Against Perfection

Against Perfection
Studio album by
Adorable
Released1 March 1993 (1993-03-01)
Studio
  • Greenhouse Studio, London
  • The Beat Factory, London
GenreShoegaze[1]
Length48:50
LabelCreation
ProducerPat Collier
Alan Moulder (track 5)
Adorable chronology
Against Perfection
(1993) 		Fake
(1994)
Singles from Against Perfection
  1. "Sunshine Smile"
    Released: 20 April 1992
  2. "I'll Be Your Saint"
    Released: 13 July 1992
  3. "Homeboy"
    Released: 26 October 1992
  4. "Sistine Chapel Ceiling"
    Released: 25 January 1993
  5. "Favourite Fallen Idol"
    Released: 12 April 1993

Against Perfection is the debut album by the British alternative rock band Adorable.[2][3] It was released in the UK on 1 March 1993 on Creation Records[4] and in the United States by SBK. The band supported the album with a North American tour.[5]

"Still Life" was recorded without the inclusion of drums.[6] "Sunshine Smile" was a college radio hit.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Select3/5[9]

The Washington Post wrote that the album "sometimes balances the harsh and the lyrical in the manner of My Bloody Valentine, but ultimately seems more indebted to the minor-key epics of early Echo and the Bunnymen."[10] The Waterloo Region Record noted that "all twelve songs on this release sound pretty much the same, with Piotr Fijalkowski's very power-wave British vocals set against guitars that threaten to jangle but usually just screech."[11] Trouser Press praised the "sharp, varied songs that are by turns pretty, soaring and brooding."[12]

In 2016, Pitchfork ranked Against Perfection at number 42 on its list of "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time".[13]

Track listing

UK version
  1. "Glorious" – 4:17
  2. "Favourite Fallen Idol" – 2:41
  3. "A to Fade In" – 4:50
  4. "I Know You Too Well" – 3:41
  5. "Homeboy" – 4:30
  6. "Sistine Chapel Ceiling" – 3:34
  7. "Cut #2" – 4:43
  8. "Crash Sight" – 4:02
  9. "Still Life" – 2:37
  10. "Breathless" – 5:18
US version
  1. "Sunshine Smile" – 5:03
  2. "Glorious" – 4:17
  3. "Favourite Fallen Idol" – 2:41
  4. "A to Fade In" – 4:50
  5. "I Know You Too Well" – 3:41
  6. "Homeboy" – 4:30
  7. "Sistine Chapel Ceiling" – 3:34
  8. "Cut #2" – 4:43
  9. "Crash Sight" – 4:02
  10. "Still Life" – 2:37
  11. "Breathless" – 5:18
  12. "I'll Be Your Saint" – 3:32
Japan version
  1. "Glorious" – 4:17
  2. "Favourite Fallen Idol" – 2:41
  3. "A to Fade In" – 4:50
  4. "I Know You Too Well" – 3:41
  5. "Homeboy" – 4:30
  6. "Sistine Chapel Ceiling" – 3:34
  7. "Cut #2" – 4:43
  8. "Crash Sight" – 4:02
  9. "Still Life" – 2:37
  10. "Breathless" – 5:18
  11. "Sunshine Smile" – 5:03
  12. "I'll Be Your Saint" – 3:32
  13. "Summerside" – 2:49

Personnel

  • Piotr Fijalkowski – vocals, guitar
  • Robert Dillam – guitar
  • Stephen "Wil" Williams – bass
  • Kevin Gritton – drums

Charts

Chart (1992)
  • Peak
  • position
UK Albums (OCC)[14] 70

References

  1. ^ Goddard, Michael; Halligan, Benjamin; Spelman, Nicola (18 July 2013). "Resonances: Noise and Contemporary Music". Bloomsbury Publishing USA – via Google Books.
  2. ^ "Adorable Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Adorable: Footnotes 92-94". Pitchfork.
  4. ^ "Unsung: The 100 Greatest Bands You've (Probably) Never Heard". Spin. 25 (8): 68. August 2009.
  5. ^ "So Adorable". The Salt Lake Tribune. 30 July 1993. p. D5.
  6. ^ Paul, George (18 June 1993). "ALTERNATIVE". Orange County Register. p. P49.
  7. ^ Kim, Jae-Ha (30 July 1993). "CLUB HOPPING". WEEKEND PLUS. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 5.
  8. ^ Parisien, Roch. "Against Perfection – Adorable". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  9. ^ Kessler, Ted (April 1993). "Adorable: Against Perfection". Select. No. 34. p. 73.
  10. ^ Jenkins, Mark (23 July 1993). "Adorable Cuts Up, Echoing Bunnymen". The Washington Post. p. N16.
  11. ^ Randall, Neil (29 July 1993). "Against Perfection Adorable". Waterloo Region Record. p. D9.
  12. ^ "Adorable". Trouser Press. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  13. ^ "The 50 Best Shoegaze Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 October 2016. p. 1. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2019.