Heavy Soul (Paul Weller album)

Heavy Soul
Studio album by
Paul Weller
Released23 June 1997
StudioWoolhall Studios, Bath
GenreRock, rhythm and blues, blue-eyed soul
Length40:44
LabelIsland
Producer
Paul Weller chronology
Stanley Road
(1995) 		Heavy Soul
(1997) 		Modern Classics: The Greatest Hits
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[2]
NME5/10[3]
Pitchfork Media8.6/10[5]
Rolling Stone[6]
The Village VoiceC[4]

Heavy Soul is the fourth solo album by English singer-songwriter Paul Weller, originally released on 23 June 1997 (5 August in the US). The album received largely favourable reviews. It sold enough to be the number one album on its week of release, however it was denied this position on a technicality – five images within the album's booklet were replaced with postcards of the images in the Special Edition release, meaning that sales of the Special Edition did not count towards the album's sales as they were defined as free gifts.

The title was lifted from a 1961 Ike Quebec album of the same name.

Track listing

All tracks composed by Paul Weller; except where indicated

  1. "Heavy Soul (Pt 1)"
  2. "Peacock Suit"
  3. "Up in Suzes' Room"
  4. "Brushed" (music: Weller, Marco Nelson, Steve White)
  5. "Driving Nowhere"
  6. "I Should Have Been There to Inspire You"
  7. "Heavy Soul (Pt 2)"
  8. "Friday Street"
  9. "Science"
  10. "Golden Sands"
  11. "As You Lean Into the Light"
  12. "Mermaids"

The Japanese edition included a bonus track, "Eye of the Storm" which was originally on the B-side of the "Peacock Suit" single.[8]

Personnel

  • Paul Weller – guitar, vocals, tamboura (1), zither (3), piano (6), vibraphone (7)
  • Marco Nelson – bass, sitar (2,7), ukulele (3)
  • Steve White – drums

with:

  • Steve Cradock – guitar (1,2)
  • Brendan Lynch – keyboards (3,5,11), accordion (6)
  • Jools Holland – Wurlitzer piano (10)
  • Rosie Wetters – string arrangements, extra vocals (7)
  • Wired Strings – strings
Technical
  • Martin "Max" Heyes – engineer
  • Simon Halfon, Paul Weller – artwork

Charts

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Heavy Soul – Paul Weller". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  2. ^ Sinclair, Tom (15 August 1997). "Heavy Soul". Entertainment Weekly.
  3. ^ Bailie, Stuart (1 January 1998). "Paul Weller: Heavy Soul". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert (2 December 1997). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. New York. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  5. ^ Sandlin, Michael. "Paul Weller: Heavy Soul". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 16 August 2000. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
  6. ^ Fricke, David (21 August 1997). "Paul Weller: Heavy Soul". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 February 2007.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  8. ^ Paul Weller – Heavy Soul (1997, CD), retrieved 2 May 2021
  9. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 298.
  10. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Paul Weller – Heavy Soul" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  13. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1997". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 September 2020.


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