 26) and "Arienne" (UK No. 30).

The album was later released in the United States on Capitol Records, and was mildly successful due to the single "Sleeping Satellite", which peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album itself reached a peak of number 115 in the US. The single and album fared better in other parts of the world, however, such as Australia (single reached No. 14; album peaked at 56).

Critical reception

Nancy Culp from NME wrote, "Tasmin is something of a vocal find, her strong, pure tones can imbue even the limpest tune with pathos. It's when she lets rip with the ballads that she really shines."[4]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Tasmin Archer, John Beck and John Hughes

Great Expectations track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Sleeping Satellite"4:41
2."Arienne"3:48
3."Lords of the New Church"4:43
4."When It Comes Down to It"4:10
5."Steel Town"3:44
6."The Higher You Climb"3:58
7."In Your Care"4:22
8."Somebody's Daughter"4:15
9."Hero"4:39
10."Ripped Inside"3:28
11."Halfway to Heaven"4:18
Total length:46:06

Personnel

Musicians

Production

  • Tracks 1, 4, 5, and 11 produced by Julian Mendelsohn & Paul "Wix" Wickens
  • Tracks 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 and 9 produced by Julian Mendelsohn & Peter Kaye
  • Track 10 produced by John Hughes and Steve Fitzmaurice
  • All songs recorded by Steve Fitzmaurice except tracks 4, 5, and 11 (recorded by Julian Mendelsohn).
  • Mixed by Julian Mendelsohn

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart performance for Great Expectations
Chart (1992–1993) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[8] 56
Austrian Albums Chart[9] 26
German Albums Chart[10] 34
New Zealand Albums Chart[11] 31
Swedish Albums Chart[12] 38
Swiss Albums Chart[13] 26
UK Albums Chart[14] 8
US Billboard 200[15] 115

Year-end charts

1993 year-end chart performance for Great Expectations
Chart (1993) Position
UK Albums Chart[16] 72

Certifications

Certifications for Great Expectations
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Gold 100,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Great Expectations – Tasmin Archer | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  2. ^ Zimmerman, Kate (28 February 1993). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  3. ^ Webber, Brad. "Tasmin Archer Great Expectations (EMI) (STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)Superb lyricism,..." chicagotribune.com.
  4. ^ a b Culp, Nancy (7 November 1992). "Long Play". NME. p. 34. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
  5. ^ Duerden, Nick. "Tasmin Archer: Great Expectations > Review".
  6. ^ "TrouserPress.com :: Tasmin Archer". www.trouserpress.com.
  7. ^ Freedberg, Michael (16 May 1993). "Record Brief". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 17.
  9. ^ "Discographie Tasmin Archer - austriancharts.at". austriancharts.at.
  10. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de.
  11. ^ "charts.org.nz - Discography Tasmin Archer". charts.nz.
  12. ^ "swedishcharts.com - Discography Tasmin Archer". swedishcharts.com.
  13. ^ "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". hitparade.ch.
  14. ^ "TASMIN ARCHER | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  15. ^ "Billboard Database".
  16. ^ "Top 100 Albums 1993" (PDF). Music Week. 15 January 1994. p. 25. Retrieved 21 April 2022.
  17. ^ "British album certifications – Tasmin Archer – Great Expectations". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 31 December 2020.